Dog obesity 'epidemic' revealed as specific breeds are at risk of weight gain

dailyrecord.co.uk:

New research has unveiled the real dangers of a dog obesity 'epidemic' that's sweeping the UK and putting pooches at risk.According to the Royal Veterinary College (RVC), who carried out the study, around one in 14 dogs in Britain are found to be overweight during their visits to the vet.Not every overweight dog will receive the help they need to shed the pounds and become healthy, and there are concerns that these findings discovered by RVC's VetCompass programme may only be the "tip of the iceberg" when it comes to the health of dogs.The 12 adorable dogs and cats still looking for forever homes in 2023 Wales Online reports that the breeds identified as especially prone to weight gain include Pugs, Beagles, Golden Retrievers and English Springer Spaniels.

The study involved the monitoring of 22,333 dogs for a year and identifed that 1,580 were recorded as overweight.Canines that were middle-aged and neutered were more likely to be overweight, because the changes in hormones after this process may result in "behaviour changes, specifically increased appetite and decreased physical activity, leading to a tendency to gain weight".To help prevent this, the RVC say you should "discuss changes to the diet and exercise plans when they are discussing neutering of their dog with their veterinarian and make adjustments as necessary".Camilla Pegram, VetCompass epidemiologist at the RVC, and author of the paper, said: "This study has used the power of “big data” to robustly address the risk factors for obesity in dogs.

Pugs, Beagles and Golden Retrievers were at greatest risk of obesity compared with crossbreeds. "As well as genetics, management style could in part drive these breed predispositions.