Obesity in Dogs and how it Affects Their Welfare - Artefact A

Introduction:

One of the main welfare issues being raised in the UK surrounding dogs is the rise in obesity seen in many different dogs breeds today. Some dog breeds are more prone to obesity than others, however most of the time it is down to how the owner hasn’t taken the dogs nutritional needs seriously and this has caused their dog to become overweight. Some owners may see feeding their dogs a lot of different foods as a sign of their love towards their animal, but they’re only making matters worse as obesity causes many other health issues such as arthritis, diabetes, respiratory disorders, urinary disorders and dermatological diseases (Alexander J. German, et.al 2006).

Main discussion:

Obesity is the accumulation of excessive amounts of adipose tissue in the body as a result of poor nutritional intake and lack of exercise (Alexander J. German, et.al 2006). Obesity is more common in some dogs’ breeds compared to others, for example, Labradors, Pugs, Dachshunds, Golden retrievers and Cocker Spaniels (Lund. E.M, et.al, 2006). Some health problems may cause obesity, for example, having arthritis may mean that the dog cannot do as much exercise which in turn, causes the dog to put on weight. However, usually, the main cause of obesity is the owners’ attitude towards pet obesity as the owner is mostly in control of the dietary intake of their pet. This also means that the treatment and prevention of obesity is in the control of the owners too. (Bland, I. and Hill, J., 2011)

The reason why obesity is such a big welfare concern for dogs is because it affects the dogs’ quality of life, as an obese dog may struggle with performing simple everyday tasks such as climbing stairs, going on walks and jumping up on object such as sofas and beds. As previously mentioned, obesity can also cause an array of health problems which obviously causes the dog a lot of pain. This can all be prevented, however, if more was done to raise awareness of canine obesity and stop owners from believing that giving your pet a lot of treats and food, is perhaps not the best way of showing how much you love them.

Although things are being done to try tackle pet obesity (such as veterinary surgeries trying to raise awareness about it), more should definitely be done to prevent this welfare problem in the UK. A survey from 2014 by The University of Liverpool Ethics Committee collected data from 11,154 adult dogs where 16.1% of those dogs were reported as overweight by their owners (German. A.J, et.al 2017). This figure seems low, but it has to be taken into consideration that many dog owners will either not know that their dog is obese or will find it embarrassing to admit it, meaning that the figure would be much higher perhaps if vets took this survey. A more accurate figure shows that 35% of dogs in the UK re obese which is a significant amount. Diet and food plans should be made more available for dog owners to access to help prevent obesity in people’s pets. There should also be legislation that means if a dog has gotten to the point where it is too obese, the dog owner must take action immediately that requires the dog to lose weight, and if the owner is not willing to comply, the dog should be given to better care where it can sufficiently lose weight to prevent it being such a massive welfare issue.

Obesity is relevant to canine therapy as many therapies that are available are extremely useful to help dogs to lose weight. For example, if a dog is overweight and is extremely hesitant to go on walks, hydrotherapy is a great way to get the dog to do some exercise without working the dog too hard, making it a much nicer and efficient way of losing weight for the animal. Many therapy apparatuses are available to help dogs lose weight too, such as balance pads and discs, that concentrate the exercise on certain parts of the dog’s body. The owner may also feel better about everything as their dog will be being handled by a professional who will know what is best for their animal.

Conclusion:

To conclude, obesity is a major welfare concern in the UK, as it decreases the animal’s quality of life and causes many other health problems as a result. More should be done to raise awareness of obesity and make owners more enthusiastic about helping their dog lose weight by a change of diet and an increase in exercise (e.g. therapy).

References:

Bland, I. and Hill, J., 2011. Tackling dog obesity by tackling owner attitudes. Animal Science reviews.

German, A.J., 2006. The growing problem of obesity in dogs and cats. The Journal of nutrition, 136(7), pp.1940S-1946S.

German, A.J., Blackwell, E., Evans, M. and Westgarth, C., 2017. Overweight dogs exercise less frequently and for shorter periods: results of a large online survey of dog owners from the UK. Journal of nutritional science, 6.

Lund, E.M., Armstrong, P.J., Kirk, C.A. and Klausner, J.S., 2006. Prevalence and risk factors for obesity in adult dogs from private US veterinary practices. International Journal of Applied Research in Veterinary Medicine, 4(2), p.177.

Montague, J., 2019.Our Pets: The Key To The Obesity Crisis?. [online] Bbc.com. Available at: <https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20190109-what-we-can-learn-from-overweight-pets-about-human-obesity> [Accessed 6 April 2020]. (Image)