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Dog obesity: Veterinary practices' and owners' opinions on cause and

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Article in Preventive Veterinary Medicine · February 2010

DOI: 10.1016/j.prevetmed.2010.01.013 · Source: PubMed

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 Preventive Veterinary Medicine 94 (2010) 310–315

Contents lists available at ScienceDirect

Preventive Veterinary Medicine

journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/prevetmed

Short communication

Dog obesity: Veterinary practices’ and owners’ opinions on

cause and management
I.M. Bland *, A. Guthrie-Jones, R.D. Taylor, J. Hill
School of Agriculture and Food Systems, Faculty of Land and Food Resources, University of Melbourne, Parkville 3010, Victoria, Australia

A R T I C L E I N F O A B S T R A C T

Article history: Obesity in dogs is attributed to several factors, including genetic pre-disposition,
Received 18 December 2008 reproductive management and dietary/exercise (human) management. A quantitative
Received in revised form 18 January 2010 analysis of questionnaire responses from dog owners and veterinary practices in Victoria,
Accepted 19 January 2010
Australia was used. A total of 219 dog owner questionnaire and 153 veterinary practice
questionnaires were returned. Veterinary practices estimated the prevalence of dog
Keywords:
obesity within their practice as 30% on average, ranging from <10 to 100%. Veterinary
Dog obesity
practices felt that 3% of cases could be attributed to dog specific factors and 97% to human
Veterinarians
Owner attitudes specific factors such as diet, exercise and owner attitudes. Management strategies
included reducing food intake, reduced treat feeding and changing diet before
recommending more intensive options such as obesity clinics. Of the surveyed veterinary
practices, 43% ran obesity clinics and 79% of those believed they were a valuable
management tool. Of veterinary practices that did not run obesity clinics, only 46%
believed them to be a valuable management tool. Dog owners preferred to try to reduce
dog weight through diet manipulation, increasing exercise and elimination of treats prior
to consulting the veterinary practice. There is a clear difference in expectations with
veterinary practices recommending reduction in dietary intake compared to owners
expecting to have to modify the diet itself, which may have a cost and hence psychological
implication to the owner.
ß 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

1. Introduction weight of the animal (observed by McGreevy et al., 2005)

Over the past 30 years, obesity in dogs has been
identified as an emerging issue that may affect canine
health and well-being (Bland et al., 2009). However, it is
difficult to obtain good estimates of obesity in the canine
population reflecting differences in survey method, target
population and the methods applied to calculate national
prevalence (Edney and Smith, 1986; Diez et al., 2002;
Robertson, 2003). A further complexity in interpretation is
the identification of significant associations between body
* Corresponding author at: School of Agriculture and Food Systems,
Land & Environment, University of Melbourne, Parkville 3010, Victoria,
Australia. Tel.: +61 3 83445253; fax: +61 3 83445037.
E-mail address: ibland@unimelb.edu.au (I.M. Bland).
and the reasons for visiting the veterinary practice. This
situation prevents the information being used (admission
rate bias) to estimate the prevalence of obesity in the
national population. The reported prevalence is 20–40%, or
up to 1.6 million animals in the Australian canine
population of 3.7 million dogs (McGreevy et al., 2005).
It is recognised that obesity in dogs results primarily
from excessive intake of food energy and reduced physical
activity (Burkholder and Bauer, 1998; Bland et al., 2009).
Other factors for increased prevalence have been identified
as decreased metabolic rate, ‘insufficient feed nutrients’,
gender, advancing age, breed and de-sexing (Fettman et al.,
1997; Edney and Smith, 1986; Robertson, 2003). However,
given the control owners have over the management of
dogs, it is not surprising that human socioeconomic and
lifestyle factors play a major role (Burkholder and Bauer,

0167-5877/$ – see front matter ß 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
doi:10.1016/j.prevetmed.2010.01.013
 I.M. Bland et al. / Preventive Veterinary Medicine 94 (2010) 310–315 311

1998) in the emerging obesity problem. Often animals that

present to the veterinarian have weight problems but
these are not recognised by the owner as an underlying
reason for a range of causative conditions (Freeman et al.,
2006). This situation is compounded by the fact that
owners are often inaccurate in their assessment of their
dog’s weight (Singh et al., 2002). Surprisingly the attitudes
of Australian dog owners and veterinarians towards
strategies for management of the obese dog have not
been surveyed to any extent, even though there is a
consensus amongst animal health professionals that there
is an apparent rise in obesity. This study aims to provide
veterinarian’s information about owner expectations of
the veterinary profession in canine weight management
Fig. 1. Frequency of dog obesity prevalence in metropolitan Melbourne
and the responses of the veterinary industry to causes of and rural Victoria (Australia, data collected during August 2007 from 153
obesity. veterinary practices).

