Obesity is the most prevalent nutritional disorder in dogs, causing chronic pain, reduced lifespan and compromised quality of life that is almost entirely preventable through owner education.
Dog obesity is a welfare problem caused almost entirely by well-intentioned but uninformed owner behaviour. Dogs do not choose to be obese; they are fed too much and exercised too little by owners who interpret food as love and do not recognise the physical consequences. The suffering caused by obesity — painful joints, breathlessness, heat intolerance, reduced mobility and shortened life — is chronic and progressive. The solution is straightforward in principle: accurate body condition scoring, measured feeding with a kitchen scale, and appropriate exercise. Veterinary guidance at every annual check should include honest body condition assessment and dietary recommendations. Treating obesity as a medical condition rather than a character trait removes the stigma and creates space for practical change.