Pet Obesity Is a Disease—Let’s Treat It That Way
Obesity is a serious health threat affecting millions of pets worldwide. At the Association for Pet Obesity Prevention, we’re committed to changing the conversation—recognizing clinical obesity as a disease that requires proactive diagnosis, treatment, and prevention. Through research, education, and collaboration with veterinary professionals and pet owners, we’re leading the movement toward better health outcomes for pets everywhere.
Guidelines for Pet Obesity Communication
A resource for media, veterinary teams, and pet health advocates.
These guidelines are designed to support accurate, compassionate conversations about pet obesity. By reducing stigma and avoiding blame, we can shift the narrative to recognize obesity as a medical condition—ultimately improving health outcomes for pets at risk.
The guidelines are now available to share.
2024 Pet Obesity and Nutrition Survey
Key findings show that more owners recognize unhealthy body conditions associated with excess weight in their pets, yet awareness of clinical tools like the Body Condition Score (BCS) remains low. Only 45% of dog owners and 40% of cat owners reported familiarity with BCS, and fewer than 30% recalled receiving a BCS score from their veterinarian.
Click here to read the report.
Join us.
Our mission is to solve the complex challenges of pet obesity through deeper understanding and collaboration, promote evidence-based obesity and weight loss interventions, drive important research to understand the health impacts and causes of weight and obesity-related disorders in animals, and advance the discussion of pet obesity and its impact on health and the human-animal bond.
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