2. Materials and method metropolitan Melbourne and 30% in rural Victoria. A

further 7% of questionnaires received listed no location;
The study reported in this paper builds on the earlier however these were identified as either metropolitan or
study of Bland et al. (2009). In his study on the responses rural by the post office franking. Of the veterinary practice
from dog owners and veterinary practices on the routine respondents 52% were male and 48% female. Gender had
care and management of overweight and obese dogs, Bland no significant effect on responses to the questionnaires
et al., evaluated 550 responses of dog owners in Victoria, except when dealing with the value of obesity clinics, as
Australia during July–August 2007. In a concurrent study, detailed below.
419 questionnaires were distributed to veterinary prac- Based upon the definition, ‘‘obesity occurs when a dog
tices (located in both rural and urban areas) in Victoria. The is over its ideal weight by 15–20%’’ the respondents
questionnaire was designed to provide an unbiased estimated the prevalence of dog obesity in admissions to
professional perspective on dog obesity rather than their practices as 30% (Fig. 1). The main cause of obesity in
detailed information on the opinions of dog owners. A dogs was identified as ‘‘owner’’ related (97%) of which
reminder was sent after 30 days from mailing date to all approximately one third related to diet, one third socio-
participants if a rejoinder had not been received. If economic reasons and 20% as exercise related (Table 1).
questionnaires were received more than 30 days after
the reminder, they were not included in the analysis. The Table 1
design of the questionnaire was informed by previous Opinion of veterinarians: causes of dog obesity. Information from 153
veterinary practices based in Victoria, Australia who responded to a
studies (Kobelt et al., 2003; Robertson, 2003; Carciofi et al.,
questionnaire survey during July–August 2007.
2005; McGreevy et al., 2005) and examined by University
of Melbourne Human Ethics Committee for potential Categorised responses Number %
causes of bias, phraseology, design and validity (UMHEC Total responses listed by respondents 419
0714040). The questionnaire had 11 questions of which
Dog related causes 12 3
nine were closed ended questions and two open ended De-sexing (neutering/spaying) 7 2
questions. Two questions evaluated the demographics of Dogs health 5 1
the veterinary practice and the veterinarian. The remaining
Human related causes 407 97
questions examined the opinions of veterinary practices Dog owner 141 34
regarding strategies for management of canine obesity, Human obesity 34 8
and advice given to clients. The veterinary practices’ Human–dog relationship 18 4
Sedentary owner 23 6
opinions regarding the cause of dog obesity was deter-
Busy owner lifestyle 22 5
mined using open ended question, with the responses Owner perception of ideal weight 12 3
grouped according to keywords: reflecting cause and Lack of owner education of dog 11 3
management of obesity. Discrete data; such as gender Over-pampering 8 2
effects; were analysed using univariable x2-tests for Affluent society 7 2
Owner ignorance 6 1
independence. All data analyses were conducted using
Genstat version 8.0 (Lawes Agricultural Trust, 2005). Diet 151 36
Overfeeding 51 12
Treat feeding 29 7
3. Results Commercial food 36 9
Diet (other) 35 8
The veterinary questionnaire was sent by mail to 419
Exercise 88 21
metropolitan and rural veterinary practices in Victoria Lack of exercise 75 18
during July and August 2007 with 153 (37%) completed Small yard size and/or inside dog 13 3
questionnaires received within 4 weeks of mailing. The
Other 27 6
respondent veterinary practices were identified as 63% in
312 I.M. Bland et al. / Preventive Veterinary Medicine 94 (2010) 310–315

Table 2
Veterinary practices’ order of preference of obesity treatment and prevention advice. A total of 153 veterinary practices based in Victoria, Australia and
responded to a questionnaire survey during July–August 2007. Respondents were asked to rank the possible forms of advice from 1 (most preferred) to 7
(least preferred).

