Your data on MRCVSonline
The nature of the services provided by Vision Media means that we might obtain certain information about you.
Please read our Data Protection and Privacy Policy for details.

In addition, (with your consent) some parts of our website may store a 'cookie' in your browser for the purposes of
functionality or performance monitoring.
Click here to manage your settings.
If you would like to forward this story on to a friend, simply fill in the form below and click send.

Your friend's email:
Your email:
Your name:
 
 
Send Cancel

Obesity prevalence in young dogs ‘concerning’ - survey
Out of 1,100 adult dogs, 65 per cent were overweight (with a BCS of 6/9 to 9/9).
Body condition of pet dogs assessed at UK pet shows

Vets are being urged to proactively monitor pet bodyweight and body condition, beginning at initial vaccinations, after a recent study found high rates of obesity in juvenile dogs examined at UK pet shows.

Veterinary nurses assessed the body condition scores of more than 1,600 dogs at seven family pet shows, held across the UK between June 2016 and October 2017.

The findings have been reported in Vet Record letters by the University of Liverpool and Crown Pet Foods.

Out of 1,100 adult dogs, 65 per cent were overweight (with a BCS of 6/9 to 9/9), while nine per cent were obese (with a score of 8/9 or 9/9).

Most concerning, researchers said, was the level of obesity in dogs under two years. Out of 516 juvenile dogs, 37 per cent were overweight and three per cent were overweight and obese. The prevalence increased steadily during the growth phase, from 21 per cent in dogs under six months, to 52 per cent in dogs aged 18-24 months.

The last study to report the prevalence of dog obesity in the UK was published in 2010. It found 59 per cent of dogs were overweight or obese.

Obesity in dogs was officially classified as a disease at a recent WSAVA One Health meeting. It is associated with shortened life span and predisposition to other conditions, such as osteoarthritis, diabetes and certain types of neoplasia.

Authors of the letter said that weight and body condition is ‘infrequently’ recorded. Veterinary surgeons can help to reverse the trend by focusing on prevention, as well as managing obesity where it has already developed, they wrote.

‘Proactive monitoring of body weight and body condition throughout life would be fundamental to any such preventative plan. Given the prevalence of being overweight in growing dogs, body weight monitoring should start at initial vaccination and continue throughout the early life phase.’

Such an approach, the authors added, is facilitated by evidence-based growth charts, which are freely available at www.waltham.com/resources/puppy-growth-charts

Become a member or log in to add this story to your CPD history

Vets to run marathon for World Animal Protection

News Story 1
 Two recently graduated veterinary surgeons will be running the London Marathon in April to raise money for the charity World Animal Protection.

Alex Bartlett and Maeve O'Neill plan to run the race together if they are given the same start times.

Dr O'Neill said: "You're always limited in what you can do to help animals, so it is nice to raise money for a charity that helps animals around the world."

Dr Bartlett added: "I have never run a marathon before and am excited to run my first one for such a good cause!"

Both Dr Bartlett and Dr O'Neill have fundraising pages online. 

Click here for more...
News Shorts
BSAVA releases new Guide to Procedures

The British Small Animal Veterinary Association (BSAVA) has published a new edition of its Guide to Procedures for Small Animal Practice.

It has added four new procedures; cystostomy tube placement, endotracheal intubation, point-of-care ultrasound and wet-to-dry dressings.

BSAVA says that it is an essential step-by-step guide to diagnostic and therapeutic procedures performed in practice. The textbook includes new images and illustrations, as well as high-definition videos for use prior to procedures.

Nick Bexfield and Julia Riggs, editors of the new edition, said: "We have built upon the success of the previous editions by responding to the feedback received from the BSAVA readership, and hope this new guide helps to further increase the confidence and accuracy with which these procedures are performed."

Print copies are available in the BSAVA store, with a digital version in the BSAVA library.