Obesity

Obesity is an excess of body fat large enough to harm health, differing from mere [overweight](/glossary/overweight) by its degree, and it is detected through the [body condition score](/glossary/body-condition-score) and weighing. It is now regarded as a disease in its own right by a large share of veterinary professionals, and its prevalence is high: according to a survey by the Association for Pet Obesity Prevention, in 2022 about 59 percent of dogs and 61 percent of cats in the United States were overweight or obese (Association for Pet Obesity Prevention, 2022). A perception gap exists, since many owners underestimate their animal's body condition. Obesity raises the risk of several conditions, including [diabetes mellitus](/glossary/diabetes-mellitus), joint and orthopaedic disorders, some cardiovascular diseases and certain cancers, and it reduces life expectancy and quality of life (WSAVA). The main cause is a lasting imbalance between energy intake and expenditure, often worsened by overfeeding, treats and lack of activity, and management rests on controlled calorie reduction, sometimes a dedicated veterinary diet prescribed by a vet, and weight monitoring that preserves [lean body mass](/glossary/lean-body-mass). The marker: weight management is one of the nutritional interventions with the best-established health effect, which makes obesity prevention a recurring priority throughout the [Petipedia glossary](/glossary).

Petipedia · Editorial team

General documentary information. For an individual animal, a veterinarian's advice takes precedence over any online content.