Beyond Infections: The Growing Crisis of Chronic Disease in Animals

Abstract

Non‑communicable diseases (NCDs) in animals, including obesity, diabetes, metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular disorders, cancers, and degenerative joint disease, are rising across companion, livestock, wildlife, and aquaculture sectors. Recent surveys document that 50%–60% of domestic cats and dogs are overweight, driving a 0.8% per year increase in feline diabetes from 0.4% in 2005 to 1.6% in 2020. In dairy herds, subclinical ketosis affects 30%–40% of cows during the transition period, reducing 305‑day milk yield by 6%, while osteoarthritis impacts 20% of intensively reared pigs. Wildlife exposed to industrial pollutants show liver tumor rates up to 25% in fish and marine mammals. Therefore, there is a need for integrative research focused on predictive risk modeling and management frameworks. Using an integrated One Health/EcoHealth framework, this mini‑review (i) quantifies NCD prevalence across taxa; (ii) dissects mechanisms linking risk factors to NCD emergence; (iii) proposes an evidence-based risk assessment model to assist future surveillance and mitigation strategies; and (iv) outlines tiered mitigation strategies spanning individual, herd, ecosystem, and policy levels.