The changing lifestyle of pet owners, especially those who have stayed at home due to the COVID-19 outbreak, has drastically affected the lives of pets, leading to more muscle conditions and obesity problems for our furry friends not getting enough exercise.
Experts called on pet owners to be careful about their companions' nutrition and daily routines that may currently lack outdoor activities. They emphasized the increase in the number of pets brought to veterinarians due to kneecap dislocations and slipping knees.
Speaking to Demirören News Agency (DHA), Mustafa Türel Gürcan, a member of the Izmir Chamber of Veterinary Surgeons, said it is possible to protect pets' health during the coronavirus pandemic.
"First of all, we should regulate the amount of their daily nutrition to prevent obesity. Animal foods with adjusted calories would prevent nutritional problems. Playing with pets and exercising with them could be enough to overcome these problems," he said.
Gürcan added that elder and obese pets need special care during this process, urging the owners to use joint supplements with veterinary supervision.
İpek Alak, a pet owner, said that her dog Pookie is suffering from kneecap problems that occurred in this period. "I couldn’t take my dog for a stroll often due to restrictions since the beginning of the coronavirus outbreak. We gained weight, so she did too. Then we realized she was limping while walking around at home. We discovered that she had developed a problem in her kneecap due to her weight and lack of activity,” Alak said.
