Veterinary Nutrology Service, Teaching Veterinary Hospital, School of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, University of Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil.
ANCLIVEPA's Veterinary College, Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil.
PLoS One. 2020 Sep 21;15(9):e0238771. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0238771. eCollection 2020.
Canine obesity is associated with genetic, environmental, and behavioural factors, with the latter including both the behaviour of the dog and the owner. Knowledge about owner perception of canine obesity and its treatment can inform the development of new strategies to help prevent and manage this disease. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the opinions of dog owners regarding canine obesity and weight management. Dog owners residing in the city of Sao Paulo (Brazil) completed a questionnaire, either at home or in the waiting rooms of 3 veterinary hospitals. Owners determined their dog's body condition score (BCS), and this was compared with BCS determined by a veterinarian. Questionnaire findings from dogs that were in overweight (BCS 6-7/9) or obese (BCS (8-9/9) condition were compared with those in ideal weight (4-5/9) using chi-square tests and odds ratios. A total of 926 dogs were included, of which 480 (52%), 317 (34%) and 129 (14%) were in ideal, overweight and obese condition, respectively. Many owners under-estimated their dog's weight status, with the proportion increasing as the dog's weight status increased (ideal 60/480, 13%; overweight 174/317, 55%; obese 88/129, 68%; P<0.001). Although most owners (890/926, 96%) believed that canine obesity could pose health risks, the proportion that disagreed increased as weight status increased (ideal 12/480, 2%; overweight 14/317, 4%; 10/129, 8%; P = 0.006). Finally, although most owners (880/926, 95%) stated that they would let their dog undergo weight management, only a minority (182/926; 20%) believed that a trained professional was needed, and they had various misperceptions including potential cost and what the strategies that would be effective. Based on the findings of this study, it would be advisable for veterinarians to spend time addressing these misperceptions, in the hope of both improving awareness of obesity and the outcomes of weight management.
犬肥胖与遗传、环境和行为因素有关，后者包括狗和主人的行为。了解主人对犬肥胖及其治疗的看法，可以为制定新策略提供信息，以帮助预防和管理这种疾病。因此，本研究旨在评估犬主人对犬肥胖和体重管理的看法。居住在巴西圣保罗市的犬主人在家中或 3 家兽医医院的候诊室填写了一份问卷。主人确定了他们狗的身体状况评分（BCS），并将其与兽医确定的 BCS 进行了比较。使用卡方检验和优势比比较了处于超重（BCS 6-7/9）或肥胖（BCS（8-9/9）状态的犬与处于理想体重（4-5/9）的犬的问卷结果。共纳入 926 只犬，其中理想体重 480 只（52%）、超重 317 只（34%）、肥胖 129 只（14%）。许多主人低估了他们狗的体重状况，随着狗体重状况的增加，这种比例也在增加（理想体重 60/480，13%；超重 174/317，55%；肥胖 88/129，68%；P<0.001）。尽管大多数主人（926 名中的 890 名，96%）认为犬肥胖会带来健康风险，但随着体重状况的增加，不同意的比例也在增加（理想体重 12/480，2%；超重 14/317，4%；肥胖 10/129，8%；P = 0.006）。最后，尽管大多数主人（926 名中的 880 名，95%）表示会让他们的狗进行体重管理，但只有少数（926 名中的 182 名，20%）认为需要经过训练的专业人员，他们对潜在成本和有效的策略存在各种误解。基于本研究的结果，兽医花时间解决这些误解是明智的，这有望提高对肥胖的认识，并改善体重管理的结果。