Advice to obese patients’ owners Median rank Modal rank Rangea IQ rangeb

Reduce food 1 1 1–6 1–2

Reduce treats 2 2 1–6 2–3
Change diet 3 3 1–6 2–3
Natural remedies 5 4 1–7 4–6
Obesity clinic 5 5 4–7 4–5
Company websites 5 6 1–6 4–6
Do not have many options 7 7 4–7 7–7
a
Range refers to the highest and lowest rank response indicated on the questionnaires.
b
Interquartile range refers to the rank position on the 1 and 3 quartile of the range of ranks returned on the questionnaires.

Table 3
Places owners would seek weight-loss help for their dog. Owners were resident in Victoria, Australia and responded to a questionnaire during July–August
2007 (a total of 219 individual owners). Owners were asked to rank the places on a scale of 1–6 with 1 being most preferred/likely to 6 being least preferred/
likely.

Where seek help Median rank Modal rank Rangea IQ rangeb

Veterinarian 2 2 1–6 2–5

Pharmaceutical companies 2.5 4 1–6 1–4
Dog feed companies 3 3 2–6 3–3
Internet 3 5 1–6 2–5
Dog obedience schools 4 4 1–6 1–4
Other 6 6 1–6 6–6
a
Range refers to the highest and lowest rank response indicated on the questionnaires.
b
Interquartile range refers to the rank position on the 1 and 3 quartile of the range of ranks returned on the questionnaires.

The highest-ranking strategy for intervention by veteri-
nary practices (preference) was direct intervention, to (1)
‘reduce food’, (2) ‘reduce treats’, and (3) ‘change diet’.
Enrolling by ‘self-referral’ into a veterinarian-managed
‘obesity clinic’ was ranked next (Table 2). The value of the
‘self-referral’ option was investigated further. Only 43% of
veterinary practices in the survey offered the clinic
services. Furthermore 79% of respondents who offered a
clinic noted it was a valuable service to manage weight-
loss in dogs but only 46% of respondents who did not offer
a clinic service thought it would be valuable. In addition,
gender influenced responses to the value of obesity clinics
(Chi; x2 = 29.57; d.f. = 9; P > 0.001). Female respondents
were generally positive about the value of clinics
regardless of whether they ran one or not (average of
72% positive responses), where-as male respondents who
did not run a clinic were less likely to see the value or to be
unsure about obesity clinics as a tool to reduce dog obesity
(69% of males who ran obesity clinics rated them
positively compared to only 31% of males who did not
run clinics).
Bland et al. (2009) asked dog owners whether they
would seek help to deal with overweight animals and to
consider various strategies to manage their dog’s weight-
loss and rank the most appropriate method for achieving
optimal weight in their animal. Whilst the majority of
owners (74%) indicated they would seek help, 14% of dog
owners who responded suggested that they would not
seek help if they had an overweight or obese dog and a
further 12% were unsure if they would seek help or not.
These responses were evenly distributed between owners
of normal weight and overweight dogs. Owners who would
seek assistance saw veterinary consultation as the most
likely point of information (Table 3) with dietary
manipulation as the most important strategy but owners
were more reluctant to consider measures such as weight-
loss products, exercise and reduced treat feeding (Table 4).
Owners indicated a reluctance to use artificial methods to

Table 4
Methods owners would consider using to manage their dogs weight-loss. Owners were resident in Victoria, Australia and responded to a questionnaire
during July–August 2007 (a total of 219 individual owners). Owners were asked to rank the methods on a scale of 1–6 with 1 being most preferred/likely to 6
being least preferred/likely.

