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Henry, a toy poodle, orders more Cheerios at his Chicago home on Feb. 13, 2022. (Taylor Glascock/The New York Times)
It had been a year since Henry’s last haircut and Michelle Holbrook hadn’t realized that her playful 7-pound toy poodle was already over 9 pounds. Her adorable, furry appearance not only covered up her weight gain, but also made it harder for the Holbrooks to resist her pleas.
“He’s a rascal,” said Holbrook, a medical researcher in Chicago. “He listens when I open the cheese drawer in the fridge and he comes running.”
7-year-old Henry is one of many food-driven pets who have surprised their owners with the weight they’ve gained in the past two years. Although veterinarians and owners largely attribute the extra pounds to the urge to fall into bad habits that gained strength during the coronavirus pandemic, pet obesity has long been a problem in the United States.
Banfield Veterinary Hospital, which operates more than 1,000 veterinary clinics in the United States, found that nearly 40 percent of cats and nearly 35 percent of dogs were diagnosed as overweight in 2020, up from less than 20 percent a decade ago. Banfield also saw a small increase (regarding 2 percent) in the number of dogs diagnosed as overweight from March 2020 to December of that year, early in the pandemic.
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John and Michelle Holbrook pet their toy poodle dog, Henry, at their home in Chicago on Feb. 13, 2022. (Taylor Glascock/The New York Times)
“We all put on a few pounds because of the pandemic,” said Jennifer Bolser, chief clinical veterinarian at the Boulder Valley Humane Society in Colorado. For pets, just like humans, bad habits include overeating, too many snacks, and not enough physical activity. People find it very difficult not to spoil their pets by giving them more food when they are cooped up at home with them.
Anthony Osuna, a psychology resident, said he and his partner used to take Pavlov, their little corgi, to dog-friendly beaches, malls and restaurants in Southern California. However, when everything closed due to the pandemic, 6-year-old Pavlov lost his enthusiasm for going out, even for walks.
“I felt like we were failing him,” Osuna confessed. “This contributed to the weight gain of many humans: the extra snacks, dessert, tapioca pearl tea and coffee you drank to feel better during the pandemic. The same thing happened with him. We bought him prizes, we gave him snacks.”
Pavlov’s weight jumped unnoticed from 25 to 30 pounds, so Osuna reduced his portions and restricted snacking (popcorn is his favorite).
“He didn’t look really fat, but it was the extra snacks and less activity; it all came together.”
A survey of pet owners by Pumpkin, a pet insurance company, and Fi, which makes smart collars for dogs, found that more than 50 percent of dogs that gained weight during the pandemic did so at the same time as their owners (some even despite being more active). Several studies have also confirmed that humans and dogs can mirror each other’s emotions and stress levels.
Rachel Kiri Walker, who lives in Los Angeles, recounted that she was “very depressed” at the beginning of the pandemic. Later, the breakup of her relationship caused her then-boyfriend to move out of their shared home, separating her dog, 5-year-old Senator Bucky, from her dad.
“When I cried, he would come up to me, lick my face and let me pet him more than usual. It’s amazing that an animal can be so intuitive,” Walker said.
However, Walker realized that Bucky was also stressed because the dog deliberately urinated on a piece of furniture, he said, something he had not done before.
His potential stress, coupled with extra marrow treats and leftovers from the meal, likely contributed to his rapid 10-pound gain, Walker said. Bucky, a furry border collie-golden retriever mix, now weighs 45 pounds.
Symptoms of stress and anxiety in dogs can vary. In a 2018 study published in The Journal of Veterinary Behavior, more than 80 percent of participating owners thought their dogs exhibited signs of emotional eating or “stress eating” behavior when “they weren’t happy.” .
As their owners return to their pre-pandemic routines, pets may develop anxiety for other reasons. Holbrook’s toy poodle, Henry, has developed separation anxiety when his owners go out to work. Other dogs had limited socialization during the pandemic, rendering them unable to have healthy interactions with people and animals in once-typical activities.
Walker claimed that Bucky, who is generally quiet, had become possessive of her when other dogs tried to come over and say hello. When he started taking Bucky on walks to help him lose weight, he found that he, too, got excited regarding meeting and playing with other dogs.
However, Bolser pointed out that when it comes to losing weight, just like with people, it’s harder for pets to lose weight than to gain it. Going out for a walk more can not always counteract the food we give them more to pamper them.
