(MENAFN) A growing number of animals—including pets, livestock, and marine species—are developing chronic diseases once largely associated with humans, a new study warns, spotlighting how environmental changes are reshaping animal health.

Published in Risk Analysis, the research, led by Antonia Mataragka of the Agricultural University of Athens, introduces an evidence-based framework designed to strengthen monitoring of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in animals. The approach aims to enable earlier detection and guide health authorities as chronic illnesses rise in parallel across both humans and animals.

The study highlights that genetics are an important factor, particularly among selectively bred dogs, cats, and farm animals, which show elevated rates of diabetes, heart disease, and joint degeneration. Yet environmental pressures remain the dominant driver. Poor nutrition, sedentary lifestyles, chemical exposure, and long-term stress are increasingly influencing disease patterns across species.

Surveys cited in the research show that more than half of domestic cats and dogs are overweight, fueling a rise in diabetes, especially among felines. In agricultural systems, roughly 20% of intensively raised pigs develop osteoarthritis.

Marine species are also affected: beluga whales have been diagnosed with gastrointestinal cancers, while farmed Atlantic salmon often exhibit cardiomyopathy syndrome. Wildlife living in heavily polluted estuaries contaminated with industrial chemicals show liver tumor rates reaching 25%.

Mataragka emphasizes that climate change and rapid urbanization are intensifying these risks. Warming oceans and degraded habitats correlate with higher tumor rates in sea turtles and fish, while rising urban temperatures and air pollution increasingly impact the metabolic and immune health of companion animals.

“As environmental changes accelerate disease emergence, the absence of early diagnostic systems further delays the detection of NCDs in animals,” Mataragka said, noting that comprehensive NCD data for animals remain scarce compared to human health statistics.

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