Pattern of diet and obesity in female adult pet dogs

Abstract

A telephone questionnaire to the owners of 146 female adult dogs with breast cancer and 143 female dogs with other cancers that had participated in a larger epidemiological study was used to describe what dogs eat in terms of total energy intake; the percentage of calories derived from commercial food types and table scraps; and the percentage calories from fat, protein, and carbohydrates. The average energy intake for all dogs was almost 1000 calories of metabolizable energy per day, of which about 40% was derived from fat, 25% from protein, and 35% from carbohydrate. About one-third of the total calories was provided by table scraps. Consumption of dry dog food increased, while consumption of table scraps decreased, with increasing breed size. the prevalence of obesity (at least 15% above ideal bodyweight) was 40 and 6% for adult and juvenile (9-12 months old) females, respectively. Dogs reported by their owners to have been overweight at 9-12 months old were 1.5 times more likely to be overweight as adults compared with dogs that were thin as juveniles. These findings should be applicable to the general dog population since no association between diet and the risk of cancer was found previously in the same dogs. These findings should also be useful for developing preventative and therapeutic approaches for obesity and nutritionally related diseases.