Image generated using ImageFX by Google Labs A recent report from Royal Canin1 provides a deep dive into the roles misinformation and misconceptions play in the global pet obesity crisis, with more than a quarter of pet owners surveyed, saying they lack understanding of what a healthy pet weight is. The issue is exacerbated by growing misinformation regarding pet weight management. Seventeen percent of pet owners say misinformation is one of the biggest barriers to keeping their pets at a healthy weight. A third of veterinary professionals reported this negative influence creates challenges when having conversations with pet owners about managing a healthy pet weight. A look at the status quo A 2022 study published in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association (JAVMA) confirmed these and other barriers to conducive conversations about nutrition during healthy pet visits, which also included client resistance to changing brands, time constraints, and keeping up with products.2 The Royal Canin study of more than 14,000 pet owners and 1,750 veterinary professionals across eight countries revealed nearly one in five pet owners turn to social media platforms, such as Facebook and Instagram, for information and advice regarding nutrition, healthy weight, and obesity in pets. Unsurprisingly, the percentage is highest among younger pet owners, with 55 percent of Gen Zers turning to social media rather than their veterinarian for advice. “I don’t believe anyone on social media is trying to cause harm; they do it out of love, and because they feel they know what’s best,” says Lindsey Bullen, DVM, DACVIM (Nutrition), co-founder of Peak Veterinary Specialists in Raleigh, N.C. “Social media is an echo chamber that makes people feel more solid in their beliefs, even if incorrect, but the misinformation on social media causes so much stress and mistrust within the veterinary community.” According to the Royal Canin report, 44 percent of veterinary professionals believe pet obesity has increased in the last few years, and nearly half (45 percent) agree pet owners underestimate the risks associated with overweight and obesity in pets. When asked about factors contributing to pet obesity, 41 percent of pet owners said they give their pets special treats when they seem sad, bored, or lonely. Three in four feed their pets human food, with 31 percent believing doing so causes no harm. Breaking through the noise None of this is a surprise to America’s veterinarians, who deal daily with the consequences of client misinformation and misconceptions. Breaking through the noise can be difficult, but it is imperative veterinarians make the effort. Understanding where misinformation comes from is a good first step. As the Royal Canin report notes, social media is rapidly replacing veterinarians as a primary source of pet information, and the result can adversely affect an animal’s health. For example, pet owners who rely on social media may actually be unaware their pet is overweight, despite the obvious signs, says Laura Gaylord, DVM, DACVIM (Nutrition), founder of Whole Pet Provisions. “We’ve gotten used to viewing overweight dogs and cats as normal,” says Dr. Gaylord. “As a result, when people have a dog that is at its ideal body weight or lean in the healthy range, people may think it’s too skinny, and that’s just wrong. We have to do a better job educating pet owners on proper body weight and body condition, and what that looks like.” Ernie Ward, DVM, CVFT, founder of the Association for Pet Obesity Prevention (APOP), agrees: “Misinformation starts with a misunderstanding and acceptance that obesity is somehow cute, charming, and normal. That’s very dangerous misinformation. People trivialize the issue and almost treat it as fun.” The terminology pet owners use when seeking information or advice on social media is also important, Dr. Ward adds. “When we looked at the types of terms people used on social media when describing obesity in cats and dogs, we found more endearing, less offensive terminology,” he says. “People were quicker to pronounce judgment on bad pet parenting in dogs with obesity than in cats.” Gaylord advises pet owners should be aware of what a healthy dog or cat’s body should look like. This conversation should start with the first kitten or puppy visit. However, a variety of issues can make body condition scoring difficult for laypeople, especially dog owners. One issue is the wide variety of dog breeds, all of which look completely different and all of which have their own unique body score. Thick or shaggy fur can also complicate matters because the owner cannot easily see their pet’s body. “We have found in our surveys cat owners are a little more tightly clustered around what a normal body condition looks like,” says Ward, “but that’s because there isn’t much breed variation, and they are used to seeing what a cat should look like. They are instantly able to identify obesity in cats, whereas with dogs we see some gradations.” The causes of overweight and obesity among pets are another common area of misinformation and misconceptions among pet owners. “There are so many choices when it comes to pet foods, as well as an explosion in the number of treats, many of which are very