Who We Are
Clinical obesity deserves clinical care.
The World Pet Obesity Association (WPOA) is an independent, veterinary-led international organization advancing the science and clinical care of obesity in companion animals.
Founded in 2023, WPOA gives veterinary teams the standards, tools, and education to recognize, diagnose, treat, and monitor clinical obesity in dogs and cats.
WPOA builds on nearly two decades of pet obesity prevalence research by the Association for Pet Obesity Prevention (APOP), founded in 2005. The two organizations operate independently: APOP leads prevalence research and public education, and WPOA focuses on clinical standards and care.
Working definition
Clinical obesity is excess adiposity accompanied by clinically meaningful abnormalities plausibly attributable to adiposity.
Body condition score helps identify excess adiposity. Clinical obesity goes further by assessing whether that adiposity is plausibly contributing to disease, impaired function, reduced quality of life, or other clinically meaningful abnormalities. This approach adapts the 2025 Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology Commission on Clinical Obesity for companion animals.
What We’ve Built
Practical tools for clinical obesity care.
Framework · Published in JAVMA, October 2026
The 2-step clinical obesity framework
Classify adiposity with body condition score, then diagnose clinical obesity with the Three A’s: Adiposity, Abnormality, and Attribution.
Explore the frameworkAssessment
Multilingual BCS and MCS charts
Body condition charts for dogs, cats, rabbits, and horses, plus canine and feline muscle condition charts, translated for veterinary teams worldwide.
View the chartsCalculators
Calorie and weight-management tools
Energy needs, feeding amounts, ideal body weight, and weight-loss planning for dogs and cats.
Open the calculatorsEducation
Veterinary Clinical Obesity textbook
A multidisciplinary clinical reference edited by Dr. Ward, with international contributors. Forthcoming from Wiley in early 2027.
About the textbookStandards
Global Pet Obesity Initiative
Consistent international definitions and assessment standards for obesity in companion animals.
Learn about the initiativeLeadership
Scientific leadership
Dr. Ernie Ward, DVM, CVFT
Founder and Scientific Director
Dr. Ernie Ward is a veterinarian, author, educator, and long-time advocate for improving how the veterinary profession understands and treats companion animal obesity. He provides scientific and veterinary direction across WPOA's clinical, educational, research, and professional initiatives.
Founding perspective
Dr. Ward founded WPOA in 2023 to advance clinical obesity care, professional education, research collaboration, and global standards. He also founded APOP in 2005. The organizations are independently operated and serve distinct roles.
Work with WPOA
Contact WPOA about continuing education, research collaboration, publications, clinical resources, partnerships, standards development, or media inquiries.