21/11/2021
๐ฉบ ๐ฌ๐ข๐จ๐ฅ ๐ฆ๐๐๐ ๐๐ก๐๐๐ฌ ๐๐๐๐๐ง๐๐ฌ ๐ข๐ฉ๐๐ฅ๐ช๐๐๐๐๐ง ๐๐ข๐ ๐๐ฆ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ฌ ๐ ๐ฆ๐๐๐ ๐๐ข๐ ๐๐ก๐ฆ๐๐๐
๐โโ๏ธ I heard something recently that suggested that when we label a dog as overweight that we are fat-shaming it and that just like in humans, that overweight doesn't mean unhealthy...well, my friends, I'm not a Doctor so I'm not even going to address the human comment but I'm going to use science to address the dog part.
๐๐ฎ๐ ๐ฆ๐ต๐ฎ๐บ๐ถ๐ป๐ด
When we label a dog as overweight, we are acknowledging a problem that has medical consequences now or in the future. The dog may be overweight due to a medical condition or a range of biological variables.
There are many similarities between dog and human obesity, including clinical consequences of obesity.
๐ณ Our society is so used to seeing overweight dogs that when people see a lean dog that they often feel triggered by it.
๐คฏ It is estimated that 50% of dogs aged 5-11 years old dogs are overweight - these figures sit below us Australian humans who 67% of us aged 18 and over are overweight or obese (36% were overweight but not obese, and 31% were obese).
๐ ๐๐ถ๐ฑ ๐๐ผ๐ ๐ธ๐ป๐ผ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ผ๐บ๐ฒ ๐๐ฒ๐๐ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฝ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ ๐ป๐ผ๐ ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ฑ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ฒ๐ถ๐ด๐ต๐ ๐๐ถ๐๐ต ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐๐ธ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐ป๐ฑ ๐ถ๐ ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐๐๐ฒ ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ป ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ ๐๐ผ ๐ฝ๐ผ๐ผ๐ฟ๐น๐ ๐๐ผ ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ผ๐น๐ฑ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ถ๐ฟ ๐ฑ๐ผ๐ด ๐ถ๐ ๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐ฒ๐ถ๐ด๐ต๐? ๐๐ป ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ฑ๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป, ๐๐ผ๐บ๐ฒ ๐น๐ฎ๐๐ด๐ต ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฑ๐ผ๐ป'๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ธ๐ฒ ๐ถ๐ ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ผ๐๐๐น๐.
In an interesting related study, Pearl et al.[1] found that both veterinarians and veterinary students respond and act differently toward overweight dogs and their owners compared to lean dogs and their owners.
The researchers recommended further research into the impact of weight bias on clinical decision making and interactions with pet owners, specifically calling for study into the effects of respectful and non-stigmatizing language related to the weight of pets and their owners.
๐โโ๏ธ๐๐๐ฅฉ Not only do we need to do better for ourselves but we need to do better for our dogs. We have normalised overweight dogs & we have normalised putting processed foods in our and our dog's body. ๐ช๐ฒ ๐ป๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐๐ผ ๐ฑ๐ผ ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐๐๐ฒ๐ฟ.
๐ ๐๐ป ๐ฎ ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ญ ๐๐๐๐ฑ๐[2], ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ ๐๐ต๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐ผ๐๐ป๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ฏ๐ผ๐ฑ๐ ๐บ๐ฎ๐๐ ๐ถ๐ป๐ฑ๐ฒ๐
๐๐ฎ๐ ๐ฝ๐ผ๐๐ถ๐๐ถ๐๐ฒ๐น๐ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐น๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐๐ถ๐๐ต ๐ฑ๐ผ๐ด ๐ฏ๐ผ๐ฑ๐ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ป๐ฑ๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐๐ฐ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฒ i.e. overweight dogs can be linked to overweight pet parents. Future studies are warranted to further understand the dog-owner relationship and how it could be leveraged to improve healthy behaviors for people and their pets.
There are likely a magnitude of problems that can be occurring internally, setting off a domino effect but studies have yet to be focused on them in dogs but just because there isn't a study that addresses your specific thoughts doesn't mean you're home free, so let's look at some studies that have been done around the topic.
A 2006 French study[3] found that there are hormonal disturbances associated with obesity in dogs. The results revealed the high incidence of such disturbances, especially thyroid dysfunction, in obese, but otherwise apparently healthy dogs.
These results demonstrate the importance of examining endocrine function during the initial evaluation by the Vet of obese dogs to avoid failure of any nutritional treatment - ๐ถ๐ป ๐๐ต๐ผ๐ฟ๐, ๐ถ๐ณ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ต๐๐ฟ๐ผ๐ถ๐ฑ ๐ถ๐๐ป'๐ ๐ณ๐๐ป๐ฐ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ฎ๐ ๐ถ๐ ๐๐ต๐ผ๐๐น๐ฑ, ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ป ๐ป๐๐๐ฟ๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐ฎ๐น ๐๐๐ฝ๐ฝ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ ๐ถ๐ ๐๐ป๐น๐ถ๐ธ๐ฒ๐น๐ ๐๐ผ ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ต๐ถ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐๐ถ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐๐น๐.
