Companion animal obesity affects approximately 50% of dogs and cats in developed countries, causing chronic health problems and significantly reducing quality and length of life.
Companion animal obesity represents a significant and largely preventable welfare problem. An obese dog or cat carries chronic health burdens - joint pain, reduced exercise tolerance, impaired thermoregulation, and shortened lifespan - that accumulate over years of excess weight. The welfare harm is real even when the animal appears happy and the condition is socially normalized. The difficult reality is that companion animal obesity is almost always owner-caused and owner-maintained, though often unintentionally. Owners who overestimate their pet's caloric needs, respond to every food-seeking behavior, or simply do not recognize excess weight are inadvertently causing chronic welfare harm. Veterinary body condition scoring at every visit and honest weight conversations are essential first steps.