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OBJECTIVE To compare pet owners’ and veterinarians’ perceptions of veterinarian-client conversations concerning pet weight and identify challenges related to communication about weight. SAMPLE POPULATION Veterinarians (n = 24) and pet owners (27) in southern Ontario, Canada. PROCEDURES 3 veterinarian and 5 pet owner focus groups were conducted with a semistructured interview format. Thematic analysis of verbatim transcripts was conducted. RESULTS Pet owners valued weight as an important health indicator for pets yet did not expect to discuss weight extensively at every appointment. Owners expected veterinarians to provide options and tailor recommendations when discussing weight management. Owners appeared more concerned with underweight animals, whereas veterinarians focused on obese animals. Veterinarians identified communication challenges, including the perception that owners are uninterested in discussing weight and conversations can become adversarial. Veterinarians reported various benefits and challenges of using humor to address pet weight and emphasized that weight-related conversations often depend on the existing veterinarian-client relationship. CLINICAL RELEVANCE Some perceptions of pet owner expectations expressed by veterinarians in this study align with owner preferences, yet several opportunities exist for changes to veterinarians’ approaches to weight-related communication with clients.

OBJECTIVE Pet weight may be difficult for veterinary professionals to address with clients, particularly when pets are overweight or obese. The objective of this study was to characterize the communication processes and content of weight-related conversations occurring between veterinary professionals and clients. SAMPLE Audio-video recordings of 917 veterinarian-client-patient interactions involving a random sample of 60 veterinarians and a convenience sample of clients. PROCEDURES Companion animal veterinarians in southern Ontario, Canada, were randomly recruited, and interactions with their clients were audio-video recorded. Interactions were reviewed for mentions of weight, then further analyzed by means of a researcher-generated coding framework to provide a comprehensive assessment of communication specific to weight-related interactions. RESULTS 463 of 917 (50.5%) veterinary-client-patient interactions contained an exchange involving the mention of a single patient’s (dog or cat) weight and were included in final analysis. Of the 463 interactions, 150 (32.4%) involved a discussion of obesity for a single patient. Of these, 43.3% (65/150) included a weight management recommendation from the veterinary team, and 28% (42/150) provided clients with a reason for pursuing weight management. CLINICAL RELEVANCE Findings illustrate opportunities to optimize obesity communication to improve the health and wellbeing of veterinary patients.

Owner behaviour change in relation to management is critical for successful pet weight loss. The stages of change (SOC) can be used to conceptualise the process of intentional behaviour change. Clients may be more likely to make successful changes when practitioners use communication techniques appropriate for a client's current stage. The objective of this cross-sectional study was to assess pet owners' SOC in relation to managing the weight of their overweight or obese pet.An online questionnaire targeting dog and cat owners was distributed via snowball sampling. A total of 532 questionnaires were included in the analysis. Of these, 153 participants (28.8%) self-identified their pet's body condition score (BCS) as greater than 5 (on a nine-point scale). An adapted University of Rhode Island Change Assessment scale was completed by 119 of these participants (77.8%) to assess their readiness to change related to managing their overweight or obese pet.Most participants were scored in the precontemplation (52.1%) and contemplation (42%) stages, where readiness to change is low. Owner assessments likely resulted in underestimation of pets' BCS.The results offer preliminary insight into the SOC of owners who identify their pets as overweight or obese. Developing tools to assess and understand owners' readiness to change may be useful in informing veterinary professionals' communication approaches when engaging in weight management conversations.

Pet obesity is commonly encountered by veterinary professionals, yet little is known about their perception of communicating about pet weight. The objective of this study was to explore veterinary professionals' perception of discussing pet obesity with clients.An online survey targeting veterinary professionals was distributed via social media and veterinary organisation newsletters. Topics included respondents' perceptions of weight-related communication, factors related to approaching weight conversations and implicit weight bias.A total of 102 respondents to the survey were included in the final analysis. Avoidance of discussing pet obesity with certain clients was common (53.9%; 55/102). The most endorsed term for describing pets with excess weight to clients was 'overweight' (97.1%; 99/102). The pet's body condition score was rated the most important factor to consider when deciding how to approach a weight discussion with clients. Although only 29 participants completed the implicit association test (IAT), most of these participants were identified as having an unconscious preference for thin people. The small sample size limited the vignette analysis to descriptive only, and the IAT results should be interpreted cautiously.This exploratory, cross-sectional study provides early insight into veterinary professionals' perceptions of pet obesity-related communication and suggests the presence of weight bias in the profession that warrants further investigation.