What are the risk factors associated with canine overweightness and obesity in an owner reported survey?
Nia Dickens
2025-08-02 05:06:28
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: 17
Seven factors were significantly associated with both overweightness/obesity and obesity alone in all three analyses: diet composition, probiotic supplementation, treat quantity, exercise, age, food motivation level, and pet appetite. Neutering was also associated with overweightness/obesity in all analyses. Specifically, relative to dogs on fresh food diets, BCS was higher in dogs eating dry food both alone and in combination with other foods. Dogs receiving probiotics, but not other forms of supplementation, were more likely to have an ideal BCS. 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. 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).