As 2019 comes to a close, here are some of the top Off Label Pet and Veterinary Trends and Topics we’ll be talking about in 2020. So grab a pint of kale, snuggle up with your 10 kilogram canine and a bowl of oats, have your banker on speed dial and conference in your virtual vet. It’s time for takeoff! Plant-based pet foods, grain-free dog food blowback and the DCM (dilated cardiomyopathy) controversy, veterinary practice consolidation and corporatization, super-combo parasiticides, veterinary teletriage and telemedicine, and more!

I was honored to present a special keynote at the 2017 Obesity Action Coalition (OAC) Your Weight Matters Conference held in New Orleans, Louisiana USA. In this impassioned presentation, I discuss why I believe pet obesity is a disease, why obesity is a shared disease of humans and animals, the role pet care shaming and weight bias play in veterinary medicine, and why I've dedicated much of my career to fighting pet obesity. I also review the role of chronic inflammation, strategies for effective weight loss, differences in pet owner and veterinary professionals' attitudes on diet and nutrition, and challenges for the future of pet food and weight loss.