Hullbedömning av ett urval av svenska hundar

Fetma hos hund är ett ökande problem med flera allvarliga hälsoaspekter. Det finns ett flertal sätt att mäta andelen kroppsfett, men ingen metod som inte kan kritiseras på en eller flera punkter. De metoder som tas upp i denna studie är exempelvis morfometriska tekniker, ultraljud och absorptiometriska metoder. Predisponerande faktorer till fetma, bland annat överkonsumtion av energi, brist på fysisk stimulans, ålder, kastration och interaktion mellan djur och ägare diskuteras också. Slutligen ges förslag på möjligheter att behandla fetma hos hund med en praktisk handledning till veterinärer och djurkliniker. Syftet med denna studie var att kartlägga svenska hundars hull samt studera deras utfodrings- och motionsvanor i form av en enkätstudie. Besök gjordes på 5 olika platser (smådjursklinik, två hunddagis, en hundkurs, en hundutställning) där ett större antal hundar tillhörande normalpopulationen hundar i Sverige kunde undersökas med rimlig tidsåtgång. Hundarna undersöktes avseende hull, både av författaren och av djurägarna själva, med hjälp av bilder där 1 var en mycket mager hund, 3 avsåg en normal hund och 5 avbildade en kraftigt överviktig individ. Enligt denna studie var 13,7 % av hundarna överviktiga med placering i bildklass 4 eller 5 enligt författarens bedömning. Det gick inte att påvisa någon statistisk signifikant skillnad mellan andelen överviktiga hundar på de olika undersökningsplatserna, trots att vi kunde påvisa stora skillnader i andelen överviktiga hundar på olika platser (min-max 1,9-33,3). För att kunna se signifikanta skillnader mellan grupperna måste troligen fler djur undersökas i varje grupp. Resultatet visade att ägarna och författaren var överens till 37 % (kappa test) när det gällde hullbedömning samt att ägarna generellt underskattade hullet på sina hundar. Detta föranleder rekommendationen att veterinärer, uppfödare och andra sakkunniga bör bli bättre på att diskutera bantning samt utbilda djurägarna i hur deras hund bör vara i hullet. Av alla ägarna i studien ansåg 9,6 % att deras hundar var överviktiga vilket också tyder på att ägarna underskattar hullet på sina hundar. Av ägarna till de 25 hundar författaren ansåg överviktiga (bildklass 4 & 5) tyckte bara 4 % själva att deras hund var för tjock. I studien uppgav 8 % av ägarna att de bantade sin hund medan 11 % uppgav att de försökte öka hullet på sin hund. Av de totalt 25 hundar som författaren ansåg överviktiga (bildklass 4 & 5) uppgav ägarna att 9 (36 %) av dessa bantade. ABSTRACT Obesity in dogs is an increasing problem with serious and lasting health effects. While there are several methods of evaluating body fat, none are without criticism. This study will discuss the various methods of evaluation including morphometric techniques, ultrasound, and absorptiometric methods. Other topics discussed in this study will include the various factors that predispose dogs to obesity, which include over-consumption of energy, lack of exercise, age, gonad status and the interaction between owner and pet. Additionally, this study will discuss obesity treatment options in the form of a guide to veterinarians and clinics. The purpose of this project was to study body condition score in Swedish dogs, and to gather information about their feeding and exercise routines by using a questionnaire. Visits were made to 5 different places (a small animal clinic, two dog day care centers, a dog obedience course, a dog show) where a greater quantity of dogs could be examined within a reasonable time period. The dogs were examined, both by the author and the owners themselves, with help of pictures - classification (with a scale a 1-5) was used, in which 1 represented a very thin dog, 3 a normal and 5 an obese dog. According to this study, 13.7 % of the dogs were found to be overweight or obese (picture 4 or 5) according to the author. No statistically significant difference was found between the different places of examination when it came to the proportions of obese dogs, despite that we saw large differences in the proportion of over-weight dogs in different locations (min-max 1.9-33.3). To be able to se possible significant differences between groups a higher number of individuals must be included in each group. The results also showed that the owners and the author agreed upon the dog's body composition to 37 % (kappa test) and that the owners generally tended to underestimate the dog's degree of obesity. In accordance with these results, the recommendation is that veterinarians, breeders, and other experts must improve their clients' understanding of obesity, and further dedicate themselves to the treatment of this serious disease.Obesity in dogs is an increasing problem with serious and lasting health effects. While there are several methods of evaluating body fat, none are without criticism. This study will discuss the various methods of evaluation including morphometric techniques, ultrasound, and absorptiometric methods. Other topics discussed in this study will include the various factors that predispose dogs to obesity, which include over-consumption of energy, lack of exercise, age, gonad status and the interaction between owner and pet. Additionally, this study will discuss obesity treatment options in the form of a guide to veterinarians and clinics. The purpose of this project was to study body condition score in Swedish dogs, and to gather information about their feeding and exercise routines by using a questionnaire. Visits were made to 5 different places (a small animal clinic, two dog day care centers, a dog obedience course, a dog show) where a greater quantity of dogs could be examined within a reasonable time period. The dogs were examined, both by the author and the owners themselves, with help of pictures - classification (with a scale a 1-5) was used, in which 1 represented a very thin dog, 3 a normal and 5 an obese dog. According to this study, 13.7 % of the dogs were found to be overweight or obese (picture 4 or 5) according to the author. No statistically significant difference was found between the different places of examination when it came to the proportions of obese dogs, despite that we saw large differences in the proportion of over-weight dogs in different locations (min-max 1.9-33.3). To be able to se possible significant differences between groups a higher number of individuals must be included in each group. The results also showed that the owners and the author agreed upon the dog’s body composition to 37 % (kappa test) and that the owners generally tended to underestimate the dog’s degree of obesity. In accordance with these results, the recommendation is that veterinarians, breeders, and other experts must improve their clients’ understanding of obesity, and further dedicate themselves to the treatment of this serious disease