Emotional eating in companion dogs: Owners' perception and relation with feeding habits, eating behavior, and emotional state

Luño, Isabel; Palacio, Jorge; García-Belenguer, Sylvia; González‐Martínez, Ángela; Rosado, Belén

doi:10.1016/j.jveb.2018.03.005

Cited by 12 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 36 publications

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“…It is possible that dogs that express higher food motivation and appetite receive more calories from their owners, and food-seeking behavior may be associated with decreased owner compliance with weight loss regimens. While dogs' subjective experience is difficult to measure, owner-perceived emotional eating in dogs has been associated with owner-assessed overall mood and anxiety (30). Tail-chasing, which emerged as a significant factor in some models, may also be an index of behavioral issues (31).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Risk factors associated with canine overweightness and obesity in an owner-reported survey

Perry

Shmalberg

Tanprasertsuk

et al. 2020

Preprint

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Background: Overweightness and obesity in dogs are associated with negative health outcomes. A better understanding of risk factors associated with canine weight is fundamental to identifying preventative interventions and treatments. In this cross-sectional study, we used a direct to consumer approach to collect body condition scores (BCS), as well as demographic, diet, and lifestyle data on 4,446 dogs. BCS was assessed by owners using a 9-point system and categorized as ideal (BCS 4-5), overweight (BCS 6), and obese (BCS 7+). Following univariate analyses, a stepwise procedure was used to select variables which were included in multivariate logistic regression models. One model was created to compare ideal to all overweight and obese dogs, and another was created to compare ideal to obese dogs only. We then used Elastic Net selection and XGBoost variable importance measures to validate these results. Results: Overall, 1,480 (33%) of dogs were reported to be overweight or obese, of which 356 (8% total) of dogs were reported to be obese. Seven factors were significantly associated with both overweightness/obesity and obesity alone in all three analyses (stepwise, Elastic Net, and XGBoost): diet composition, probiotic supplementation, treat quantity, exercise, age, food motivation level, and pet appetite. Neutering was also associated with overweightness/obesity in all analyses. Conclusions: This study recapitulated established risk factors associated with BCS (age, exercise, neutering). Moreover, we elucidated associations between previously examined risk factors and BCS (diet composition, treat consumption, and temperament) and identified a novel factor (probiotic supplementation). Specifically, relative to dogs on fresh food diets, BCS was higher in dogs eating dry food both alone and in combination with other foods. Furthermore, dogs receiving probiotics, but not other forms of supplementation, were more likely to have an ideal BCS. Future studies should corroborate these findings with experimental manipulations.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Risk factors associated with canine overweightness and obesity in an owner-reported survey

Perry

Shmalberg

Tanprasertsuk

et al. 2020

Preprint

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“…These suggest that some aspects of dog welfare have deteriorated rather than improved in recent years. The five most commonly reported dog welfare concerns relating to ownership practices are:pedigree or poor dog breeding practices [59,60,61,62];obesity [63,64,65,66];dog behaviour and training [67,68,69,70];dog purchasing and relinquishing behaviours [49,62,71,72]; and,dog companionship or being left alone for extended periods of time [4,49,73]. …”

Section: What Are Dogs’ Needs and Do Owners Meet Them?mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A significant number of dogs are now obese and suffer significant health problems and reduced quality of life as a result of their weight [63,66,76]. Owners, trainers, and behaviourists continue to work with dominance-based theories in their practice, despite current evidence of the detrimental welfare consequences [69,70,77].…”

Section: What Are Dogs’ Needs and Do Owners Meet Them?mentioning

confidence: 99%

Improving the Welfare of Companion Dogs—Is Owner Education the Solution?

Philpotts

Dillon

Rooney

2019

Animals

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Simple SummaryThe welfare of most dogs living in homes is largely unknown. However, national surveys carried out by animal welfare charities and findings by animal welfare researchers have shown significant deterioration in some key aspects of dog welfare. For example, more dogs presenting to vets with behavioural problems, obesity, and ill-health due to poor breeding practices. This means that some dogs are suffering due to their owners’ behaviours or ownership practices. Educating dog owners as to how best to look after their dogs is, and has been seen by many, as key to improving the welfare of dogs living in homes. However, the concept of education, the context in which it occurs, and the lack of systematic evaluation of the effectiveness of education interventions means that nobody really knows if this approach works. This paper explores these concepts and draws together a wide range of sources of information to highlight some of the complexities of improving dog welfare by educating owners.AbstractVets, animal welfare charities, and researchers have frequently cited educating owners as a necessity for improving the welfare of companion dogs. The assumption that improving an owner’s knowledge through an education intervention subsequently results in improvements in the welfare of the dog appears reasonable. However, the complexity of dog welfare and dog ownership and the context in which these relationships occur is rapidly changing. Psychology has demonstrated that humans are complex, with values, attitudes, and beliefs influencing our behaviours as much as knowledge and understanding. Equally, the context in which we individuals and our dogs live is rapidly changing and responding to evolving societal and cultural norms. Therefore, we seek to understand education’s effectiveness as an approach to improving welfare through exploring and understanding these complexities, in conjunction with the relevant research from the disciplines of science education and communication. We argue that well designed and rigorously evaluated education interventions can play a part in the challenge of improving welfare, but that these may have limited scope, and welfare scientists could further consider extending cross-disciplinary, cross-boundary working, and research in order to improve the welfare of companion dogs.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Risk factors associated with canine overweightness and obesity in an owner-reported survey

Perry

Shmalberg

Tanprasertsuk

et al. 2020

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background Overweightness and obesity in dogs are associated with negative health outcomes. A better understanding of risk factors associated with canine weight is fundamental to identifying preventative interventions and treatments. In this cross-sectional study, we used a direct to consumer approach to collect body condition scores (BCS), as well as demographic, diet, and lifestyle data on 4,446 dogs. BCS was assessed by owners using a 9-point system and categorized as ideal (BCS 4-5), overweight (BCS 6), and obese (BCS 7+). Following univariate analyses, a stepwise procedure was used to select variables which were included in multivariate logistic regression models. One model was created to compare ideal to all overweight and obese dogs, and another was created to compare ideal to obese dogs only. We then used Elastic Net selection and XGBoost variable importance measures to validate these results.Results Overall, 1,480 (33%) of dogs were reported to be overweight or obese, of which 356 (8% total) of dogs were reported to be obese. Seven factors were significantly associated with both overweightness/obesity and obesity alone in all three analyses (stepwise, Elastic Net, and XGBoost): diet composition, probiotic supplementation, treat quantity, exercise, age, food motivation level, and pet appetite. Neutering was also associated with overweightness/obesity in all analyses.Conclusions This study recapitulated established risk factors associated with BCS (age, exercise, neutering). Moreover, we elucidated associations between previously examined risk factors and BCS (diet composition, treat consumption, and temperament) and identified a novel factor (probiotic supplementation). Specifically, relative to dogs on fresh food diets, BCS was higher in dogs eating dry food both alone and in combination with other foods. Furthermore, dogs receiving probiotics, but not other forms of supplementation, were more likely to have an ideal BCS. Future studies should corroborate these findings with experimental manipulations.

show abstract

Emotional eating in companion dogs: Owners' perception and relation with feeding habits, eating behavior, and emotional state

Cited by 12 publications

References 36 publications

Risk factors associated with canine overweightness and obesity in an owner-reported survey

Risk factors associated with canine overweightness and obesity in an owner-reported survey

Improving the Welfare of Companion Dogs—Is Owner Education the Solution?

Risk factors associated with canine overweightness and obesity in an owner-reported survey

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