Question: can animals get a gastric band?

Kevin Mahon answered on 20 Jun 2012:

It has been done in animals previously in labs yes, mainly to help develop the technique in humans. Rats were gastric banded back in the 80s for example to help model what would become a common technique for treating obesity in humans.

It’s not something I’ve seen done in animals yet – animals that most commonly suffer from obesity are cats, dogs and horses and it is likely that the risk of the surgery and its expense has stopped it becoming available. It is theoretically possible however!