An epidemiological study of environmental factors associated with canine obesity

Abstract

Objectives: To assess the relationships between socioeconomic and other environmental factors with canine obesity. Methods: This was a cross‐sectional questionnaire study of dog owners attending five primary veterinary practices in the UK. Owners were asked about dog age, neuter status, feeding habits, dog exercise, household income and owner age. The body condition score of the dogs was also assessed. Factors hypothesised to be associated with obesity were investigated. Results: In total, data from 696 questionnaires were evaluated. Out of those data evaluated, 35·3% of dogs (n=246) were classed as an ideal body shape, 38·9% (n=271) were overweight, 20·4% (n=142) were obese and 5·3% (n=37) were underweight. Identified risk factors associated with obesity included owner age, hours of weekly exercise, frequency of snacks/treats and personal income. Clinical Significance: Environmental risk factors associated with canine obesity are multifactorial and include personal income, owner age, frequency of snacks/treats and amount of exercise the dog receives. Awareness about health risks associated with obesity in dogs is significantly less in people in lower income brackets. This phenomenon is recognised in human obesity.

Outcomes of weight management in obese pet dogs: what can we do better?

“…Labrador retriever, Cairn terrier, cavalier King Charles spaniel, Scottish terrier, cocker spaniel) and neutering (7,9) . In addition, owner and lifestyle factors might contribute, with examples including socioeconomic status, middle age, apartment dwelling, physical inactivity and a lesser interest in preventive veterinary care (9,(21)(22)(23) . Dietary factors have also been implicated such as food type and the use of treats and table scraps (21,22) .…”

Portrayals of Canine Obesity in English-Language Newspapers and in Leading Veterinary Journals, 2000–2009: Implications for Animal Welfare Organizations and Veterinarians as Public Educators

“…Recent studies indicate that owner income, working hours, diets and exercise patterns all have an influence upon the risk of excess weight in pet dogs, as they do in human populations (Courcier et al, 2010;Heuberger & Wakshlag, 2010;Nijland, Stam, & Seidell, 2010). These investigations have all appeared in 2010, and were not necessarily published within high profile veterinary journals, and thus were not included in our study.…”

“…Therefore 'types' of owner can promote 'lifestyles' that increase the risks of canine obesity. The epidemiological profile of typical owners of 'at risk' dogs are: overweight people themselves; individuals on lower incomes; and, older people who are relatively inactive and spend much more time in the company of their pets (Courcier, Thomson, Mellor, & Yam, 2010;Kienzle, Bergler, & Mandernach, 1998).…”

Derivation of a Unique Body Surface Area (Bsa) Formula for Calculation of Relatively Safe Doses of Dog and Human Anticancer Drugs

“…However, the variation in body size over an order of magnitude as shown in grey hounds, toys, companions, terriers, hunting and working dogs, may be more accurately described as a non-proportional function of body weight [26]. Since metabolic rate, body surface area (BSA), organ blood flow and glomerular filtration rate (GFR) depend on body weight [27], pharmacokinetic parameters and appropriate drug doses scale allometrically with body weight [36,37]. Allometric equation of the general form is: = b y aW , where y is the scalable variable, a is the mass coefficient, W represents body weight, and b is the mass exponent.…”