Ireland's obesity problem is not just a human phenomenon, for it is hitting our pets as well, a new study of Irish cats and dogs has found.
The study found that 33 per cent of all dogs and 40 per cent of our cats are overweight or obese. University College Dublin veterinary graduate Jenny Darmstadter surveyed overweight dogs and cats earlier this year at veterinary practices in Dublin city and county.
She found that a higher percentage of female dogs and cats were overweight compared to their male counterparts.
She also found that neutered female dogs were 2.1 times more likely to be overweight than other female dogs.
Ms Darmstadter, from Carrick-on-Shannon, Co Leitrim, also found that some breeds, for instance Labradors, their crosses and terriers, were the most likely breeds to become overweight. And as in the human population, she found that there were lifestyle factors involved in the weights of the pets she studied.
The study showed that weight and obesity trends were different between working dogs and urban pet dogs, pointing up a rural/urban divide in the problem.
Ms Darmstadter, who was born in Frankfurt but grew up in Leitrim, said she was drawn to the subject because of her love of pets.
"If you look at any number of dogs walking on any street in Ireland, you can see that many seem to be overweight," she said.
"This is a great concern when we start to see the health and lifespan of animals affected. I would like to see further studies done in Ireland in order to support efforts to curb the worrying trends," she said.
The former pupil of Carrick-on-Shannon Community School is also a qualified trampoline coach.
Her paper, A study of obesity in Irish dogs and cats - its prevalence, causes and options for management, won the 27th Pfizer Award for achieving overall first place in the final MVB degree examinations at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine.