Mary Allen
Not everything that tastes good is also good for your health – and that applies even more to large portions. Because the resulting obesity is one of the greatest risk factors in terms of health in humans and dogs. But when is my dog too fat?
Overweight plagues people far too often in our latitudes. But more and more dogs are already suffering from obesity. The question “Is my dog too fat?” is no longer a rarity among dog owners. The reason for the extra kilos is usually the same: a weakness for high-calorie foods. Dogs like fat and sugar as much as humans – that’s why it’s important to be more careful with them and not to talk nice.
Scientific Focus
A team led by the behavioral researcher Ákos Pogány carried out studies with almost 100 overweight dogs of different breeds at the Eötvös Lorand University in Budapest. This should provide insight into their behavior. It was important for the researchers to recognize which characteristics characterized obese dogs.
According to them, obese dogs behave in much the same way as obese humans, regardless of their breed. They all preferred high-energy food. At the same time, they were constantly trying to increase the amount of food. Due to these similarities in behavior, dogs could also be used in human obesity research in the future. After all, they also live closely together with humans, and accordingly, the same factors from their surroundings and environment affect them.
Obesity as a Real Risk
Obesity among pets is on the rise. And that worldwide! Around 40 percent of all animals in Central European households are considered to be overweight. A look at the USA shows a similarly fatal picture: according to the “ Society for the Prevention of Obesity among Animals ”, 60 percent of house tigers and 56 percent of lapdogs weigh too much. One can imagine that the consequences are not easy. Because sadly, the extra pounds cost the beloved pets up to two years of life. Joint problems, diabetes, arthritis, and heart diseases are also not uncommon among the side effects.
Study Design & Experiment
The Hungarian study included two sets of experiments. In the first, the dogs could choose between two feeding bowls: the first one was always full – but with comparatively inferior food. The experimenter pointed out this to Bello with a finger. On the other, there was sometimes no food, sometimes higher quality food. Regardless of the experimenter’s gesture, obese dogs largely preferred the bowl that could contain the high-quality food. This seems surprising at first glance. It could be assumed that they would rather choose the bowl that would certainly be filled. According to the researchers, however, they behaved like obese people here: they preferred energy-rich food with a higher proportion of fat and sugar. So that
In the second series of experiments, two feeding bowls were set up on opposite sides of the room. One bowl always contained food, the other was always empty. After the dogs discovered this, a third bowl was placed in the middle of the room. The dogs couldn’t tell if she contained anything good or not. Overweight dogs were reluctant to inspect this bowl.
In general, the researchers said, obese dogs would strive to maximize high-energy food. However, you would be reluctant to move when the reward is in question and may not materialize.
Self-Test: Is My Dog Too Fat?
Of course, what counts as “too fat” cannot be determined by mere numbers. The average information on different breeds can still provide an approximate orientation. It gets a bit more complex with mixed breeds, but there are also specimens of so-called pedigree dogs that deviate from the norm. In principle, the ribs should be noticeable through the fur of dogs with an ideal weight. If ribs and vertebrae can be seen from afar, the dogs are usually underweight – except for certain breeds (such as various greyhounds )!
Another indicator of overweight is a reduced urge to play or less willingness to move, as well as noticeable fat deposits on the back and base of the tail. A missing waist is also an important indicator of obesity. If you are unsure about your pet’s weight, we recommend a visit to the vet. And so that such worries do not arise again in the future, when it comes to treats, the following often applies: less is more!