Dog Obesity: What Are The Health Risks?

Dog Obesity is the most common nutritional disorder in many developed countries with Australia, United Kingdom, United States, and Canada in the lead. It is estimated 28 to 40% of companion dogs are obese, with numbers gradually rising.

What Is Dog Obesity?

Obesity is defined as an excessive accumulation amount of fats in the body stored in different places and organs. In addition, obesity in dogs is an increase in weight to an amount considered for that breed to be above normal for his age and height which his normal body function is impaired.

Canine obesity is a problem that develops gradually, many pet owners often do not notice on a daily basis until the dog is utterly overweight. Being overweight is the prelude to obesity.

Obesity in adult dogs is mainly due to overfeeding, eating treats and table scraps between meals, inadequate exercise, failing to reduce calorie intake as adolescent dogs outgrown their puppy hood. For sterilized, hormonal imbalance, and senior dogs, it’s a slightly different scenario as I explain in further details here.

What Are The Health Implications In Dog Obesity?

As in humans, obesity is also associated with many health risks. There are a number of diseases and conditions that have been linked with dog obesity. These include:

• Heart disease and heart failure e.g. respiratory difficulties
• Musculoskeletal problems e.g. osteoarthritis, lameness, cruciate ligament ruptures
• Skin disease/cancer
• Reproductive problems e.g. prolonged or difficult labor
• Hypertension
• Diabetes
• Poor immunity, susceptibility to other diseases
• Heat and exercise intolerance
• Reduce life expectancy
• Reduce liver function
• Poor digestion e.g. flatulence
• Anesthetic and surgical complications

Overweight dogs are usually in a pre-diabetic state, so it’s best to do a check on urine samples. If evidence shows of glucose leaking from the kidney into the urine, then your dog will be treated as such. For some overweight and spayed bitches may get urine scalding of the vulva and the skin around it.

Aging obese dogs are also prone to develop lipomas—a tumor consisting of fatty tissue laying underneath the skin. Lipoma is usually benign, removing the tumor is not necessarily unless it becomes painful and restricts movements. If surgery is required, your obese aging dog will face another dilemma—anesthetic complication.

Now we know about the health risks in obesity, next I will cover the undesirable dog behaviors of being overweight.

Series Posts on Dog Obesity:

1. Dog Obesity: What Are The Health Risks?
2. Behavioral Consequences Of An Overweight Dog
3. What Causes Obesity In Dogs
4. Dog Obesity Assessment
5. Weight Lose Program For dogs
6. Dog Obesity: Prevention and Maintenance Programs