Obesity is the most common nutritional disorder in dogs and a leading driver of joint disease. Prevention is far more effective than treatment for this painful and costly condition.
Obesity causes direct, measurable suffering in dogs through joint pain, exercise intolerance, breathing difficulties and heat stress. Overweight dogs move less, play less and have shorter lifespans. Joint disease in obese dogs often goes underdiagnosed because owners attribute reduced activity to ageing rather than pain. Weight management requires accurate portion control, appropriate exercise and often dietary change — but social and psychological barriers in owners frequently prevent action. Dogs that successfully lose weight show dramatic behavioural improvements including increased activity, play and apparent happiness. The challenge is that owners often respond to food-seeking behaviour by overfeeding, inadvertently causing the chronic welfare problem they wish to prevent.