By Michelle Castillo, CBS News

The obesity epidemic is affecting not only people but their pets as well.

More than half the dogs and cats in the U.S. are at least overweight, and one out of five is obese, according to the Association for Pet Obesity and Prevention.

Just like their human companions, excess weight can bring on a host of health problems for pets. Being overweight can increase risk of osteoarthritis, insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, heart and respiratory disease, cranial cruciate or anterior knee ligament injury, kidney disease and some cancers. It can decrease an animal’s life expectancy by up to 2.5 years.

Banfield Pet Hospital, which operates more than 850 veterinary facilities across the U.S., found that dog diabetes rose 32 percent between 2006 and 2010, while the number of cats with the disease went up 16 percent during the same time frame.

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