What is the Society for the Prevention of Pet Obesity
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Surveys & Data
This year a series of questions were asked in a Likert Scale format to help determine pet owners opinions on the causes of pet obesity.
A Likert scale is a commonly used psychometric tool for measuring people's attitudes, opinions, and perceptions providing a structured method of gathering data on the strength of feelings about a subject and in this survey, feelings around the causes of pet obesity, blame and willpower. There were five response choices: Strongly Disagree, Disagree, Neutral, Agree, and Strongly Agree.
The first question we investigated was whether or not pet owners thought obesity was a result of overfeeding.
Is pet obesity a result of overfeeding?
Using a Likert scale analysis, 73% of pet owners somewhat or strongly agreed that pet obesity resulted from overfeeding
34% reported strongly agree
39% somewhat agree
Is pet obesity caused by poor feeding choices?
70% of survey respondents somewhat agreed (41%) or strongly agreed (29%) that poor feeding choices cause pet obesity
17% answered neutral
13% somewhat disagreed or disagreed
Is pet obesity a result of a biological disorder?
43% of pet owners were neutral
35% answered somewhat agree
25% strongly agree
14% answered somewhat disagree
6% disagree
Do you believe pet obesity is caused by inadequate exercise?
68% of our respondents agreed or somewhat agreed that obesity is caused by not enough exercise.
20% were neutral
12% somewhat disagreed or disagreed
We explored the concept of willpower in causing pet obesity. Lack of willpower is cited as a cause or contributor to human weight gain. While we disagree with this rationale, veterinary clients often mention a lack or loss of willpower when asked why they discontinued a pet weight loss program.
Do you believe overfeeding or giving excess treats is caused by a lack of a pet owners willpower?
32% strongly agreed
30% somewhat agreed
23% were neutral
15% somewhat disagreed or disagreed
Do pet owners have themselves to blame for an overweight or obese pet?
32% of pet owners surveyed reported they strongly agree that pet owners are to blame for an overweight or obese pet.
30% somewhat agreed
23% were neutral
8% somewhat disagreed
7% disagreed
Body Condition Scoring (BCS)
The 5 biggest questions you should ask your veterinarian to prevent pet obesity: How to check, what to feed, and how to exercise.
Pets with obesity are at increased risk for developing serious weight-related disorders such as diabetes, arthritis, high blood pressure, kidney disease, cancer, and more.
To help you better care for your dog or cat, here are five questions you should ask your veterinarian to keep your pet healthy. Theyre simple, wont embarrass you, and just may save your pets life.
1) Is my pet overweight?
This is the most important question you must ask your veterinarian and one your vet may not be eager to answer.Believe it or not, many veterinarians are simply afraid to tell you if your pet is overweight or has obesity. This is primarily due to the fact your veterinarian doesnt want to offend you inadvertently. Weight issues can be tricky to navigate and loaded with perceived judgments, strong emotions, and social stigmas. All of this leads to many vets remarking, Maybe Scooter should drop a few pounds, but then again, who shouldnt?
As a concerned pet owner, you need to understand your pets weight is one of the most influential factors in its longevity, quality of life, and disease prevention. To answer this question, your veterinarian will likely conduct a couple of measurements, determine a Body Condition Score (BCS - see above charts), and measure your pet's current weight.
Ask the question. Demand a thorough assessment. Dont be offended if the answer isnt what you expected. This isnt personal; its your pets well-being.
2) How many calories should I feed my pet each day?
Weve got to be specific when it comes to feeding our pets. Dont fall into the trap of inquiring, About how much food should I feed my pet? Youll probably get a generic, inaccurate response. You need to know the precise number of calories and nutrients your pet needs based on its current body condition and desired goals. By calculating the number of calories your pet needs, you can determine how much to feed, regardless of the type, brand, or formulation of food and treats you feed. This is a subtle but incredibly significant difference. Healthy nutrition is about feeding your pet the proper number of calories, containing the proper nutrients based on its current body condition and health needs.
Your veterinarian should then ask you a few lifestyle questions, perform a couple of calculations, and give you a narrow range of daily calories you should feed. Memorize this number. Find out how many cups or cans of your pet food this equals. Feed that amount.
