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. 2018 Aug 21;8(9):143.
doi: 10.3390/ani8090143.

The Responsibility of Veterinarians to Address Companion Animal Obesity

Barry S Kipperman  1 , Alexander J German  2   3
Affiliations

The Responsibility of Veterinarians to Address Companion Animal Obesity

Barry S Kipperman et al. Animals (Basel). .

Abstract

Obesity is a modern-day epidemic in both people and companion animals. A summary of the current research on the causes, risk factors, consequences, and implications of overweight and obesity, and the compliance of small-animal practitioners in recognizing and addressing pet obesity, is provided. Ethical and animal welfare concerns are raised regarding these findings. We argue that a patient advocacy posture compels the veterinary profession to confront this issue more reliably. Evidence is presented to support obesity as a One-Health problem, and discrete and practical recommendations for preventing and addressing companion animal obesity are proposed. The One-Health perspective encourages coordinated action by veterinary healthcare professionals in order to address overweight and obesity in companion animals as a public health concern.

Keywords: advocacy; communication; ethics; obesity; one health.

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Conflict of interest statement

A.J.G.’s academic post at the University of Liverpool is financially supported by Royal Canin. A.J.G. has also received financial remuneration for providing educational material, speaking at conferences, and consultancy work from this company; all such remuneration has been for projects unrelated to the work reported in this manuscript.

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