Overweight pets are part of my every day as a veterinarian. I don’t think I can say that I have days where I don’t have the diet talk with pet parents. And that is definitely not something to brag about.

Obesity is a disease in pets as much as it is in humans. It is a very dangerous disease and it is not just about the cosmetic concern.

How is obesity a disease in pets?

The definition of disease is:

a disorder of structure or function in a human, animal, or plant especially one that produces specific signs or symptoms or that affects a specific location and is not simply a direct result of physical injury.

a particular quality, habit, or disposition regarded as adversely affecting a person or group of people.

Oxford Languages

There is very little difference, if any, between obesity in pets versus humans. It is considered a chronic, inflammatory, and progressive disease that is defined as the accumulation of excessive body fat. Just like in humans, the condition of being obese or overweight will lead to additional health problems and co-morbidities in pets. Studies have shown that obesity in pets will shorten their life span by 2.5 years.

Making the diagnosis

How does a pet become labeled or diagnosed as overweight or obese? Well, this is where we have some differences between humans and pets.

What is actually considered overweight or obese in pets? How are we determining this?

Humans have charts that are based on gender, age, weight, height, and body fat percentage allowing for a more objective diagnosis.

Veterinarians do not have it so easy. There are no exact sizing charts or measurements that we can easily take, aside from body weight. We also lack measurement tools that are easily accessible and available to use. I’m talking things like BMI measurements, DEXA scans, ultrasonographic measurements, and bioelectrical impedance.

What we do have are visual charts and body condition scoring guidelines for specific species. One of the problems with this, however, is that our assessments have a huge element of subjectivity. This, in my opinion, can lead to confusion and disagreement between vets and pet parents. So when this happens it is much harder to implement a plan for our patients that are actually put into action.

Below are two examples of charts that veterinarians will use for body condition scoring and making a diagnosis:

Co-morbidities associated with obesity

It may not be something that we are quick to think about, but pets that are overweight or obese are at risk for other disease processes and complications.

The following are common conditions we see develop or even worsen as a result of obesity:

• Osteoarthritis (joint disease)
• Soft tissue injuries (cranial cruciate (ACL) tears)
• Diabetes
• Heart disease
• Respiratory disease
• Intervertebral disk disease
• Pancreatitis
• Collapsing trachea
• Respiratory disease

And as mentioned above, we are seeing these pets also live shorter lives compared to those with healthy body conditions.

Recommendations for weight management

The good news is that obesity is not only treatable but it is also preventable!

As veterinarians and pet parents we need to do better for our pets! This is a team effort and requires education and instruction from veterinarians, as well as commitment, consistency, and openness from pet parents.

We really can’t put this blame on our pets or anyone else for that matter. As pet parents, we choose their diets, we measure out their meal portions, we even decide if, when, and how much they play and exercise.

So really, this problem is our fault.

Let’s make sure we are working as a team to improve the pet obesity epidemic!

You can use the following list as your first guide:

• Trust the veterinary professionals’ assessment of your pet’s body condition and don’t let your personal opinion or feelings affect the steps you take for your pet. In other words, if your vet tells you your pet is overweight, don’t take it personally!
• Be aware of the different diets available for pets and understand that all diets are not created equally. Talk to your vet about diet options for your pet and be open to the recommendations.
• Free feeding is not for everyone! Pets should be fed portioned meals like everyone else. Some can get away with free feeding, but for the most part, once there is a problem with weight management, portion control is an important part of the solution.
• Don’t fall into the routine of giving your pets human food. The typical human treats I hear pet parents offer their fur kids include cheese, peanut butter, bacon… These are all high calorie and high fat foods. If they can add pounds and fat to your waistline they will definitely do the same to your pet! Not to mention digestive issues if given too much.
• Your pet does not need a treat every time they bark, meow, or just look at you. They may just want some attention – a snuggle, a chase, a toy! Stimulate them with other attention and rewards that do not involve food.
• If you must treat your pet, find healthier options. Low calorie treats, dental chews, and veggies are all good options.
• Make sure everyone in the family is on the same page with meal times, meal portions, and treats. Kids, and husbands, love to over feed pets because giving treats is fun! Portion out a limited amount of treats for the day and tell the kids that this is all that they are allowed.
• Keep your pets active! Make time for exercise and play. Encourage movement by making them run for their treats. Take them for walks. Play fetch with dogs. Use a laser pointer to exercise your cat.

Monitoring progress

Monitoring your pets rate of weightless is also a very important piece for success.

If you have already had discussions with your veterinarian and have a plan in place to help your pet achieve a healthy body condition then you are already ahead of the game. But now we need to ensure we are following through with consistency.

I don’t know about you all, but when I’m working on my fitness I monitor progress with weekly check-ins. So just like you and I, our pets need accountability! Except we are their accountability. And although visual observations can be of some use, we tend to have love goggles on when it comes to our pets so we need those objective measurements. Now, if you want to be extra and take progress photos of your pet’s weight loss journey, by all means have at ‘er. But getting that scale weight will be a much more effective tool to use at home to assess your pet’s progress.

Your vet will use body weight as well as body condition scoring to make further assessments and recommendations for the continued weight management plan for your pet. We are able to look at the past trending weights from previous visits and physical exam findings to help determine if more weight loss is needed, if we can move to a maintenance phase, or if we can add more calories into your pet’s diet.

As mentioned before, it is a team effort! And it will require patience and consistency. If you have ever been on your own weight loss journey you know it can be a slow, long road. Just like in humans, the typical recommendation for rate of weight loss is 1% of body weight per week. So if you think weight loss for humans is slow, calculate 1% of your body weight compared to 1% of your pet’s body weight. The number is much smaller!

Slow and steady is all we need to stick with. No pet needs to or should be losing tons of pounds in a month, that could actually indicate a problem.

At the end of the day, as a veterinarian, I am mainly looking for a downward trend in weight with each visit, if appropriate of course!