World Pet Obesity Association
Clinical obesity deserves clinical care.
To veterinary teams, educators, researchers, and health partners,
The World Pet Obesity Association is a veterinary-led organization focused on advancing the recognition, diagnosis, treatment, and long-term monitoring of clinical obesity in companion animals.
We believe obesity should be approached as a chronic disease state, not as a cosmetic concern or a simple lifestyle issue. Like osteoarthritis, heart disease, cancer, and other chronic conditions, clinical obesity deserves structured diagnosis, evidence-informed treatment, continuing education, long-term monitoring, and sustained scientific research.
Our work is built around a practical goal: helping veterinary medicine move from general awareness of pet obesity toward consistent, clinical, disease-informed care.
This direction is consistent with the modern clinical shift reflected in the Lancet Commission’s work on obesity: moving beyond weight alone toward disease recognition, functional impact, appropriate diagnosis, and evidence-informed care.
World Pet Obesity Association
Working definition
Clinical obesity is excess adiposity that is causing, worsening, or sustaining objective harm in an individual companion animal.
Body condition score can identify excess adiposity. Clinical obesity goes further: it asks whether that adiposity is contributing to disease, impaired function, reduced quality of life, or other measurable harm.
Who we are
WPOA brings together veterinarians, educators, researchers, and health partners working to improve how companion animal obesity is defined, diagnosed, treated, monitored, and studied.
Clinical obesity is one of the most common and consequential health challenges affecting dogs and cats, yet it remains under-recognized, inconsistently diagnosed, and too often addressed only after complications have developed. WPOA exists to help change that pattern.
Our aim is to move obesity care from awareness toward consistent, evidence-informed practice, supported by clinical standards, professional education, practical tools, and a global One Health perspective.
What we do
Our work centers on the clinical tools, standards, education, and advocacy needed to improve obesity care for companion animals worldwide.
Recognize
Recognize clinical obesity
Support clearer recognition of obesity as a disease state with health consequences, not simply a number on a scale.
Diagnose
Diagnose and classify
Promote practical approaches to screening, body condition assessment, risk identification, and clinical case definition.
Treat
Treat and monitor
Help veterinary teams build structured treatment plans, measure outcomes, support follow-up, and monitor patients over time.
Advance
Advance standards
Advocate for stronger research, clearer terminology, continuing education, and more reliable standards of obesity care.
In practice
What clinical obesity care should include
Obesity care should be clinical, measurable, compassionate, and grounded in the same chronic disease principles used for other long-term conditions.
- Routine screening at veterinary visits
- Body condition and muscle condition assessment
- Identification of obesity-related harm
- Individualized treatment planning
- Nutrition and activity interventions
- Follow-up visits and outcome tracking
- Long-term monitoring as chronic disease care
- Respectful, non-stigmatizing communication
Research
More science. Better care.
Clinical obesity deserves more research, better diagnostic tools, improved interventions, and clearer outcome measures.
WPOA advocates for companion animal obesity to be treated with the same seriousness as other chronic diseases that affect healthspan, mobility, comfort, and quality of life.
One Health
A shared health challenge
WPOA approaches companion animal obesity through a One Health lens, recognizing that animal health, human behavior, nutrition, access to care, the built environment, and the human-animal bond are connected.
Better obesity care requires veterinary medicine, public health, research, education, industry, and pet-owner communication to move in a more consistent direction.
About Dr. Ernie Ward
Founder
Dr. Ernie Ward, DVM, CVFT
Dr. Ernie Ward is a veterinarian, author, educator, and long-time advocate for improving how the veterinary profession understands and treats companion animal obesity. His work has helped move pet obesity from a largely overlooked issue to a recognized clinical priority.
In 2005, Dr. Ward founded the Association for Pet Obesity Prevention, helping establish broader awareness, clinical discussion, and prevalence tracking around obesity in dogs and cats. He founded the World Pet Obesity Association in 2024 to build on that work with a sharper focus on clinical obesity, treatment standards, professional education, and global collaboration.
His current focus is advancing obesity care as chronic disease care. That includes better diagnostic frameworks, more effective interventions, long-term monitoring, continuing education for veterinary teams, and greater scientific investment in obesity as a serious disease state affecting animal health and quality of life.
Partner with WPOA
For continuing education, clinical collaboration, research partnerships, media, or standards development, contact the World Pet Obesity Association.