Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Heart changes in dogs after short-term weight gain and loss
By Pelosi, A et al.·Published in The Veterinary record·2013·College of Veterinary Medicine, United States·View original on PubMed →
PetCaseFinder translated the abstract of this peer-reviewed paper into plain English so pet owners can read it. We do not publish original research — every detail traces back to the citation above. How we work →
Original publication title: Cardiac effect of short-term experimental weight gain and loss in dogs.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of 18 normal dogs was put on a high-calorie diet for 12 weeks to gain weight, which led to an increase in body weight and changes in their heart structure. After this weight-gain phase, the dogs were put on a maintenance diet for another 12 weeks, with some dogs exercising while others did not. The results showed that dogs who did not exercise fully recovered their heart size, while those who exercised with added weight did not recover as well. Overall, losing weight improved heart function in all dogs, but the extent of recovery varied based on their exercise routine.
People also search for: dog heart problems weight gain · dog exercise heart health · how to help my dog lose weight
Abstract
During 12 weeks, 18 normal dogs were fed a high-caloric diet intended to induce obesity (weight-gain phase). For the next 12 weeks (weight-loss phase), all dogs were fed a diet calculated to provide maintenance needs. During this second phase, dogs were randomly assigned to three groups differing only in their exercise regimen: group 1 dogs were not exercised, group 2 dogs were exercised three times each week on a treadmill, group 3 dogs were similarly exercised and outfitted with a vest holding additional weights. Echocardiographic data were obtained at baseline and following both the weight-gain and weight-loss phases. The weight-gain phase of the study was associated with an increase in bodyweight (31.4 per cent), decrease in body density (3.9 per cent) and an increase in left ventricular (LV) myocardial cross-sectional area in all groups. Cardiac hypertrophy was variably reversible during the weight-loss phase, with complete recovery for group 1, partial recovery for group 2 and no recovery in group 3. Regardless of group, weight loss was associated with a significant increase in LV diameter, a reduction of heart rate and an increase in heart rate-corrected isovolumetric relaxation time.
Find similar cases for your pet
PetCaseFinder finds other peer-reviewed reports of pets with the same symptoms, plus a plain-English summary of what was tried across them.
Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23292946/