Best in show but not best shape: a photographic assessment of show dog body condition

Such, Z. R.; German, Alexander J.

doi:10.1136/vr.103093

Cited by 12 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 20 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…This result is in line with studies investigating breed differences in obesity (e.g. [ 20 , 21 ]). The hound and gun dog group (such as Labrador retrievers and Basset hounds) were those that were most prone to obesity; meanwhile, working breeds (such as the Doberman) were usually normal weight.…”

Section: Introductionsupporting

confidence: 91%

“…at an ambiguous position). Based on the differences in obesity proneness among dog breeds [ 13 , 20 , 21 ], we expected that overweight and obesity-prone dogs would show higher/non-selective food responsiveness, so they will approach the ambiguous location faster than the normal weight and non-obesity-prone dogs (i.e. they will show ‘positive expectancy').…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

The behaviour of overweight dogs shows similarity with personality traits of overweight humans

et al. 2018

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Excessive food intake and the resulting excess weight gain is a growing problem in human and canine populations. Dogs, due to their shared living environment with humans, may provide a beneficial model to study the causes and consequences of obesity. Here, we make use of two well-established research paradigms (two-way choice paradigm and cognitive bias test), previously applied with dogs, to investigate the role of obesity and obesity-prone breeds for food responsiveness. We found no evidence of breed differences in food responsiveness due to one breed being more prone to obesity than another. Breed differences found in this study, however, can be explained by working dog status, i.e. whether the dog works in cooperation with, or independently from, humans. Our results also confirm that overweight dogs, as opposed to normal weight dogs, tried to maximize food intake from the higher quality food and hesitated to do the task when the food reward was uncertain. These results are very similar to those expected from the parallel models that exist between certain personality traits and being overweight in humans, suggesting that dogs are indeed a promising model for experimentally investigating obesity in humans.

show abstract

Section: Introductionsupporting

confidence: 91%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The behaviour of overweight dogs shows similarity with personality traits of overweight humans

et al. 2018

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The best-performing dogs are awarded and can also receive higher show awards (certificates) in the dog shows, and may thus set the standard for other dogs of the same breed, or dog show merits may be used in selection of parent animals. A few studies have assessed body condition score (BCS) in show dogs and have found that 20-60% of participating dogs may be overweight [27][28][29]. To our knowledge, no previous investigation has been performed on BCS in Swedish show dogs, so the prevalence of overweight or obese dogs among Swedish show dog populations is unknown.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Overweight in Swedish show dogs–prevalence and association with performance in competition

et al. 2021

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background The prevalence of overweight and obesity is increasing in companion dogs, but little is known of these conditions in show dogs. This study assessed body condition score (BCS) of show dogs of six selected popular breeds at a major Swedish dog show event and examined the association between BCS and performance in competition. Results At one of Sweden’s largest dog shows, BCS of 120 dogs of six different breeds was assessed by trained animal healthcare personnel, using a 9-point BCS scale with conditional cut-off for overweight set to BCS ≥ 6. Prevalence of overweight in the cohort was 32% but all overweight dogs except one displayed only slight overweight (BCS 6) and no dog was assessed as obese (BCS 8–9). Prevalence of overweight differed significantly between breeds (P < 0.0001) with Labrador retrievers, Golden retrievers and French bulldogs showing the highest mean BCS (5.6–5.7) and highest prevalence of overweight (50–67%). Lean and overweight dogs received awards and higher show awards (certificates) to the same extent, and no significant association between slight overweight and performance in competition was found. Conclusions Prevalence of overweight in Swedish show dogs was relatively high and in the same range as in the Swedish dog population as a whole. Dog owners, breeders and judges should be made aware of canine obesity problems and trained in BCS assessment, to better prevent canine overweight and associated health risks. This is particularly important for retriever and brachycephalic breeds, which showed high prevalence of slight overweight and have breed-specific health problems exacerbated by overweight. Owners and breeders of traditionally sturdy dog breeds should be informed that overweight dogs do not outperform lean dogs in competition.

show abstract

“…The excessive food intake and/or inadequate energy use are among the main causes of obesity in dogs [16]. In addition, some breeds of dogs are more predisposed to weight gain, such as labrador retriever, golden retriever and pug [3,7,25].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluation of Coagulation Parameters in Dogs with Overweight or Obesity

Barbosa

Martins

Rosário

et al. 2019

Acta Scientiae. Vet.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background: Hemostatic alterations have already been well characterized in humans with body fat excess, being included in the list of obesity related comorbidities. Overweight and obesity are common in dogs; however, there is little information about the blood coagulation parameters in dogs with these conditions. The aim of this study was to compare hematological and coagulation parameters between lean dogs and overweight or obese dogs, including platelets count; prothrombin time (PT); activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT), coagulation time (CT) and plasma fibrinogen concentration. Materials, Methods & Results:A total of 22 dogs (aged 1 to 10 years, neutered) were evaluated, 10 of them presented ideal body condition score (BCS 4-5) and formed the group 1 (control) and 12 were overweight or obese (BCS 7-9) and formed the group 2. The dogs were submitted to clinical evaluation and then to blood collection for the following laboratory tests: blood count (performed on automatic analyzer), quantification of plasma proteins by refractometry, determination PT, aPTT and plasma fibrinogen concentration using specific commercial kits, and CT by Lee-White method. Compared to group 1, group 2 presented a lower leukocytes and lymphocytes counts (P < 0.05) and a higher concentration of plasma fibrinogen (P = 0,026), but compatible with reference values. No difference was observed in the erythrogram, platelets count, total plasma protein concentration, PT, aPTT and CT between the groups. BCS was negatively correlated with leukocytes (r = -0.45) and lymphocytes (r = -0.60) counts and positively with plasma fibrinogen concentration (r = +0.56). Discussion: The reduction in lymphocytes led to a lower leukocytes count in the dogs of group 2. The migration of peripheral blood lymphocytes to adipose tissue has been reported in the early phase of the inflammatory process induced by obesity and could justify the reduction of circulating lymphocytes in overweight or obese dogs evaluated in this study; however, cytopathological assessment of adipose tissue was not performed. Fibrinogen has to be converted to fibrin for clot formation, so the concentration of this plasma protein is an important parameter for the evaluation of hemostasis. However, there are reports of increase in plasma fibrinogen as a result of infammatory processes. In group 2, formed by dogs with overweight or obese, the higher value of plasm fibrinogen concentration, associated with lower lymphocyte count, may suggest an early-stage inflammatory process. Similar results were described in obese humans, but also evidenced in obese dogs. Supporting this suggestion, the correlation analysis indicates that the higher the body fat excess (estimated by the BCS), the higher the fibrinogen concentration and the lower the lymphocyte count in evaluated dogs. Despite the higher concentration of plasma fibrinogen in group 2, no change was observed in the hemostasis of overweight or obese dogs, due to the normal values for platelets count, PT, aPTT and CT, excluding a hyperco...

show abstract

Best in show but not best shape: a photographic assessment of show dog body condition

Cited by 12 publications

References 20 publications

The behaviour of overweight dogs shows similarity with personality traits of overweight humans

The behaviour of overweight dogs shows similarity with personality traits of overweight humans

Overweight in Swedish show dogs–prevalence and association with performance in competition

Evaluation of Coagulation Parameters in Dogs with Overweight or Obesity

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About