“‘The elephant in the consult room- we are failing obese pets” will discuss varying approaches to understanding pet obesity and collaboratively explore ways in which the veterinary professions can tackle the issue.
While Dr German, a Professor of Small Animal Medicine at the University of Liverpool, will argue for obesity to be understood and treated as a disease, BVNA Council Member Ms Oakden will explore obesity as a symptom of malnutrition. AWF Trustees Julian Kupfer and Rebecca Schofield will facilitate the discussion.
AWF Chair of Trustees Chris Laurence said:
“The AWF session at BVNA Fringe promises lots of interesting and stimulating conversations, so I’d like to invite all those attending BVNA Congress to drop in.
“Recent research funded by AWF and surveys of the veterinary professions have identified obesity as one of the biggest health and welfare concerns facing our nation’s pets. Through this session, we want to not only challenge delegates’ own opinions on the subject, but also to share potential actions that can be employed in practice, including how to have supportive and non-stigmatising conversations about pet obesity with clients.”
In BVA and BVNA’s recent Voice of the Veterinary Profession surveys, published in the 2018 PAW Report, vets and vet nurses estimated that 46 percent of the dogs, 34 percent of cats and 30 percent of rabbits they see in their practice each week are overweight or obese, with a significant proportion citing an increase over the previous two years. They also estimated that around half (47 percent) of the overweight and obese dogs, 35 percent of cats and 36 percent of rabbits they see in their practice have health issues which could be related to their weight.
A more recent report by the Pet Food Manufacturers Association (PFMA) found that almost 7 in 10 (68 percent) pet owners think their pet is exactly the right size, while 100 percent of vets are concerned about the prevalence of obesity.
BVNA Congress will take place from 11-13 October at Telford International Centre, Shropshire. AWF’s session on pet obesity is scheduled from 2pm-3.30pm on 12 October in Beckbury Suite and is open to all Congress delegates.
