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Nutritional ecology of obesity: from humans to companion animals
Contributor(s):: Raubenheimer, D., Machovsky-Capuska, G. E., Gosby, A. K., Simpson, S.
We apply nutritional geometry, a framework for modelling the interactive effects of nutrients on animals, to help understand the role of modern environments in the obesity pandemic. Evidence suggests that humans regulate the intake of protein energy (PE) more strongly than non-protein energy...
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Dog obesity: can dog caregivers' (owners') feeding and exercise intentions and behaviors be predicted from attitudes?
Contributor(s):: Rohlf, V. I., Toukhsati, S., Coleman, G. J., Bennett, P. C.
Dog obesity is a common nutritional disorder affecting up to 40% of the companion animal (pet) dog population in Australia and other developed nations. A clear understanding of factors determining relevant caregiver (owner) behaviors underpins effective treatment for this disorder. The theory of...
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Portrayals of canine obesity in English-language newspapers and in leading veterinary journals, 2000-2009: implications for animal welfare organizations and veterinarians as public educators
Contributor(s):: Degeling, C., Rock, M., Teows, L.
In industrialized societies, more than 1 in 3 dogs and people currently qualify as overweight or obese. Experts in public health expect both these figures to rise. Although clinical treatment remains important, so are public perceptions and social norms. This article presents a thematic analysis...
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An investigation of the association between socio-demographic factors, dog-exercise requirements, and the amount of walking dogs receive
Contributor(s):: Degeling, C., Burton, L., McCormack, G. R.
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Chubby puppies and fat cats: Gendered deviance through overweight pets
Contributor(s):: Craven, Nena Sechler
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Effects of aviary and box sizes on body mass and behaviour of domesticated budgerigars (Melopsittacus undulatus)
Contributor(s):: Gebhardt-Henrich, S. G., Steiger, A.
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Owning the problem: media portrayals of overweight dogs and the shared determinants of the health of human and companion animal populations
| Contributor(s):: Degeling, C., Rock, M.
Weight-related health problems have become a common topic in Western mass media. News-coverage has also extended to overweight pets, particularly since 2003 when the U.S. National Academy of Sciences announced that obesity was also afflicting co-habiting companion animals in record numbers. To...
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Companion dogs as weight loss partners
| Contributor(s):: Kushner, R. F.
This paper reviews the beneficial impact of companion dogs on social support and physical activity, and their role in obesity management.
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Education for change
| Contributor(s):: Winne, M.
The author uses two publications, Fighting Poverty in the US and Europe (Alesina and Glaeser) and Poetry magazine, to underscore the important role that educational institutions play in developing a person's political philosophy and imagination. European nations, for instance, have better...
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The fat of the land: linking American food overconsumption, obesity, and biodiversity loss
| Contributor(s):: Cafaro, P. J., Primack, R. B., Zimdahl, R. L.
Americans' excessive consumption of food harms their health and quality of life and also causes direct and indirect environmental degradation, through habitat loss and increased pollution from agricultural fertilizers and pesticides. We show here that reducing food consumption (and eating...
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The PPET study: people and pets exercising together
| Contributor(s):: Kushner, R. F., Blatner, D. J., Jewell, D. E., Rudloff, K.
Objective: Obesity is a significant public health problem that is affecting people and their pets. The human-companion animal bond and the role of pets in providing social support provides a rationale framework for studying the effectiveness of a combined people and pets (PP) exercising...
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Animal welfare and the human-animal bond: considerations for veterinary faculty, students, and practitioners
| Contributor(s):: Wensley, S. P.
Consideration of the human-animal bond typically focuses on the benefits of companion animals to human health and well-being, but it is essential that in realizing these benefits the welfare needs of the animals, both physical and mental, are also met. Positive emotional relationships with...
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Uncertainties of nutrigenomics and their ethical meaning
| Contributor(s):: Korthals, M., Komduur, R.
Again and again utopian hopes are connected with the life sciences (no hunger, health for everyone; life without diseases, longevity), but simultaneously serious research shows uncertain, incoherent, and ambivalent results. It is unrealistic to expect that these uncertainties will disappear. We...
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Feeding behaviour and daily energy expenditure of domesticated budgerigars (Melopsittacus undulatus): influence of type of housing and vertical position of the feeder
| Contributor(s):: Schnegg, A., Gebhardt-Henrich, S. G., Keller, P., Visser, G. H., Steiger, A.
Obesity is a common health problem in captive budgerigars (Melopsittacus undulatus). The welfare of budgerigars would be increased in a housing system limiting obesity. The aim of this study was to measure the influence of 3 different housing types on feeding behaviour and energy balance....
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The effect of caloric restriction on the behavior of pen-housed dogs: Transition from restriction to maintenance diets and long-term effects
| Contributor(s):: Crowell-Davis, S. L., Barry, K., Ballam, J. M., Laflamme, D. P.
39 dogs were assigned to 4 treatment groups for weight loss. Breed, sex and initial body condition were similar across groups. Treatments included 0, 25, 40 or 50% energy restriction, based on calculated maintenance energy requirements for the dog's estimated ideal body weight. True maintenance...
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The effect of caloric restriction on the behavior of pen-housed dogs: transition from unrestricted to restricted diet
| Contributor(s):: Crowell-Davis, S. L., Barry, K., Ballam, J. M., Laflamme, D. P.
39 dogs were assigned to 4 treatment groups for weight loss. Breed, sex and initial body condition were similar across groups. Treatments included 0, 25, 40 or 50% energy restriction, based on calculated maintenance energy requirements for the dog's estimated ideal body weight. True maintenance...
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Challenges and paradoxes in the companion-animal niche
| Contributor(s):: McGreevy, P. D., Bennett, P. C.
By definition, the companion-animal niche demands merely that animals must provide companionship. At first glance, this may seem easy enough, but the forces that contribute to success in this niche are complex. Indeed, success as a companion is rarely measured in terms of biological fitness, and...
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Environmental enrichment for captive Eastern blue-tongue lizards ( Tiliqua scincoides )
| Contributor(s):: Phillips, C. J. C., Jiang, Z., Hatton, A. J., Tribe, A., Bouar, M. le, Guerlin, M., Murray, P. J.
Eastern blue-tongue lizards (Tiliqua scincoides) are kept in zoos and increasingly commonly as exotic pets, but little is known about improving their welfare by enrichment of their environment. Using nine animals kept individually in cages provided with a brick for basking and a pipe for hiding,...
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Ethics of feeding: the omnivore dilemma
| Contributor(s):: Kasanen, I. H. E., Sorensen, D. B., Forkman, B., Sandoe, P.
The way in which animals are fed is an important aspect of their welfare. Not only does food provide the energy and nutrients vital for survival, but feeding is also associated with a number of other factors contributing to the well-being of animals. The feeding method can determine the animals'...
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Fecundity and population viability in female zoo elephants: problems and possible solutions
| Contributor(s):: Clubb, R., Rowcliffe, M., Lee, P., Mar, K. U., Moss, C., Mason, G. J.
We previously reported that African (Loxodonta africana) and Asian (Elephas maximus) female elephants in European zoos have shorter adult lifespans than protected conspecifics in range countries. This effect was the cause of greatest concern in Asian elephants, and risk factors within this...
