Truelsen Lindåse, Sanna and Feltenmark, Tilda and Krantz, Malin and Söder, Josefin
(2021).
Overweight in Swedish show dogs-prevalence and association with performance in competition.
Acta Veterinaria Scandinavica. 63
, 17
[Research article]
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Abstract
Background The prevalence of overweight and obesity is increasing in companion dogs, but little is known of these conditions in show dogs. This study assessed body condition score (BCS) of show dogs of six selected popular breeds at a major Swedish dog show event and examined the association between BCS and performance in competition. Results At one of Sweden's largest dog shows, BCS of 120 dogs of six different breeds was assessed by trained animal healthcare personnel, using a 9-point BCS scale with conditional cut-off for overweight set to BCS >= 6. Prevalence of overweight in the cohort was 32% but all overweight dogs except one displayed only slight overweight (BCS 6) and no dog was assessed as obese (BCS 8-9). Prevalence of overweight differed significantly between breeds (P < 0.0001) with Labrador retrievers, Golden retrievers and French bulldogs showing the highest mean BCS (5.6-5.7) and highest prevalence of overweight (50-67%). Lean and overweight dogs received awards and higher show awards (certificates) to the same extent, and no significant association between slight overweight and performance in competition was found. Conclusions Prevalence of overweight in Swedish show dogs was relatively high and in the same range as in the Swedish dog population as a whole. Dog owners, breeders and judges should be made aware of canine obesity problems and trained in BCS assessment, to better prevent canine overweight and associated health risks. This is particularly important for retriever and brachycephalic breeds, which showed high prevalence of slight overweight and have breed-specific health problems exacerbated by overweight. Owners and breeders of traditionally sturdy dog breeds should be informed that overweight dogs do not outperform lean dogs in competition.
Authors/Creators: | Truelsen Lindåse, Sanna and Feltenmark, Tilda and Krantz, Malin and Söder, Josefin | ||||||
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Title: | Overweight in Swedish show dogs-prevalence and association with performance in competition | ||||||
Series Name/Journal: | Acta Veterinaria Scandinavica | ||||||
Year of publishing : | 2021 | ||||||
Volume: | 63 | ||||||
Article number: | 17 | ||||||
Number of Pages: | 9 | ||||||
Publisher: | BMC | ||||||
ISSN: | 0044-605X | ||||||
Language: | English | ||||||
Publication Type: | Research article | ||||||
Article category: | Scientific peer reviewed | ||||||
Version: | Published version | ||||||
Copyright: | Creative Commons: Attribution 4.0 | ||||||
Full Text Status: | Public | ||||||
Subjects: | (A) Swedish standard research categories 2011 > 4 Agricultural Sciences > 403 Veterinary Science > Clinical Science | ||||||
Keywords: | Body condition score, BCS, BCS assessment, Canine, Dog show competition, Obesity, Overweight prevalence, Show dogs | ||||||
URN:NBN: | urn:nbn:se:slu:epsilon-p-111916 | ||||||
Permanent URL: | http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:slu:epsilon-p-111916 | ||||||
Additional ID: |
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ID Code: | 23730 | ||||||
Faculty: | VH - Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science | ||||||
Department: | (VH) > Dept. of Clinical Sciences | ||||||
Deposited By: | SLUpub Connector | ||||||
Deposited On: | 21 May 2021 10:43 | ||||||
Metadata Last Modified: | 21 May 2021 10:51 |
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