Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
How owners misjudge body fat and exercise in sport and pet dogs
By Kluess, Heidi A & Jones, Rebecca L·Published in Frontiers in veterinary science·2023·School of Kinesiology, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: A comparison of owner perceived and measured body condition, feeding and exercise in sport and pet dogs.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
Many pet owners believe their dogs are at a healthy weight, but a study found that over 50% of dogs were actually overweight. Owners of both sport and pet dogs reported feeding their pets between 413 to 1,133 calories a day, but the actual body fat percentage showed that pet dogs were significantly heavier than sport dogs. While owners walked their dogs daily for about 15-45 minutes, they often misjudged their dogs' body condition. This highlights the need for pet owners to better understand proper feeding and exercise to help manage their dogs' weight effectively.
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Abstract
Dog obesity is a significant problem in the US and elsewhere. The purpose was to evaluate factors contributing to pet obesity in sport and pet dog owners. Owners were recruited over social media to answer a questionnaire regarding demographics, health, body condition, feeding, exercise and dog related expenses. Owners identified as pet or sport dog owners. We asked owners to measure the pelvic circumference and hock to stifle length in their dogs in order to calculate percent fat. Owners reported that their dogs were in "ideal" body condition. However, percent fat calculated from owner measurements was significantly different between groups (Sport: 16 ± 10%fat; Pet: 24 ± 10% fat; < 0.05) and revealed that over 50% of the dogs were over fat. Owners reported feeding dogs a range of 413 to 1,133 Kilocalories (Kcal) per day that correlated well with dog size ( = 0.58; < 0.05). The size of the treats fed was smaller in the Sport dogs (treat was pinky nail to thumbnail sized) than in Pet dogs (treat was bigger than thumb to larger than palm). Owners reported walking their dogs on leash every day for 15-45 min per session. Overall, owners did a poor job in identifying correct body condition of their dogs. This is concerning because 50% of the dogs were over fat. Better understanding of correct body condition and feeding for the level of physical activity is still a critical issue in controlling obesity in pet dogs.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37901110/