Weight Control and Obesity in Companion Animals

Introduction

Obesity is officially defined as a disease where excessive body fat has accumulated such that health may be adversely affected. The terms overweight and obese are used when the current weight of an animal exceeds the ideal by 15% (for dogs) or 30% (for cats). Recent studies have shown that approximately 40% of pets are overweight; obesity is now the most common medical disorder of companion animals and a major welfare concern, yet many veterinarians still do not treat it seriously, instead believing it to be a cosmetic issue. However, the condition is now known to predispose to a variety of clinical disorders as well as increased anesthetic risk and reduced life expectancy. In the UK, clinicians not only have an ethical obligation to manage and prevent the condition, they also have a legal obligation to do so, not least given recent high-profile cases where owners have been successfully prosecuted for not adequately addressing obesity in their pets. This article will discuss the causes of obesity and its consequences, and then focus on how the condition can be managed and prevented. [...]

Key Points

• Obesity should now be considered as a medical disorder, not just a nutritional disorder, and is a chronic, incurable disease.
• The risk factors associated with obesity rarely disappear; because of this, management and prevention require long-term energy control.
• A number of disease associations are recognized in both dogs and cats, and there is good evidence that disease status improves with weight loss.
• Key factors associated with successful weight loss include the type of diet, how it is measured out and fed, and how the program is monitored.
• Continuing to feed a weight management diet long-term is a key strategy in dogs for preventing rebound. This may well also be beneficial for cats.