Published in Scientific Papers. Series D. Animal Science, Vol. LXVII, Issue 1
Written by Silvia Ioana PETRESCU, Cristina Gabriela RADU-RUSU, Mădălina MATEI, Anamaria Hortensia STRICHEA, Dragoș Mihai LĂPUȘNEANU, Ioan Mircea POP
Raising awareness and educating dog owners about weight gain and the risk of obesity in their animals has become a priority for veterinarians and nutritionists. The prevalence of obesity in dogs in the United States and some European countries has been estimated to range from 30% to 70%. In the current research, external factors related to the animal, the owner and the family members of the investigated dogs were observed in relation to the implementation of nutritional programmes for excess weight management. Exogenous factors discussed included the physical activity level, environment and lifestyle of the animal, and the influence and behaviour of the owners and family members involved in the dog's weight loss programme. The research highlights the importance of obese dog owners' awareness and acceptance of the need to implement and run nutritional weight management programmes to improve the health and well-being of the animal.
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