A new study from the University of Copenhagen reports that the prevalence of overweight dogs is markedly larger among overweight owners than among normal weight owners. Part of the explanation lies in whether treats are used as training tools or snacks. It is the first major study on canine obesity in Denmark.
Among obese owners, 35% of dogs in the study were overweight whereas only 14% of dogs belonging to slim/normal weight owners were overweight.
In addition, the study finds that 29% of the castrated male dogs in the study were heavy/obese versus only 10% of the reproductively intact males.
The researchers studied 268 adult dogs recruited at animal clinics around Zealand and the capital region of Denmark. Of the pets recruited, 20% were either heavy or obese. All the dogs were at least two years old, and not suffering from chronic ailments.
via Whisker Therapy