Obesity

DEFINITION
The presence of body fat in sufficient excess to compromise normal physiologic function or predispose to metabolic, surgical, and/or mechanical problems

PATHOPHYSIOLOGY
Animal factors—although breed predispositions have been reported, any animal may become obese; inactivity is an important risk factor in both dogs and cats, as are increasing age and neutering.
Dietary factors—no specific diet other than a surfeit of “table scraps” and “treats” has been shown to increase risk in dogs; in cats, consumption of “high-fat” diets reportedly increases risk.
Feeding management—many animals are overfed; reasons for excessive food consumption include ignorance of proper feeding practices, inappropriately generous feeding recommendations by manufacturers, emphasis on food palatability both by owners and manufacturers, and inadequate explanation by veterinarians of appropriate body condition for the pet and how to maintain it.
Owner factors—many owners of overweight pets are overweight themselves and engage in feeding as a social activity; clients also may consider their pet to be “one of the family” and be unwilling to deprive a loved one of food; these factors may undermine simple-minded “eat less and exercise more!” approaches to management of obesity; they must be identified and acknowledged by both client and therapist for long-term resolution of obesity.