Overweight dogs exercise less frequently and for shorter periods: results of a large online survey of dog owners from the UK

German, Alexander J.; Blackwell, Emily; Evans, Mark; Westgarth, Carri

doi:10.1017/jns.2017.6

Cited by 32 publications

(33 citation statements)

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“…small, medium or large), according to The UK KC classification ( 4 ) . Unlike for the related papers ( 6 , 7 ) , data from dogs under 2 years of age were eligible for inclusion in the analysis for this study. Outcome variables of interest included: frequency of exercise outside of the home/garden (see categories above); walked once per d or more (yes/no); duration of usual exercise (see categories above); and met UK KC guidelines of exercise for that breed (yes/no).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Variation in activity levels amongst dogs of different breeds: results of a large online survey of dog owners from the UK

et al. 2017

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Regular physical activity is an important means of promoting health, both in people and their pets. Walking is the most common method used for dogs, but there is a lack of clarity on how much daily activity different breeds of dog require. Data from an online survey of UK dog owners were collected between June and August in 2014. The University of Liverpool Ethics Committee approved the project, and owners consented to data use. The initial dataset (17 028 dogs) was first cleaned to remove erroneous data, and then edited to remove mixed breed dogs, leaving a total of 12 314 dogs from known pedigree breeds. Other information collected included sex, age, neuter status, breed, and amount and frequency of exercise. Exercise frequency and duration were estimated across different breeds, and compared with Kennel Club recommendations, using χ2 tests and binary logistic regression. The online survey data indicated differences amongst breeds in the amount of walking reported (P < 0·001). Afghan hounds were the least exercised breed, whilst breeds reportedly exercised most included: English setter, foxhound, Irish setter and Old English sheepdog. Gundogs were most likely to be walked once per d or more (P < 0·001), whilst smaller dogs were more likely to meet their UK Kennel Club guidelines for dog walking (P < 0·001). The frequency of dog walking varies both within and amongst breeds, and many do not currently receive the recommended amount of exercise. This may constitute a canine welfare problem and also have an impact on the physical activity levels of their owners.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Variation in activity levels amongst dogs of different breeds: results of a large online survey of dog owners from the UK

et al. 2017

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“…no reference to a formal body condition scoring system). The main questions considered in the present study were those relating to undesirable behaviours, whereas the questions involving activity are reported in two associated studies ( 10 , 11 ) .…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Overweight dogs are more likely to display undesirable behaviours: results of a large online survey of dog owners in the UK

et al. 2017

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Much of the global canine population is now overweight, and this can adversely affect health, lifespan and quality of life. Undesirable behaviours are also common in pet dogs, and these can adversely affect welfare, as well as being stressful to owners. However, links between obesity and behavioural disorders have never previously been explored. An online survey was conducted between June and August in 2014, coinciding with the broadcast of a National UK television programme, exploring dog health, welfare and behaviour. Information gathered included signalment, overweight status and the prevalence of a range of undesirable behaviours. Fisher's exact test and OR were used to determine associations between overweight status and owner-reported behaviours. A total of 17 028 responses were received. After data verification, the final dataset comprised 11 154 dogs, 1801 (16·1 %) of which were reported by owners to be overweight. Owners of overweight dogs were more likely to see them as ‘a baby’ (P < 0·0001) and allow them to sleep on their bed (P < 0·0001). Overweight dogs were also more likely to guard food (P < 0·0001) and steal food (P < 0·0001). Other undesirable behaviours more commonly reported in overweight dogs included barking, growling or snapping at strangers (P = 0·0011) and other dogs (P = 0·0015), being fearful of outdoors (P < 0·0001), and not always coming back when called (P = 0·0011). Finally, owners were more likely to report that unsociable behaviours adversely affected their dog's health (P < 0·0001). Overweight status is associated with a number of undesirable behaviours in dogs. Further studies are now required to explore the reasons for these associations.

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“…In the present study, group 2 was initially formed and all dogs in this group were neutered and presented overweight or obese; agreeing with epidemiological studies that evaluated the canine obesity [2,6,8]. Then, to compose group 1, which would represent the control situation, dogs were recruited with ideal BCS and also neutered.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 89%

“…Recent study has reported that factors such as age, neuter status and breed influence weight gain in dogs [8]. Increase in sedentary behavior [17], reduction of metabolic rate [2], composition and function of adipose tissue [26] and genetic predisposition [27] justify obesity in older dogs, neutered and some breeds.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluation of Coagulation Parameters in Dogs with Overweight or Obesity

Barbosa

Martins

Rosário

et al. 2019

Acta Scientiae. Vet.

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Background: Hemostatic alterations have already been well characterized in humans with body fat excess, being included in the list of obesity related comorbidities. Overweight and obesity are common in dogs; however, there is little information about the blood coagulation parameters in dogs with these conditions. The aim of this study was to compare hematological and coagulation parameters between lean dogs and overweight or obese dogs, including platelets count; prothrombin time (PT); activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT), coagulation time (CT) and plasma fibrinogen concentration. Materials, Methods & Results:A total of 22 dogs (aged 1 to 10 years, neutered) were evaluated, 10 of them presented ideal body condition score (BCS 4-5) and formed the group 1 (control) and 12 were overweight or obese (BCS 7-9) and formed the group 2. The dogs were submitted to clinical evaluation and then to blood collection for the following laboratory tests: blood count (performed on automatic analyzer), quantification of plasma proteins by refractometry, determination PT, aPTT and plasma fibrinogen concentration using specific commercial kits, and CT by Lee-White method. Compared to group 1, group 2 presented a lower leukocytes and lymphocytes counts (P < 0.05) and a higher concentration of plasma fibrinogen (P = 0,026), but compatible with reference values. No difference was observed in the erythrogram, platelets count, total plasma protein concentration, PT, aPTT and CT between the groups. BCS was negatively correlated with leukocytes (r = -0.45) and lymphocytes (r = -0.60) counts and positively with plasma fibrinogen concentration (r = +0.56). Discussion: The reduction in lymphocytes led to a lower leukocytes count in the dogs of group 2. The migration of peripheral blood lymphocytes to adipose tissue has been reported in the early phase of the inflammatory process induced by obesity and could justify the reduction of circulating lymphocytes in overweight or obese dogs evaluated in this study; however, cytopathological assessment of adipose tissue was not performed. Fibrinogen has to be converted to fibrin for clot formation, so the concentration of this plasma protein is an important parameter for the evaluation of hemostasis. However, there are reports of increase in plasma fibrinogen as a result of infammatory processes. In group 2, formed by dogs with overweight or obese, the higher value of plasm fibrinogen concentration, associated with lower lymphocyte count, may suggest an early-stage inflammatory process. Similar results were described in obese humans, but also evidenced in obese dogs. Supporting this suggestion, the correlation analysis indicates that the higher the body fat excess (estimated by the BCS), the higher the fibrinogen concentration and the lower the lymphocyte count in evaluated dogs. Despite the higher concentration of plasma fibrinogen in group 2, no change was observed in the hemostasis of overweight or obese dogs, due to the normal values for platelets count, PT, aPTT and CT, excluding a hyperco...

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Overweight dogs exercise less frequently and for shorter periods: results of a large online survey of dog owners from the UK

Cited by 32 publications

References 14 publications

Variation in activity levels amongst dogs of different breeds: results of a large online survey of dog owners from the UK

Variation in activity levels amongst dogs of different breeds: results of a large online survey of dog owners from the UK

Overweight dogs are more likely to display undesirable behaviours: results of a large online survey of dog owners in the UK

Evaluation of Coagulation Parameters in Dogs with Overweight or Obesity

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