Frequency, breed predisposition and demographic risk factors for overweight status in dogs in the UK

Pegram, Camilla; Raffan, Eleanor; White, Eleanor; Ashworth, Alice; Brodbelt, David; Church, David; O'Neill, Dan

Abstract

Objectives: To evaluate the prevalence and risk factors for overweight status in dogs under primary veterinary care in the UK.
Methods: A retrospective study design was used to estimate the one-year (2016) period prevalence of overweight status. The clinical records were randomly ordered and manually validated for dogs with overweight status during 2016. Univariable and multivariable logistic regression modelling were used to evaluate associations between risk factors (breed, brachycephalic status, adult bodyweight, bodyweight relative to breed-sex mean, age, sex-neuter and insurance) and overweight status. Results: There were 1,580/22,333 dogs identified as overweight during 2016. The estimated one-year period prevalence for overweight status recorded in dogs under veterinary care was 7.1% (95% confidence interval 6.7 – 7.4). After accounting for confounding factors, 8 breeds showed increased odds of overweight status compared with crossbred dogs. The breeds with the highest odds included the Pug (OR 3.12, 95% confidence interval 2.31 to 4.20, p

Citation

Pegram, C., Raffan, E., White, E., Ashworth, A., Brodbelt, D., Church, D., & O'Neill, D. (2021). Frequency, breed predisposition and demographic risk factors for overweight status in dogs in the UK. Journal of Small Animal Practice, https://doi.org/10.1111/jsap.13325

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Feb 20, 2021
• Online Publication Date: Mar 23, 2021
• Publication Date: Mar 23, 2021
• Deposit Date: Mar 25, 2021
• Publicly Available Date: Mar 25, 2021
• Print ISSN: 0022-4510
• Publisher: Wiley
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/jsap.13325
• Keywords: Obesity, overweight, VetCompass, electronic patient record, dog, primary-care
• Public URL: https://rvc-repository.worktribe.com/output/1547927
• Publisher URL: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/jsap.13325