We meet two and a half times more overweight dogs in people who also have extra pounds, than in those who do not have this problem of excessive weight. This is what emerges from a study carried out in a Danish university, which also looked at obesity in neutered dogs.
Any veterinarian and professional in the canine world will tell you: treats should only be given to dogs sparingly . They are mainly used to reward them during their education . Feeding them more than enough is never good for your 4-legged friend, even if you think you are making him happy. Table scraps , the piece of sandwich that he is imploring you with the eyes to offer him, the little piece of cake … All this is not only unsuited to his real nutritional needs (salt, sugar, sauces …), but also favors the risk that he finds himself in a situation of overweight , even obesity .
It turns out that the bad habits mentioned above often tend to be practiced by people who are overweight themselves , according to Charlotte Bjørnvad , veterinarian and professor at the University of Copenhagen (Denmark). She and her team of researchers published this Wednesday (September 18) the results of their study on canine obesity. The full report of this work should be available from October 1 in the journal Preventive Veterinary Medicine Volume 170.
The authors of the study looked at the behaviors and eating habits of 268 dogs and questioned their owners. Of these animals, 1 in 5 was overweight . The researchers found that the prevalence of the latter (overweight dogs) was two and a half times higher (35%) in owners whose weight was considered to be above normal , than in people without pounds. too much (14%). In other words, your lifestyle , especially food, is likely to affect the well-being and health of your dog. Obesity has, in fact, serious consequences on it: joint problems, fatigue, diabetes mellitus… Difficulties and diseases which considerably shorten his life expectancy .
Read also: A Golden Retriever takes himself for Robert de Niro and trains in front of the mirror to make his wicked gaze (video)
The study also reveals that male dogs that have been spayed are 3 times more exposed to the risk of becoming obese . Charlotte Bjørnvad explains this in particular by the fact that sterilization acts on the regulation of the canine’s appetite. Spayed bitches , on the other hand, are less likely to accumulate kilograms than their counterparts of the opposite sex.
