Obesity affects an estimated 40-50% of companion dogs in high-income countries and is one of the most impactful and most preventable welfare problems in small animal veterinary medicine.
Canine obesity is a welfare crisis hiding in plain sight. The condition causes chronic suffering through reduced exercise tolerance, joint pain, skin fold infections, respiratory compromise, and shortened lifespan — all while being almost entirely preventable through feeding management and exercise. The challenge is not knowledge but behaviour: many owners know their dogs are overweight but struggle with the emotional dimension of restricting food for an animal that visibly responds to feeding with enthusiasm. Veterinary support, structured feeding plans, and owner education about body condition scoring are the most effective interventions. The parallel obesity epidemic in humans and dogs is not coincidental — shared lifestyle factors including reduced activity, high-calorie processed diets, and emotional feeding drive weight gain in both species. Treating canine obesity as a welfare emergency worthy of veterinary management rather than a lifestyle choice changes how both owners and vets approach it.