Obesity a Top Health Risk for Your Dog - What Should You Do?

Veterinarians are beginning to raise alarms about the obesity epidemic they are witnessing in the pets under their care. According to recent estimates, as many as 44 percent of the dogs in this country are overweight, a problem that has health implications for them just as serious as-and very similar to-those that confront overweight people. Joint and bone damage, diabetes, high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease, digestive disorders, increased risk of cancer and a reduced life expectancy-that is just a partial list of the health risks these "pampered" pets are facing.

The pet obesity problem is obviously linked to the people obesity problem. Studies have confirmed that owners' obesity is positively correlated to how overweight their dogs are [1]. Both dogs and people are living much more sedentary lives than in the past and have a much readier supply of high calorie foods to eat. While some dog breeds may always have been luxury items, most started out as working animals, as hunters and shepherds, for instance. And while a few dogs do still work or roam regularly out of door, most now spend eight hours a day shut up at home, while their owners are shut up at the office.

For both people and dogs, dieting is hard. It might seem like a simple thing to put a dog on a diet-you simply have to give him or her less food. But animals can be very persuasive, and it is hard to deprive a beloved dog. What, however, if your plan to make your dog healthier did not mean taking something away so much as adding something beneficial? Even better, what if this added benefit could help you feel better and possibly even lose weight too? Just as the weight problems of people and their pets are linked, perhaps the solutions to those problems can be as well.

This was the idea behind an innovative research studied conducted recently by scientists at the Northwestern Memorial Hospital Wellness Institute. [google_ad:DOTR_CMS_468x60_InArticle1]

People and Pets Exercising Together

Dr. Robert Kushner and his colleagues designed a program they called People and Pets Exercising Together-or PPET. Their hypothesis was that dogs would serve as a social support system for exercise, and that both people and dogs that exercised together would lose weight and keep it off [2].

Three groups of overweight participants were analyzed in the PPET study: a group that consisted of dogs and their owners, a dog-only group, and a people-only group. The goal of the study was to compare the efficacy of weight loss programs designed for dog-only and people-only groups to that of combined dog/owner weight loss program for both weight loss and weight maintenance.

During the 12-month study, dogs were put on a nutritionally balanced, calorie-restricted diet (Hill's Prescription Diet Canine r/d) specifically devised to help them lose weight but feel satisfied at the same time. People and pets followed an exercise plan that consisted of a 30-minute moderate intensity physical activity 3 days per week. People were also provided with a set of instructions that would help them control their caloric intake and increase physical activity. Everyone was weighed at the start of the study and at regular intervals for one year.

The results of the study were encouraging. Over the 12-month period, not only did both dogs and their owners lose weight but also they were able to keep it off. On average, dogs lost 15.6% of their body weight, which is 12 pounds (one dog lost 35 pounds). People lost an average of 5% of their body weight, which is 11 pounds (one participant lost 51 pounds).

Even more inspiring than the numbers, though, is the testimony of the human participants about the support exercising with their dogs gave them-and the enjoyment it gave their dogs. One participant reported that her dog "sought me out to walk everyday. By 1pm, she started to pester me and became very aggressive until we walked (even on hot and rainy days)." Person after person stressed how great their dogs were as motivators in encouraging them to maintain their exercise plans.

Benefits for People

Quite a bit of research has been done on the benefits to humans of exercising their dogs. The PPET results strongly reinforce a number of other studies that have found that getting a dog and walking it regularly is one of the most effective ways of influencing overweight people to get more exercise: "It leads to exercise at least three times a day, every day of the week and all year round. Many exercise programs to prevent overweight seem to fail because of the lack of urgency to comply with the exercise regimen and owning a dog may be one way to increase compliance"[1].

Dogs make people feel safer and thus more comfortable walking at certain times and in certain areas. Among women without other companions, having a dog was found to increase by 31 percent the likelihood that they would walk regularly [3]. Children who have dogs have a lower risk of being overweight or obese, and elderly people are twice as likely to maintain activity and retain mobility if they have dogs that need to be walked regularly [4,5]. [google_ad:DOTR_CMS_468x60_InArticle2]

Benefits for Pets

Not surprisingly, most of the research that has been done has emphasized the benefits to people of exercising with a pet. But as the PPET study shows, dogs may have even more to gain-or lose-than people do from this mutually beneficial activity. Just as in people, obesity is a big problem in pets, and exercise is important to control a dog's weight. "Dogs also need an outlet to relieve their energy or else they may develop destructive behavior" says K-State veterinarian and assistant professor of clinical sciences Dr Susan Nelson. "Your dog is going to be happier and more content if it receives adequate exercise" [6].

Both the physical and the mental or emotional stimulation the dogs receive by exercising with people play an important part in fighting obesity. Dogs are inherently social animals. They evolved as group or pack members, and pack psychology is generally recognized as one of the keys to training and interacting with dogs. Animals with no companionship or activity can become bored and frustrated and eat more to make up for their loneliness and boredom...just as people do. "Obesity may, in certain situations, be a sign of poor mental well-being" [7].

Many dogs now live in one-dog households, but they clearly retain a desire and need for social bonding and relationships. Research and observation show that for dogs "human contact is rewarding for socialized individuals, appearing to elicit immensely desirable feelings...The interaction, exercise, stimulation and freedom of outdoors appear to be highly pleasurable for companion animals; dogs enjoy walks and runs" [7].

Walking the dog is a true win-win situation. People who make the commitment to spend active time with their dogs both give and get double benefits-both physical and mental-not only for themselves but also for the animals they love.

References:

1. Overweight in dogs but not in cats is related to overweight in their owners. Marieke L Nijland, Frank Stam and Jacob C Seidell. Public Health and Nutrition 2009, Jun 23:1-5.

2. The PPET Study: People and Pets Exercising Together. Robert F. Kushner, Dawn Jackson Blatner, Dennis E. Jewell, and Kimberly Rudloff, Obesity 2006, 14,10:1762-1770.

3. Dog ownership, health and physical activity: A critical review of the literature. Hayley Cutt, Billie Giles-Corti, Matthew Knuiman, Valerie Burke. Health & Place 2007, 13: 261-272.

4. Is dog ownership or dog walking associated with weight status in children and their parents? A. Timperio, J. Salmon, B. Chu, N. Andrianopoulos. Health Promot J Austr. 2008, 19(1):60-3.

5. Dog ownership, walking behavior, and maintained mobility in late life. Thorpe RJ Jr, Simonsick EM, Brach JS, Ayonayon H, Satterfield S, Harris TB, Garcia M, Kritchevsky SB. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2006 Sep; 54(9): 1419-24.

6. Vet says owners should exercise with their dogs based on specific needs to prevent obesity. Eurekalert.org. Public release date: 8-Sep-2009

7. Development of a mental wellness program for animals. Franklin D. McMillan, JAVMA 2002, 220,7: 965-972.

About the author:

Dog lover and medical researcher Matt Papa is a postdoctoral fellow at Washington University School of Medicine and human companion to Hera, a beautiful German Shepherd. The potential for human-animal partnerships to fight obesity and improve the lives of both owners and pets is just one of his many research interests.

Matt maintains www.weightlosstriumph.com, were he reviews the best diet programs for weight loss and offers a Medifast coupon discount.

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