Don't forget to include treats in your daily caloric counts. Those tiny calorie grenades can swiftly sabotage the best dietary plans.
3) How much weight should my pet lose in a month?
If your pet is like the majority of dogs and cats, itll need to shed a few unhealthy pounds of excess fat. You need to ask how much weight your pet needs to shed and how long it will take to reach a healthy weight and body condition. I prefer to think in terms of pounds per month due to practicality and performance. Monthly weight checks are practical and reasonable for even the busiest pet owners. A weight loss plans performance is critical to track and monitoring monthly trends is an accurate indicator of success or stagnation.
In general terms, a dog can safely lose 1 to 3 percent of its body weight and cats 0.5 to 2 percent per month. Many supervised dogs can safely lose up to 3 to 5 percent per month, and most cats should aim for about a half-pound (0.5 lb. or 0.25 kg.) per month.
Losing weight isnt easy or fast for pets, especially cats. If you put your pet on a crash diet, they can develop serious medical conditions, including a life-threatening form of liver failure that can occur in less than 72 hours.
Patience is essential for pet weight loss. Most canine patients will have a 3 to 6-month weight loss plan, and cats 6 to 12 months. Your veterinarian will probably formulate a step-weight loss plan that will gradually decrease the amount youre feeding over a 1 to 3-month period. This will help curtail cravings, begging, and late-night pestering.
Note I said help, not eliminate. There will be some unhappy pooches and purr babies when you institute a diet. Your veterinarian should provide you with tips on preventing these behaviors and transitioning to a new weight-loss diet.
4) What type of exercise does my pet need?
Most veterinarians and pet owners focus on how long a pet should exercise each day. While thats an excellent approach, I also advise asking what types of activities are best based on your pets species, breed, age, gender, and current physical abilities. The opportunities for physical activity with your pet are limitless: walking, swimming, agility, chasing toys, ball retrieving, and remote-controlled toys, to name a few, but adhering to an exercise program is ultimately determined by your pets physical ability and intellectual interest.
The general recommendation is that dogs need at least thirty (30) minutes of physical activity a day, and cats should strive for three five-minute structured play periods.
How you spend those exercise minutes will determine if you do it or not and if you stick to those activities. Make your interactions enjoyable, entertaining, and interactive to keep your dog and cat engaged and enjoying these physical activities.
Cat owners, dont ignore the essential role of physical activity for your cats physical and mental health and well-being. Whether you play with a feather duster or favorite toy, move the food bowl each feeding, or use a hip, high-tech toy, engage your cats inner predator and encourage it to pounce, leap, and prowl for several minutes at least three times per day.
Pet activity monitors are a great tool to document how much your pet is walking or playing each day. Better yet, you can share these reports with your veterinarian to identify any deficiencies or ways to optimize your training.
5) Is my pet at risk for a medical problem due to excess weight?
This is a very serious question that you need to understand for your pets future.
Dogs and cats with excess fat are at greater risk for developing diabetes, arthritis, high blood pressure, kidney disease, and many forms of cancer.
You need to have a frank conversation with your veterinarian to find out if your pet is potentially facing one of these weight-related disorders. If so, what can you do to reduce their odds of developing these conditions?
Preventing disease is our primary focus and one of the reasons APOP is passionate about the importance of maintaining a healthy weight and proper nutrition.
The most important decision you make each day about your pets health is what you choose to feed it. Choose wisely; your pets longevity and quality of life depend on it.
Its never too late to reduce your pets chances of contracting one of these serious disorders. Early recognition and awareness are the best defense against many diseases. Begin by asking these questions.
So there you have it, my five biggest questions you should ask your vet about pet obesity. Of course, there are many more topics you need to discuss during your time with your veterinarian, but your pets body condition should be covered at every exam.
The few minutes you spend on diet and weight could be the difference between two additional years of high-quality life or a shortened, suffering final stage of life.
Take the time to write down these questions, ask your veterinarian, and act on the answers. Together, you and your veterinary healthcare team can chart a course for a better, longer, and happier life for your pet. Its totally worth it.
