Outline for questionnaire for veterinarians:

1. Commonly seen obese dog breeds

2. Frequency of obese patients

3. Treatments

4. Success of treatments

Outline questions for dog owners:

1. Age, weight and breed of dog

2. Self perception of dog health (do they think it is obese?)

3. Have they consulted a professional regarding their dog’s health (if so, did the professional suggest that the dog lose weight)

4. How do they feed their pets

• · Do they measure specific amounts with a weighing machine, or eyeball it?

• · How often do they feed their dog

• · Are they aware of their specific dog’s dietary requirements

• · Type of food

5. Have diet plans been effective

6. Do they find themselves overfeeding their pets with snacks and treats

7. Do they know what the healthy weight of their dog should be

Draft questions for veterinarians:

1. How many patients do you see on an average week?

2. What percentage of those patients visit the clinic for obesity-related issues?

3. What are some dog breeds that you often see overweight in practice? (please list a few)

4. What are some treatments you can suggest for obese patients? (please list a few)

5. Generally, how effective have these treatments been in helping the patient to lose weight?

6. Do owners' perspective of their dog’s weight play a crucial role in helping them to lose weight? (Yes/No)

7. If so, why/ why not?

Draft questions for dog owners:

1. State the breed, age and weight of your dog(s).

2. Do you think that your dog(s) is/are overweight? (yes/no)

3. Have you consulted a professional (i.e a veterinarian) regarding the weight of your pet? (yes/no)

4. If so, have you taken their advice? (yes/no)

5. How do you measure your dog(s)’ food portion?

• · By apparatus provided by the pet food company (e.g. scoop)

• · Eyeball it

• · Fill the bowl completely

• · By handfuls

6. How often do you feed your dog? (once a day/ twice a day/ others please specify)

7. Have you tried to put your dog on a diet? (yes/no)

8. If yes, has the diet plan been effective? (yes/no)

9. Do you find yourself constantly feeding your pet snacks and treats outside their meal times?

10. Are you aware of the dietary requirements of your dog specifically (ie by their breed and age)?

Final Questions for veterinarians:

1. How many patients do you see on an average week?

· Less than 30

· 30 to 50

· 50 to 100

· more than 100

2. What percentage of those patients visit the clinic FOR obesity-related issues?

· <10%

· 10-20

· 20-40%

· 50-60%

· 60-80

· >80%

3. What percentage of those patients ARE overweight?

· <10%

· 10-20

· 20-40%

· 50-60%

· 60-80

· >80%

4. What are some dog breeds that you often see overweight in practice? (please list a few)

5. What are some treatments you can suggest for obese patients? (please list a few)

6. What are the biggest obstacles to an effective weight management program?

7. Do owners' perspective of their dog’s weight play a crucial role in helping them to lose weight? (Yes/No)

· yes

· no

8. If so, why/ why not?

Link: https://forms.gle/3CyP1RFQisJGbUvy7

Revised questions to dog owners:

1. State the breed, age and weight of your dog(s).

2. Do you think that your dog(s) is/are overweight? (yes/no)

3. Did your veterinarian advise that your dog(s) is/are overweight? (yes/no) (sometimes the vet said the dog is overweight but the owner may not agree)

4. Maintaining your dog at an optimum weight is an important part of keeping your dog healthy. Do you agree?

· strongly agree

· agree

· disagree

· strongly disagree

5. Have you consulted a veterinarian regarding the weight of your pet? (yes/no)

6. If so, have you taken their advice? (yes/no)

7. How do you measure your dog(s)’ food portion?

· By apparatus provided by the pet food company (e.g. scoop)

· Eyeball it

· Fill the bowl completely

· By handfuls

· Others

8. How often do you feed your dog? (once a day/ twice a day/ others please specify)

9. Have you tried to put your dog on a diet? (yes/no)

10. If yes, has the diet plan been effective? (yes/no)

11. What are the biggest obstacles to an effective weight-management program for your pet?

11. How many times do you feed your pet snacks and treats outside their meal times?

· less than once a week

· around once a week

· a few times a week

· once a day

· multiple times a day

12. Are you aware of the dietary requirements of your dog specifically (ie by their breed and age)?

Link: https://forms.gle/URng8maqavztFpcn9Out

The survey for veterinarians ended up not hitting the target respondents ( I had only received 8 respondents out of a target 20), as veterinarians around Singapore were receiving a survey fatigue by the amount of surveys needing to be done by them. Thus, I decided not to use those results.

I did, however, use the survey results for the survey done by young pet owners in Singapore. As the target audience of my talk is the students of Temasek Polytechnic, I disseminated the survey amongst my peers and friends of the same age to understand the audience better. I had managed to obatin 59 respondents, which was more than my expected target of 30, thus I am satisfied with the results.

Attached below is a short analysis of the survey data that I have collected.