Carrying extra pounds is hard on a dog’s joints. New research suggests it may be hard on the brain, too.
Alexandra Genualdi, a student at Oklahoma State University, presented the work in September at the American Physiological Society’s comparative physiology conference in Orlando. She drew on the Morris Animal Foundation Golden Retriever Lifetime Study, comparing dogs by body condition score.
What the data showed
Obese dogs were more than twice as likely to develop endocrine diseases, osteoarthritis, or cruciate ligament injuries. They moved less. They also showed more evidence of cognitive decline than dogs at a healthy weight, and the gap widened with age.
The cognitive signs the study tracked include getting lost in familiar places, failing to recognize family members or other pets, pacing at night, and indoor accidents in a house-trained dog.
What this means for your dog
Nobody is telling you to put your dog on a crash diet. The useful takeaway is that body condition deserves a deliberate check rather than a glance. A dog at a good weight has a waist you can see from above and ribs you can feel without pressing hard. If you are unsure, ask your vet to score your dog and name a target weight. After that it is ordinary stuff: measure the food instead of guessing at the scoop, ease up on table scraps, and keep the daily walk going. Our guide to checking whether your dog is overweight walks through the rib and waist test at home.
One caveat: the study does not prove that losing weight reverses mental decline in dogs. In people, weight loss and more activity do appear to slow cognitive decline. Older dogs bring their own set of changes.
Research summary: Phys.org.