Toxic treats lead to porky pets

It seems we’re being a little bit over-generous with our pets as more than half (57%) of British pet owners let their cats and dogs pig out on junk food.

Shocking new findings from our latest survey show that UK pet owners regularly feed their pets chips, popcorn, cheese, pizza, cake and curry.

Others admit cooking up a feast of rice, sweet potato and bread for their furry friends.

Four per cent of owners even confessed that they give their pets chocolate, which is poisonous to cats and dogs due to the chemical Theobromine; which can result in shaking, vomiting and seizures.

Our research also showed that 15% of British cats and dogs are currently overweight – that’s more than 1.2 million pets!

The high numbers of overweight pets aren’t surprising, as a quarter of owners confess that they regularly dish up their leftover dinner scraps for their cuddly companions.

One in five of our pets are being given a snack because they beg for them, while one in four give snacks to pets between meals. A shocking 32% of owners admit that they feed their furry friends snacks for no reason at all.

In 2015, the PDSA released an Animal Welfare report which estimated that by 2020 obese animals would be more common than healthy ones.

Owners may think a morsel of cheese here and a crumb of cake there is okay but these types of foods are not designed for animals.

Many of the foods we eat contain things like natural flavourings. These can make your pet extremely nauseous. Salt, raisins, garlic and onions are just a few of the everyday items we eat without question, but could cause significant harm to your pet.

Frequent feeding on this type of high fat, salt and sugar diet could result in numerous health problems, such as obesity and diabetes.

According to the results, the average pet owner spends £21.74 a month feeding their pet, while almost one in five splash out over £40.

We recommend feeding your pet a nutritious, balanced meal which is especially tailored to their size, breed, age and exercise routine, to ensure that they maintain a healthy weight.

Remember you can protect yourself against any unexpected costs from vet bills, should your pet need treatment, we have a range of pet insurance policies available.