Letter to the Editor Re: Kipperman, B.S. and German, A.J. Animals 2018, 8, 143

• Main Author: Katharine M. Watson
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2018-10-01
• Series: Animals
• Subjects: companion animal; obesity; overweight; One Health; human–animal bond; medical record
• Online Access: http://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/8/10/179

A recent opinion paper by Kipperman and German (2018) discussed the increasing prevalence of pet obesity, the risk factors contributing to this increase, and the role of veterinarians in helping manage pet obesity. They described the problem as a One Health problem as it has been previously characterized. Kipperman and German also reported a sample of medical records from their referring veterinarians wherein a surprisingly small number of veterinarians recorded information about pets’ body weight or discussions with owners about pet obesity. From their sample, they concluded that general practice veterinarians are not meeting their professional and ethical obligations to recognize and address pet obesity. This letter discusses reasons why veterinarians may not be adequately addressing the pet obesity problem. A similar situation exists in human medicine. Numerous studies in the human field have revealed some of the reasons many physicians do not address obesity with their patients. As it is likely that veterinarians have similar reasons for avoiding the obesity issue, obstacles identified by physicians in encountering overweight obesity are reviewed in this letter.