Forrest Rachel, Awawdeh Leena, Esam Fiona, Pearson Maria, Waran Natalie
Eastern Institute of Technology, Hawke's Bay, 501 Gloucester Street, Taradale, Napier 4112, New Zealand.
Companion Animals New Zealand, Wellington 6141, New Zealand.
Animals (Basel). 2022 Jan 21;12(3):267. doi: 10.3390/ani12030267.
Approximately a third of all Aotearoa New Zealand (NZ) households include a dog, with 28% of these dogs being overweight or obese, conditions that are associated with many serious health issues. Therefore, healthy weight interventions that focus on the owner's role are of great importance to companion animal welfare in NZ. Accordingly, the present study explores the feeding practices associated with NZ dogs and identifies potential owner-related risk factors contributing to these animals being overweight or obese. The current study used data collected from a survey conducted online in 2019 between January and March of NZ residents over 18. Along with demographic questions, the respondents were asked questions regarding their dog's body condition and diet questions related to the body. Nearly a quarter (26%, = 609) of the survey participants ( = 2358) owned at least one dog. The current study reported that increasing age range, household income and the number of children increased the likelihood of having a dog while increasing qualification level and living in a town/city decreased the likelihood. The majority of the respondents fed their dog(s) treats (59%) and 85% fed them specialised food bought from a pet shop, veterinary clinic and/or different online sources. Just over a third of the participant (39%) reported that they fed their dog(s) biscuits from the supermarket, 36% fed their dog(s) raw meat, and 34% of respondents fee their dog(s) table scraps/human food. These results suggest that many dog owners feed their dog(s) various food types, making it a challenging task to determine the exact amount required from each type in order not to exceed caloric intake. Disagreement regarding the correct body condition were reported among twenty per cent of the respondents. This finding indicates a knowledge gap among the NZ dog-owning population that may negatively affect their dogs' welfare and wellbeing. Future research into pro-equity approaches to address these issues is needed so that dogs in NZ can live not only a good life but also their best life.
在新西兰（NZ），约三分之一的家庭养有狗，其中28%的狗超重或肥胖，这些状况与许多严重健康问题相关。因此，关注主人角色的健康体重干预措施对新西兰伴侣动物福利至关重要。相应地，本研究探讨与新西兰狗相关的喂养习惯，并确定导致这些动物超重或肥胖的潜在主人相关风险因素。本研究使用了2019年1月至3月期间对18岁以上新西兰居民进行的在线调查所收集的数据。除了人口统计学问题外，还询问了受访者有关其狗的身体状况以及与身体相关的饮食问题。近四分之一（26%，n = 609）的调查参与者（N = 2358）至少拥有一只狗。本研究报告称，年龄范围增加、家庭收入增加和孩子数量增加会增加养狗的可能性，而学历水平提高和居住在城镇会降低养狗的可能性。大多数受访者（59%）会给狗喂食零食，85%会给它们喂食从宠物店、兽医诊所和/或不同在线渠道购买的特制食品。略超过三分之一的参与者（39%）报告称他们会给狗喂超市买的饼干，36%会喂生肉，34%的受访者会喂餐桌上的残羹剩饭/人类食物。这些结果表明，许多狗主人给狗喂多种食物类型，这使得确定每种类型的确切需求量以不超过热量摄入成为一项具有挑战性的任务。20%的受访者报告了对正确身体状况的不同看法。这一发现表明新西兰养狗人群中存在知识差距，可能会对其狗的福利和健康产生负面影响。需要对解决这些问题的公平方法进行未来研究，以便新西兰的狗不仅能过上好日子，还能过上最好的生活。
