Obesity affects over half of pets in many countries and causes significant reduction in quality of life through pain, reduced mobility, and systemic disease — yet remains largely preventable.
Pet obesity represents a pervasive welfare failure driven by good intentions. Overfeeding pets is an expression of care that inadvertently causes suffering: excess weight loads joints, causing chronic pain in dogs with arthritis; forces cats to groom inadequately as flexibility is lost; disrupts metabolism leading to diabetes and fatty liver disease. The suffering caused by obesity is chronic and cumulative but may not be visibly apparent to owners accustomed to their pet's body. Body condition scoring — a standardized assessment of fat coverage over ribs and spine — provides an objective measure that vets should perform and communicate clearly at every visit. Veterinary reluctance to mention obesity out of concern for owner sensitivities has contributed to underdiagnosis. Weight management requires caloric restriction combined with measured feeding — not smaller portions of the same diet but a correctly calculated caloric target.