high-calorie,” says Gaylord. “Over-feeding is often the result of a lack of understanding of the calories contained in pet food and how much they should feed their pets daily. In addition, we’re more sedentary, so lack of exercise can also play a role in pets becoming overweight or obese.” Veterinarians’ vital role Ward acknowledges the role of diet and exercise but encourages veterinarians to look at pet obesity from a multifactorial perspective. “Too often, I think, veterinary professionals focus on the calorie in/calorie out part of the equation, which is understandable, but there can be other factors, such as genetics, hormonal disruptions, and even lifestyle issues, such as people living in urban areas who can’t properly exercise their pet,” he says. “If we reduce it down to just saying you’re overfeeding or under-exercising, then we’re ignoring the vast majority of pet parents out there who don’t know what to do, and they will feel frustrated.” A conversation about pet nutrition and its role in keeping a pet at a healthy weight can be difficult, especially when the client has turned to social media for advice and information. It’s important the veterinary team assures the client they are in a safe and nonjudgmental space and gives them the opportunity to explain their beliefs. “There are ways to communicate with our clients that instill trust and confidence without making them feel like they’re being attacked,” Dr. Bullen says. “I encourage my students and mentees to close their mouths and listen so they have an understanding of where their clients are coming from and can better address their concerns.” After putting a client at ease, Bullen asks them about their specific concerns and how the two of them can work together to ensure their pet stays healthy. “I tell them we have to have this dialog so I can understand how best to help their pet,” Bullen says. “Sometimes I see a client take a deep breath and deflate. I had one client say, ‘Well, I know you’re going to tell me to feed Brand X,’ and I said, ‘I might, but I also might not, and I would love if you could explain further your feelings on Brand X. I’d love to know what your thoughts are, and we can address that.’ Then we pull apart each of their preconceived notions. By the end of it, I usually have them convinced to do what I feel is medically best.” There’s one issue around the pet nutrition conversation conundrum that the Royal Canin report doesn’t touch on, and that’s the dearth of certified veterinary nutritionists teaching in American veterinary schools. “The majority of the veterinarians who graduate every year have no experience or expertise in nutrition or body condition scoring,” Dr. Bullen notes. “If they don’t feel confident or competent, they will ignore the problem. In addition, these same veterinarians, once in practice, are seeing 20 appointments a day, so they’ll only talk about nutrition when weight becomes a problem, and then it’s too late.” While teaching at the North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine, it has been Bullen’s experience that veterinary students come to appreciate the importance of nutrition, which influences almost all aspects of veterinary care, once they understand its role. She asked her third-year students to list three things they learned in her nutrition class that they thought they would take with them into practice. The response was surprising. “The majority wrote multiple paragraphs talking about their misconceptions about what the class entailed, and how they had no idea nutrition was involved in every single specialty, including anesthesia,” Bullen says. The rubber hits the road during clinical visits regarding nutrition and healthy weight management. Gaylord encourages practitioners to take a thorough diet history early on and ask basic questions at every visit. Among them: What are you feeding your pet, and how often? Do you also feed your pet commercial treats? Who in the family is in charge of feeding the pet? These and other questions can help practitioners understand how much awareness the client has regarding their pet’s nutrition. Ward would also like to see practitioners include body scoring in every exam. “It creates a historical record, a trend line,” he explains. “The more data we gather, the greater the benefit.” Nutrition misinformation and misconceptions stemming from social media are not going to go away. As long as people have computers literally at their fingertips, they will turn to the like-minded for information and support. To combat it, veterinarians must present a united front. “When it comes to misinformation, we can make a difference,” Bullen concludes, “but we must do it together. In addition to educating clients, we must make sure that accurate information is taught at a base level, so that we’re preparing the next generation of practitioners once they’re out in the world.” Don Vaughan is an award-winning writer who frequently writes about veterinary-related topics. References Royal Canin Consumer Multi-Market Survey conducted with Censuswide, 2025. Small animal general practitioners discuss nutrition infrequently despite assertion of indication, citing barriers by Elizabeth E. Alvarez, Kelly K. Schultz, et al. JAVMA October 2022/Vol 260/No. 13.
