ManxSPCA General Manager Juana Warburton on why too many pets are overweight and what can be done...

If you made New Year health and fitness resolutions, have they survived the first few weeks of 2026? This is a time of year that many people contemplate shedding a few pounds, but maybe this good intention should also be applied to our pets. Obesity is ranked by vets as one of their top welfare concerns, but it’s a problem that is often not recognised by owners.

Overweight pets often have a shortened lifespan and they are more likely to develop debilitating illnesses such as diabetes and osteoarthritis. All too often people give their pets human food such as cheese, but it’s worth remembering that about 30 grams of cheese for a cat is the equivalent of three chocolate bars for a human. The pet food industry also has to take its fair share of blame given it actively markets calorie-filled, over-priced treats and supplements.

How can you tell if you dog or cat is overweight? The most simple method is to run both hands gently along your dog or cat’s torso, and if you can just about feel their ribs under their fur, then they should be a good weight. This is slightly trickier if you have a very fluffy dog or cat, as is the other quick method of checking – when viewed from above you should be able to see your pet’s waistline.

As with overweight humans the answer is, of course, that if a pet takes sufficient exercise and has a calorie-controlled diet then he or she will have a healthy body weight. Although prevention is better than cure, if your pet has piled on the pounds they should never be put on a crash diet or have food withheld. This can lead to a potentially life threatening condition called hepatic lipidosis where fat is broken down too rapidly and overwhelms the liver.

It can be difficult to manage an individual cat’s weight in multi-cat households. Ideally the over wight cat should be fed in a separate room, and any food left over by the other cats removed, but this is easier said than done. An alternative is to place food inside a cardboard box with a hole cut into the side that is too small for the overweight cat to fit into. If they rip open the box to get to the food at least they have used up some calories in the process!

It is easier to control food and exercise regimes with dogs, and it’s fair to say that active owners generally have healthier dogs; and scientific studies have, over the years, shown that overweight owners tend to have porkier pets. Researchers in Sweden also found that there is a correlation between owners, their dogs and type two diabetes – they discovered that owning a dog with diabetes was associated with a 38% increased risk of having diabetes compared with owning a healthy hound.

A seven-year-old Jack Russell, Rhubarb, came to us for rehoming a few weeks ago and she’s been on a diet since then, but it hasn’t taken long for her to tip the scales at her ideal weight.

She is a complicated little dog – she has clearly been very much loved by her previous owner, but her behaviour around the family’s toddler has become increasingly concerning. She’s started to ‘snap’ and become anxious and agitated when the child is around, and so we think she would be best suited to a much quieter home.

Rhubarb thrives on routine, and she is at her most settled when her feeds and walks are at the same time every day. She became very attached to her previous owner, and was a devoted companion, and the decision to find a new home for her was a heart-breaking one.

Stress is a known contributory factor in skin conditions like Rhubarb’s (although she also has allergies to certain things like, believe it or not, rabbits), and after a few months in a new home she is very likely to have fewer issues both medically and behaviourally. Until that time, though, Rhubarb will need to see a vet on a regular basis for a steroid injection.