In 2011, in response to a perceived need to increase leadership training opportunities for veterinarians early in their careers, the AVMA implemented the Future Leaders Program. Through this program, up to 10 veterinarians who had graduated ≤ 15 years earlier were selected annually to participate in a yearlong series of meetings, workshops, and lectures meant to strengthen and advance their leadership skills.¹ Participants were also encouraged to enhance their team-building and project management skills by working together to develop novel resources for AVMA members related to an important issue affecting the veterinary profession.

Participants in the Future Leaders Program worked individually with a leadership facilitator to develop short- and long-term goals and with a prominent veterinary leader who was assigned to them as a mentor. They also worked together as a group to develop resources on a particular topic; the topic chosen for the 2017–2018 AVMA Future Leaders group was animal obesity.

Throughout the year, members of the 2017–2018 AVMA Future Leaders group met in person and virtually to develop their project. During the 2018 Veterinary Leadership Conference in Chicago, they were given the opportunity to present their work to the AVMA Board of Directors and to describe the framework for their developing project to Veterinary Leadership Conference attendees. The initial concepts and materials were well received, and the group used feedback that was provided to broaden and strengthen the developing resources. The project culminated with the release of an animal obesity toolkit that AVMA members can use to help reduce obesity in their patients.² The 2017–2018 Future Leaders also developed a lecture series on obesity that was presented at AVMA Convention 2018 in Denver.³

Early in the program, members of the 2017–2018 Future Leaders Program were able to establish important partnerships with organizations similarly invested in animal obesity. Most importantly, the group developed a strategic relationship with the Global Pet Obesity Initiative, which allowed for integration, application, and implementation of the obesity toolkit nationally and internationally. As a result of this relationship, the AVMA Board of Directors, during its June 2018 meeting, endorsed the Global Pet Obesity Initiative position statement,⁴ which calls for the veterinary profession to focus on the following 3 issues:

• • Adopt a uniform definition for obesity. The position statement acknowledges that the lack of professional consensus on a universally accepted definition of obesity in dogs and cats has created confusion and suggests that “obesity be defined as 30% above ideal body weight,” indicating that although “excess body weight (overweight and obesity) represents a continuum and any cutpoint for onset of disease is somewhat arbitrary, this definition correlates with the determination of obesity in humans.”

• • Use a universal body condition scoring system for dogs and cats based on a 9-point scale. The position statement suggests that the wide variety of body condition scoring systems currently in use has created confusion and can “lead to inconsistency in interpreting the results of scientific studies.” The Global Pet Obesity Initiative recommends the 9-point body condition scoring system because this system has been more extensively validated than other systems.

• • Formally recognize canine and feline obesity as a disease. According to the position statement, “obesity develops in a pattern expected for any disease process in that one or more causal factors trigger various pathophysiological mechanisms, which ultimately lead to functional impairment.” Further, obesity meets the American Medical Association's definition of disease and appears to be one of the most commonly identified medical disorders in veterinary practice.

The obesity toolkit developed by the 2017–2018 AVMA Future Leaders group includes a short video that AVMA members can play in their practices or share on social media. The video highlights the prevalence of pet obesity and uses creative images to educate clients about how to identify whether their pets are obese. Most importantly, it stresses that veterinarians are experts in animal health and nutrition, and it directs clients to their veterinarian for nutritional and exercise recommendations.

In developing the obesity toolkit, the Future Leaders identified a multitude of resources on the subject already available to veterinarians, their staff members, and animal owners. Thus, the toolkit includes a collection of links to various online resources that could be helpful to veterinarians and their staff members when discussing obesity with their clients. Among other things, many of these resources provide nutritional information, including calorie calculators.

The Future Leaders also focused on the challenges veterinarians face in encouraging lasting change to improve animals’ body conditions and health. The toolkit incorporates resources intended to help bridge the gap between veterinarian recommendations and client actions. A variety of resources were created with the understanding that it would be unlikely for any single practice to use all resources and that practice staff would select resources best suited for their particular clients and patients.

One important resource is a client questionnaire that can be used to identify nutritional, human-animal bond, and exercise-related causes of obesity. Individual questions address details such as who feeds the animal, how many treats are provided, what kind of treats are provided, and what types of activities the animal engages in with the owners. Questionnaires were created for owners of companion animal and equine patients. An analysis template was developed to assist staff in interpreting client answers and creating an individualized weight management plan for each patient.

Because it has been recommended that clients start with only 1 or 2 changes when beginning a weight management plan for their animals, the toolkit includes a 30-day pledge form for clients to formally acknowledge their commitment to a selected change. The pledge form also provides some recommended commitments that may be more commonly used. Recommendations are also provided for timing of follow-up with clients to support them in fulfilling their pledges.

Lastly, recognizing that effective communication is vital to the success of weight management plans, and that communication techniques used during conversations about obesity can increase or decrease the chances that clients will comply with these plans, the Future Leaders developed a handout describing communication techniques to assist veterinary staff members. This handout reviews the basics of client-centered communication, provides an overview of the stages of behavioral change, and outlines specific communication techniques appropriate for each stage.

The 2017–2018 Future Leaders Program enhanced the leadership skills of the entire cohort by focusing on dynamic public speaking, negotiation, cooperation, and delegation. Despite location and time constraints, the cohort identified effective communication strategies that enhanced the strength of the team. The 2017–2018 Future Leaders have developed a useful and timely resource to combat animal obesity by addressing the psychological and physical barriers to change that are often faced in veterinary practice.