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Nutrition And Needs For Pets Essay

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Nutrition Role and Needs for Pets
Most communities in the United States do not have an exact data on the numbers of pet owned in each household, but the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), estimate that 144 to176 million pets are owned in the United States.1 There are various requirements and needs to consider when bringing a pet home, for instance, if the house is pet-friendly, the time it takes to train your pet, spaying and neutering, cleaning, taking them to the vet, and importantly and one the most neglected is their nutrition. Nutrition plays a key role in the prevention of many chronic diseases, improving the quality of life, and increasing life expectative of our pets. Therefore, it is important for owners to understand the role and needs of nutrition for their pets. The most common nutrition disorder in companion pets encounters by veterinarians is obesity.2-3
Obesity is estimated to affect approximately 25% to 44% of dogs and cats in Western countries.2 Obesity is defined as an accumulation and the excess of adipose tissue in the body, and it develops when energy intake exceeds daily energy expenditure as well as environmental and social factors.1 Genetic factors such as breed and physiologic factors such as neutering have been associated with increasing the risk of obesity.2-3 Neutered or spaying has the highest prevalence of overweight and obesity compare to intact pets that had the lowest prevalence of overweight and obesity by a difference of 10%.4

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