Weight-loss method Median rank Modal rank Rangea IQ rangeb

Veterinary guidance 1 1 1–6 1–2

Modify diet 2 2 1–6 2–2
Veterinary weight-loss product 4 3 1–6 3–5
Increase exercise 4 4 1–6 3–5
Regular obesity clinic 5 5 1–6 3–5
Eliminate treats 6 6 1–6 3–6
a
Range refers to the highest and lowest rank response indicated on the questionnaires.
b
Interquartile range refers to the rank position on the 1 and 3 quartile of the range of ranks returned on the questionnaires.
 I.M. Bland et al. / Preventive Veterinary Medicine 94 (2010) 310–315
manage weight when asked specifically (9% indicating
support for pharmaceutical intervention, compared to 63%
against and 32% unsure) which must also be considered
with the responses from veterinary practices. Veterinary
practices identified that owners should be prepared to try
medication to control weight of their animal as a last resort
(73% of responses), particularly if the use of medication
was linked to surgical intervention (63% of responses). The
potential limitations for the owner to follow a weight-loss
management plan were ‘‘cost’’ and ‘‘exercise’’ in groups
that had normal weight dogs compared to owners of an
overweight animal who identified with more anthropo-
morphic factors such as ‘‘animal might suffer’’ and ‘‘resist
giving treats’’.
4. Discussion
Studies into human obesity have clearly identified the
need for multifaceted management strategies that aim
towards altering the home environment to one favouring
better weight control through sustainable behavioural
changes to diet and physical activity (Hofbauer et al., 2006;
Levy et al., 2007). Clearly, there is a requirement for
multifaceted management of the nutritional disorder,
however it was demonstrated that the majority of animal
health professionals would recommend simple nutritional
management.
The potential sources and risk of bias are key issues in
this and other questionnaire-based studies have been
discussed in some detail by Bland et al. (2009). As we
focussed on the opinions of veterinary practices on the
prevalence of obesity in dogs presenting and not on a
comparison of obese and normal dogs, ascertainment bias
is negligible. Furthermore, prevalence–incidence and
admission rate biases are also likely to be minimal as
we are not interested in prevalence of obesity per se but
identifying the causal relationship between factors that
lead to obesity in dogs presenting. The information in this
paper cannot be extrapolated to the general canine
population in Australia. The focus of the questions to both
owners and veterinary practices (Bland et al., 2009 and this
paper) was to identify if there were differences between
each group in the management of obesity. However, we do
have to note a degree of caution in interpretation and
comparing the responses insofar that the two populations
(owners and veterinary surgeons) were examined using
separate and different questionnaires and therefore the
errors associated with responses are not equivalent. It is
also important to note that although the veterinary
313
practice questionnaire was directed to the veterinary
surgeon, it was conducted anonymously and it is possible
that other practice staff may have completed the survey
instead, for example a practice manager or veterinary
nursing staff.
The present study identified that the majority of owners
would seek weight-loss help for their dog, primarily from a
veterinarian above other available options. However, not
all owners acknowledged that they would seek weight-loss
help for their dog, which reflects an underestimation of the
weight of the dog as well as an inaccurate perception of
body condition score. Therefore, it is a fundamental step in
dog obesity management to convince owners to seek help
when they know their dog is overweight, or if they are
unsure if their dog is overweight. Earlier studies (Fettman
et al., 1997; Burkholder and Bauer, 1998) have identified
appropriate feeding regimes and exercise programs for
dogs as requirements for successful diet and lifestyle
management of obesity. Our study also identifies these
issues but also demonstrates that the owners are likely to
seek the aid of a veterinarian prior to attempting to
decrease their dog’s weight by reducing food intake but
may show reluctance to reduce treat feeding or increase
the level of the dog’s exercise. Veterinary practices
responses recommended dietary manipulation and life-
style management strategies before consulting other
weight-loss management options. But there is a clear
difference in expectations with veterinary practices
recommending reduction in dietary intake compared to
owners expecting to have to modify the diet itself, which
may have a cost and hence psychological implication to the
owner. When ranking methods of management of their
dog’s weight-loss, owners demonstrated that ‘‘obesity
clinics’’ were low in preference. This might be expected as
attendance would take a time commitment from the
owner and the concept of obesity clinics is relatively new
(and may be socially unacceptable). In contrast, the
veterinarian’s opinion of obesity clinics as a management
tool was generally positive.
It is therefore the responsibility of veterinarians, dog
obedience instructors, and dog owners to develop better
understanding of the available obesity management
strategies, as this will lead the way towards a significant
community-directed initiative to promote the prevention
and treatment of dog obesity. The role of the veterinary
should be to inform owners about dog obesity and the
importance of maintaining their dog’s ideal body weight as
a crucial component in the prevention and treatment of
obesity.
314 I.M. Bland et al. / Preventive Veterinary Medicine 94 (2010) 310–315

Appendix A. Veterinary practice questionnaire – dog obesity management

Please tick appropriate boxes or elaborate were necessary. Thank you for your help. Ethics ID. 0714040
 I.M. Bland et al. / Preventive Veterinary Medicine 94 (2010) 310–315
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