From dogs and cats to dairy cows and sea turtles, animals around the world are suffering from various cancers, obesity, diabetes, and degenerative joint disease. Understanding the forces driving an increase in these non-communicable diseases (NCDs) chronic diseases is vital for both animal and human health. However, interdisciplinary research on NCDs in animals is lacking.
A Risk Analysis study introduces an innovative conceptual model for improving the surveillance and management of these chronic animal diseases. Developed by animal scientist Antonia Mataragka of the Agricultural University of Athens, the study presents an evidence-based risk assessment model that can also inform public health, since both humans and animals are experiencing a rise in the same chronic conditions.
Using data from published research on NCDs in animals, the study found that:
- Genetic factors predispose certain animal populations to a higher risk of NCDs. Dogs and cats selectively bred for appearance, and livestock genetically optimized for productivity, experience a higher rate of diabetes and mitral valve disease.
- Environmental exposures, nutritional imbalances, sedentary behavior, and chronic stress impact disease onset and progression across species.
Examples include obesity in cats, gastrointestinal cancer in beluga whales, osteoarthritis in cows and pigs, and cardiomyopathy syndrome in farmed Atlantic salmon. Recent surveys document that 50–60% of domestic cats and dogs are overweight, driving an annual increase in feline diabetes. Osteoarthritis impacts around 20% of intensively reared pigs, while wildlife in polluted estuaries exposed to industrial effluents like polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) show liver tumor rates of 15–25%.
- Human-driven ecological change – including urbanization, climate disruption, land use conversion, and biodiversity loss – exacerbates the intensity and duration of harmful exposures. For example, warming oceans and coral degradation have been linked to higher tumor prevalence in marine turtles and fish, while urbanization and heat stress contribute to rising obesity and diabetes rates in companion animals. Moreover, urban air pollution and chemical runoff are associated with endocrine and immune disorders in birds and mammals.
“As environmental changes accelerate disease emergence, the absence of early diagnostic systems further delays the detection of NCDs in animals,” says Mataragka. “While organizations like the World Health Organization provide extensive data on NCD mortality in humans, similar detailed statistics for animals are scarce. This indicates the need for more comprehensive research and enhanced surveillance in veterinary health to better understand and address these issues.”
The study quantifies NCD prevalence in different species, dissects mechanisms linking risk factors to NCD emergence, and outlines mitigation strategies at four levels: individual, population (herd), ecosystem, and policy. It shows that climate change, habitat loss, pollution, and dietary imbalances are among the leading forces that lead to increased vulnerability to NCDs among companion animals, livestock, and wildlife.
Mataragka’s conceptual model is a unique synthesis of the One Health and Ecohealth approaches that both recognize interconnections between humans, animals, and the environment (but often work in parallel rather than together). This model illustrates how NCDs arise from the interaction of biological susceptibility (genetic predisposition) with broader socio-ecological forces, including environmental exposures and human-driven ecosystem change.
Mataragka hopes that her interdisciplinary model will lead to more integrated surveillance of animals, humans and environments – revealing shared NCD drivers and providing early warning to help lower the incidence of these diseases.
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