A new report has revealed that pets in the U are growing fatter, with the number of overweight animals rising in the past five years and the cost of treating obesity-related conditions rising to around GBP 215 million per year.

The problem has been found to be worse in dogs with an obesity/overweight incidence rate of 45 percent versus a rate of 40 percent among cats. Among smaller animals like guinea pigs, hamsters and rabbits, the incidence rate is 28 percent. Among birds, the rate is 15 percent. The study involved 1,000 pet owners and 200 vets and was done by researchers from the Pet Food Manufacturers’ Association (PFMA). It was found that one of the biggest factors in the increase in obesity rates was the feeding of leftovers to animals by their owners.

One out of three pet owners said that they fed their pets leftovers or human food. The number of people giving pets leftovers has increased 28 percent in the past five years. According to some vets, this may be the leading cause for weight gain in pets and the cause for eight out of ten overweight dogs.

The PFMA study also looked at vets, 77 percent of who believe that the problem is getting worse. It claims that one biscuit given to a dog is the equivalent of a human having two, and a chunk of cheese for a cat is equal to nine chunks for a human.