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6. Ethical Concerns
Professional ethics poses questions such as, “What is the veterinary profession doing about the issue of obesity?”, and “What should the profession be doing about obesity?”. We contend that there is a significant and highly concerning gap between the answers to these questions. A logical conclusion is that small- animal practitioners may be reluctant to confront the issue of pet obesity for fear of alienating or jeopardizing their relationship with the client. Supporting this hypothesis, a qualitative study of 15 general practitioners in the Netherlands indicated that the most common obstacles in discussing obesity with pet owners were lack of time (66% of veterinarians) and a fear of losing the client (50% of respondents). The results of another report substantiate that time constraints and concerns of offending the client were suggested causes for the practitioners’ failure to discuss pet obesity. Other contributing factors to poor compliance among veterinarians in discussing obesity may include the habituation of or desensitization to recognizing obesity given its prevalence, a normalization of obesity (analogous to the issue of brachycephaly in which clients and practitioners report that noisy breathing is “normal for the breed”), prioritization of the emotional component of the human–animal bond over the patient’s physical health, or a belief that client compliance in addressing their pet’s obese state would fail, regardless of professional concern, recognition, or guidance.
One of the fundamental questions facing veterinarians is whether their primary allegiance is to the animal or to the pet owner. In a recent study, only 20% of small-animal veterinarians indicated that other practitioners prioritize the patients’ interests, and only 50% of practitioners characterized their own behavior as prioritizing their patients. One barrier discouraging the animal advocacy position is economic; the veterinarian is dependent on the pet owner who pays for the veterinary services . These findings raise questions regarding whether the majority of small-animal veterinarians see their professional role as primarily advocates for animals.
7. Reasons for Speaking Up about Obesity
When animal welfare scientists make assessments regarding which issues affecting welfare warrant the allocation of time, labor, and resources, the following four criteria are considered: number of animals affected, duration of affect, impact on quality of life, and reversibility. If we apply these standards to the issue of pet obesity, we can readily surmise that about 80 million dogs and cats in the United States are overweight or obese. The great majority of these animals will remain obese for a significant portion of, or for the remainder of their lifespan; obesity causes significant impairments to welfare, and it has been confirmed that dogs that successfully lose weight have a significantly improved quality of life. Furthermore, the results of a prospective longitudinal study of 39 Labrador Retrievers, followed from six years of age until death, concluded that the lifelong maintenance of lean body mass and a reduced accumulation of body fat were associated with a longer than average lifespan. Based on these facts, preventing pet obesity provides veterinarians with a significant opportunity to protect animal welfare.
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