Obesity in a dog, with secondary hormonal imbalance

Obesity in dogs is frequently encountered by veterinarians. The history, clinical and laboratory findings of an overweight dog are described. Overfeeding of an all-meat diet resulted in obesity, and subclinical nutritional secondary hyperparathyroidism. The obesity caused fatigue, decreased cardiac performance, respiratory embarrassment, skin lesions, prediabetes and increased glucocorticoid level. A balanced diet fed in limited amounts, and exercise, resulted in a marked loss of weight and an improvement in the dog's health. The practical control of canine obesity is discussed.