But, don't use thyroid as an excuse, what we don't know is what came first, the thyroid issue, or the overweight issue which triggered the thyroid issue. Either way, the thyroid needs addressing to help heal the dog.
Obesity shortens a dogโs life and makes them more likely to develop disease. It was always accepted that heavy dogs lived a shorter lifespan than lean dogs, usually by 6-12 months. But ๐ฎ ๐น๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ด๐ฒ, ๐น๐ถ๐ณ๐ฒ๐๐ถ๐บ๐ฒ ๐๐๐๐ฑ๐[4] ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ฎ๐ฏ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐ฅ๐ฒ๐๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ ๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐ณ๐ผ๐๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ป ๐บ๐ผ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐น๐ ๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐ฒ๐ถ๐ด๐ต๐ ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ป ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฑ๐๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐ฎ ๐ฑ๐ผ๐ด'๐ ๐น๐ถ๐ณ๐ฒ ๐ฒ๐
๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐๐ฎ๐ป๐ฐ๐ ๐ฏ๐ ๐ป๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐น๐ ๐๐๐ผ ๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐บ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐๐ผ ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ถ๐ฟ ๐น๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐๐ป๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐๐.
Other studies show that obesity is associated with comorbidities such as orthopaedic disease and diabetes mellitus, as well as causing metabolic derangements [5,6], altered renal function [6], and respiratory dysfunction [7]. In addition to these adverse effects on health, quality of life (QOL) is poorer in obese dogs.
โ ๐ฆ๐ข, ๐ช๐๐๐ง ๐ก๐ข๐ช?
Step 1 is get your dog to the vet for a full health check including bloods that can also look at thyroid.
Step 2 - you do not need to put your dog on weight loss kibble, the ingredients are so incredibly sad and one of the first things we see in dogs on such formulas is loss of coat condition, so if that's one external thing we notice, what other effects is it having on them? We can't steal from Peter to pay from Paul.
If you absolutely must feed kibble then look to something like Prime100's lower-calorie Kangaroo dry food: https://prime100.com.au/products/spd-zerog-kangaroo-lentil-turmeric/.
๐ค When you're working out how much to feed your dog, feed them for the weight you want them to be not what they are now. Weigh them every week on the same scales (vet or pet store) and make adjustments to their food intake if they're putting on weight and not losing it.
โญ๏ธ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ซ๐ ๐ก๐ค๐ฉ๐จ ๐ค๐ ๐ฉ๐๐ฅ๐จ ๐๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ฃ๐๐ก๐ช๐๐๐ฃ๐ ๐๐ง๐๐จ๐ ๐๐ค๐ค๐ ๐ง๐๐๐๐ฅ๐๐จ:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1891vvR4TjDXE6H6RZgAzM0LGDz7UJlFQ/view?usp=sharing
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REFERENCES:
[1] Pearl RL, Wadden TA, Bach C, Leonard SM, Michel KE. Who's a good boy? Effects of dog and owner body weight on veterinarian perceptions and treatment recommendations. Int J Obes. (2020) 44:2455โ64. doi: 10.1038/s41366-020-0622-7
[2] Nijland ML, Stam F, Seidell JC. Overweight in dogs, but not in cats, is related to overweight in their owners. Public Health Nutr. (2010) 13:102โ6. doi: 10.1017/S136898000999022X
[3] Martin, L. J. M. et al. โHormonal Disturbances Associated with Obesity in Dogs.โ Journal of Animal Physiology and Animal Nutrition 90.9-10 (2006): 355โ360. Web.
[4] Association between life span and body condition in neutered client-owned dogs Carina Salt, Penelope J. Morris, Derek Wilson, Elizabeth M. Lund, Alexander J. German First published: 11 December 2018 https://doi.org/10.1111/jvim.15367
[5] German AJ, Hervera M, Hunter L, Holden SL, Morris PJ, Biourge V, et al Insulin resistance and reduction in plasma inflammatory adipokines after weight loss in obese dogs. Domest Anim Endocrin. 2009; 37: 214โ226.
[6] Tvarijonaviciute A, Ceron JJ, Holden SL, Biourge V, Morris PJ, German AJ. Obesity-related metabolic dysfunction in dogs: a comparison with human metabolic syndrome. BMC Vet Res. 2012; 8: 147. pmid:22929809
[7] ventilation characteristics in obese sedated dogs before and after weight loss: a clinical trial. Vet J. 2013; 198: 367โ371. pmid:24048017
