Why veterinarians don’t work harder at treating pet obesity

NOV 06, 2009

Ever tried to convince an owner that weight loss is indeed possible for their 74-pound beagle? For their 21-pound cat? It’s only then that you’ll understand how stressful it can be to effect real change in a pet’s health with respect to their weight.

That’s why veterinarians find themselves in an uneasy position when it comes to even going there. When an owner is likely to be:

a) Angry at the insinuation that their cat resembles a footstool more than she does a frisky feline

b) Offended that you should insult their pet-keeping skills when you suggest their Yorkie’s "coffee table" proportions are unhealthy

c) Frustrated at their inability to keep their chocolate Lab’s pantry-raiding ways under control

d) Blithely ignorant –– indeed willing to contradict you –– on their pet’s excess of weight

e) All of the above

It’s enough to ensure that you will never bring up the topic again.

It’s often a wasted effort, this weight loss concern. Ask any human general practitioner and they’ll likely agree. Medicare does NOT reimburse for the stress involved with respect to weight loss spiels, and veterinary medicine is no different. For all we do to counsel our clients on the merits of weight loss and the pitfalls inherent to obesity, we’re more likely to be rewarded with indignation than with success –– including that of the monetary variety. Weight loss is not a profit center.

I know what you’re going to say: How cruel! How can a physician or veterinarian fail to deliver based on the inducements only cold hard cash can provide?

But then, I’m a realist. And as a realist, I understand the basics of human motivation: Offer a choice between a task that’s likely to yield clinical success and financial remuneration, and one that’s more apt to achieve neither. There’s no doubt that most humans will choose the former. Why should vets or human docs be any different?

Pick your battles, say all the experts. Don’t waste your energy and your skills in areas where you’re likely to lose.

Still, obesity is so eminently treatable that I’ve found that my own approach favors tackling the subject head-on, guns-a-blazing. I enjoy the challenge of a weight loss scenario –– even if the rewards are few and far between. Yet I don’t blame my colleagues for not playing to underdog issues like this one. After all, there are plenty of times I wonder why I continue to do so.

Dr. Patty Khuly

3 COMMENTS

Human Motivation

by PJBoosinger on 11/06/2009 05:57am

Try giving clients a list of likely cost savings 'cause fat has a price tag!
Repair blown knee: $1500;
Repair torn ACL: $___
Hip Replacement: $___
Arthritis Treatment: $___
Heart disease costs: $___
Cost for treating Diabetes: $ ___

And how much is your pet's pain for the above treatments worth? (Dear owner, you'll be paying that one with guilt even if you're publicly in denial. I know!)

Or just plain 25-50% savings on pet food!

Why Veterinarians don't work harder at treating pet obesity

by Janie on 11/06/2009 09:22am

I can see why a vet would be reluctant, but I think the message should be delivered at least ONCE and then every time an issue comes up that could be improved by weight loss, THAT could be reiterated. I have a friend who got a Golden Retriever and he was 74 lbs when she got him. He is now 120 lbs. He gets a cookie every time he does ANYTHING (even after potty), but I refuse to give him any. He gets a good hug and a kiss on the snoot from me. And HE LIKES IT (just as much, I try to convince myself). But I've heard it before: obesity is a HUMAN problem.

by welso on 11/10/2009 02:50pm

Vets, if you're going to take on the challenge to address weight, please make sure your staff is also on board, not undermining your efforts. I had a fat cat that suffered from the effects of her obesity in her later years. Having seen what she went through, I am very motivated to keep my young cat lean. The vet told me a while back that her 'right' weight is 9 pounds. When she weighed in recently at 9.5 pounds and we started talking about getting her down a little bit, the staff all told me out of the vet's earshot that the vet was going overboard, that a little weight was OK, that 9 pounds was too small, etc. If I weren't self-motivated about the issue, I would have walked out of there with my head spinning.

LEAVE COMMENTS

Please login or sign up to leave comments.

Patty Khuly

VMD, MBA

...is a small animal veterinarian in Miami, Florida, where she practices medicine at Sunset Animal Clinic and serves on the board of the South Florida Veterinary Medical Association. She is a graduate of Wellesley College, the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine, and The Wharton School of Business.

As a significant sideline, she writes...a lot. Apart from her daily blogging here at PetMD's FullyVetted, she authors weekly pet health columns for USA Today and The Miami Herald. She also writes a popular monthly column for Veterinary Practice News and serves as regular contributor to Veterinary Economics, The Bark, and the Veterinary News Network.

Dr. Khuly lives in South Miami with her brood of hens, goats, dogs, cats...and humans.