An evidence-based review of the use of therapeutic foods, owner education, exercise, and drugs for the management of obese and overweight pets

Roudebush, Philip; Schoenherr, William D.; Delaney, Sean J.

doi:10.2460/javma.233.5.717

Cited by 34 publications

(37 citation statements)

References 54 publications

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“…Dog walking as a means to improve human and dog physical activity levels has been recommended by the veterinary (German 2006;Lund et al 2006;Roudebush, Schoenherr andDelaney 2008), medical (Tastchl, Finsterer andStöllberger 2006;Kushner 2008), and public health (Epping 2011a) fields. Mirroring the literature, participants in this study effortlessly recognized multiple physical health (Stephens et al 2011) …”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Walking Sole Mates: Dogs Motivating, Enabling and Supporting Guardians' Physical Activity

et al. 2013

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Dog walking is receiving increasing attention in the public health literature as a strategy to improve dog guardians' physical activity levels. Quantitative research suggests that dog guardians walk more often and for longer than non dog-guardians, and offers suggestions as to the reasons for these differences. The purpose of this study was to qualitatively explore dog guardians' walking practices and relationships with their dogs, to better understand how and why dog walking might become an intervention point to enhance physical activity levels. Five focus groups and two interviews were conducted with 16 adult dog guardians. Following an initial analysis of the results, 10 additional dog guardians were individually interviewed to review and confirm the findings. Four themes emerged to explain the dog-walking phenomenon: Transcending the human-animal distinction; Dogs as walking sole mates; Activity/health benefits; and Dogs as social conduits. We argue that an empathetic stance benefits dog guardians because, as valued family members whose health and happiness they are responsible for, their canine companions serve to motivate, enable, and sustain walking behaviors.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Walking Sole Mates: Dogs Motivating, Enabling and Supporting Guardians' Physical Activity

et al. 2013

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“…Many owners of overweight companion animals treat their pet more like a human than as an typical companion animal, and as such have a strong bond with their pet [23]. Owners who share a strong bond may be less likely to perceive their pet as overweight or obese [42]. Indeed, one study found that owners who fed more table scraps had overweight dogs [43].…”

Section: Food Waste and Dogsmentioning

confidence: 99%

What’s in a Dog’s Breakfast? Considering the Social, Veterinary and Environmental Implications of Feeding Food Scraps to Pets Using Three Australian Surveys

et al. 2015

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Diverting food waste away from landfills is one way to minimise its serious environmental impact. Given that over a third of Australian households have at least one pet, the feeding of food waste to dogs constitutes one potentially significant waste diversion path. However, the proportion of dog owners that feed food waste to their pets is unknown. Moreover, there has been no investigation into any relationship between practices of feeding scraps to pets and the animals' body condition, living arrangements (inside or outside) and exercise regime. To provide some insight, this paper presents findings from three surveys across two Australian studies. The first reports both pet and dog-specific findings from two surveys within a wider food waste research project (n = 1017), establishing that 28% of respondents fed leftovers to pets as a main food waste minimization strategy, yet in only 5% of households did this constitute more than half of the household's food scraps. This modest diversion of OPEN ACCESSSustainability 2015, 7 7196 food scraps from landfill to feeding pets was reflected in the finding that there was no significant difference seen in the claimed level of food discards to the waste stream for households feeding food scraps to dogs and those that did not. The second-a dog owner specific study (n = 355)-found that almost half (44%) of respondents reported feeding table scraps to dogs. They were more likely to be females, owners of medium sized dogs, and in larger households. There was no significant difference in self-rated dogs' body condition scores between respondents who fed table scraps to their dog and those who did not. Further multidisciplinary research is recommended to reconcile the social, veterinary and environmental risks and benefits of feeding food waste to animals.

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“…Strategies to combat obesity are extensive, with current weight loss regimes tending to focus on addressing diet and exercise (Burkholder and Bauer 1998, Roudebush and others 2008, Chauvet and others 2011, German and others 2011a, Wakshlag and others 2012). …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mapping discussion of canine obesity between veterinary surgeons and dog owners: a provisional study

Cairns-Haylor

Fordyce

2017

Veterinary Record

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This study maps communication between veterinary surgeons and dog owners on obesity management in four first-opinion practices in the UK. A total of 74 dog owners who met the study's inclusion criteria and 24 veterinary surgeons were interviewed using oral questionnaires between November 2013 and May 2014. The dog owner questionnaire was based on potential discussion areas that could influence an owner's intention to act (initiate a weight loss regime) based on Ajzen's Theory of Planned Behaviour. The veterinary surgeons' questionnaires assessed perception of canine obesity, their personal communication strategies and current practice-level interventions. The findings identify opportunities for more proactive approaches to obesity management by veterinary surgeons and their practices.

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An evidence-based review of the use of therapeutic foods, owner education, exercise, and drugs for the management of obese and overweight pets

Cited by 34 publications

References 54 publications

Walking Sole Mates: Dogs Motivating, Enabling and Supporting Guardians' Physical Activity

Walking Sole Mates: Dogs Motivating, Enabling and Supporting Guardians' Physical Activity

What’s in a Dog’s Breakfast? Considering the Social, Veterinary and Environmental Implications of Feeding Food Scraps to Pets Using Three Australian Surveys

Mapping discussion of canine obesity between veterinary surgeons and dog owners: a provisional study

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