Higher neonatal growth rate and body condition score at 7 months are predictive factors of obesity in adult female Beagle dogs

Abstract

Background: The risks during early growth on becoming overweight in adulthood are widely studied in humans. However, early-life predictive factors for canine adult overweight and obesity have not yet been studied. To identify factors that may help explain the development of overweight and obesity at adulthood in dogs, a longitudinal study of 2 years was conducted in 24 female Beagle dogs of the same age, sexual status, and raised under identical environmental conditions. By means of a hierarchical classification on principal components with the following quantitative values: fat-free mass (FFM), percentage fat mass and pelvic circumference at 2 years of age, three groups of dogs were established and were nominally named: ideal weight (IW, n = 9), slightly overweight (OW1, n = 6) and overweight (OW2, n = 9). With the aim of identifying predictive factors of development of obesity at adulthood parental characteristics, growth pattern, energy balance and plasma factors were analysed by logistic regression analysis.

Results: At 24 months, the group compositions were in line with the body condition scores (BCS 1-9) values of the IW (5 or 6/9), the OW1 (6/9) and the OW2 (7 or 8/9) groups. Logistic regression analysis permitted the identification of neonatal growth rate during the first 2 weeks of life (GR_2W) and BCS at 7 months as predictors for the development of obesity at adulthood. Seventy percent of dogs with either GR_2W >125% or with BCS > 6/9 at 7 months belonged to the OW2 group. Results from energy intake and expenditure, corrected for FFM, showed that there was a greater positive energy imbalance between 7 and 10 months for the OW2, compared to the IW group.

Conclusion: This study expands the understanding of previously reported risk factors for being overweight or obese in dogs, establishing that (i) 15 out of 24 of the studied dogs became overweight and (ii) GR_2W and BCS at 7 months of age could be used as predictive factors as overweight adult dogs in the OW2 group had higher values compared the other groups of dogs.

Keywords: Canine; Energy imbalance; Growth; Obesity; Overweight; Predictive factors.

Fig. 1

Outputs of the PCA followed by the hierarchical clustering on principal components (HCPC). The analyses were assessed on 24 female Beagle dogs aged 24 months. Groups were described as ideal weight (IW, n = 9), slightly overweight (OW1, n = 6) and overweight (OW2, n = 9). a: Factor map of principal and supplementary variables. The principal variables (solid lines) are fat-free mass (FFM, kg), fat mass proportion (FM%,) and pelvic circumference (PC, cm). Supplementary variables (dotted lines) are fathers’ body weight (BWfa, kg), mothers’ body weight at mating (BWmo, kg,), mothers’ age at mating (AGEmo), previous litters (PL), gestational weight gain (GWG) and litter size (LS). b: Confidence ellipses (95% confidence level) around the groups identified by HCPC

Fig. 2

Number of dogs at each BCS at considered ages. Groups were described as ideal weight (IW, n = 9), slightly overweight (OW1, n = 6) and overweight (OW2, n = 9)

Fig. 3

Scatter plot of GR2W (%) of three groups, during the two first weeks of life. Groups were described as ideal weight (IW, n = 9), slightly overweight (OW1, n = 6) and overweight (OW2, n = 9). Data are presented by groups, the line represents the median of the group; error bars represent the interquartile range. * significant difference (p < 0.05) between groups as identified by a linear regression model

Fig. 4

Body weight as a function of time in 24 female Beagle dogs. Groups were described as ideal weight (IW, n = 9), slightly overweight (OW1, n = 6) and overweight (OW2, n = 9). Values represent means of groups, while error bars represent standard error of the mean. Upper-case letters identify significant differences (p < 0.05) within a group; lower-case letters identify differences (p < 0.05) between groups

Fig. 5

Evolution of: a: energy intake (EI); b: resting energy expenditure (REE) and (c): EI less REE. All the values were adjusted for fat-free mass (FFM) in 24 female Beagle dogs. Groups were described as ideal weight (IW, n = 9), slightly overweight (OW1, n = 6) and overweight (OW2, n = 9). Values represent means of groups, while error bars represent standard error of the mean. Letters identify significant differences (p < 0.05) between groups at the same age

Fig. 6

Baseline-adjusted variations of acylated blood ghrelin 60 min after a test meal. Values were obtained from 24 female Beagle dogs at the age of 7 months. Groups were described as ideal weight (IW, n = 9), slightly overweight (OW1, n = 6) and overweight (OW2, n = 9). Data are presented by groups, the line represents the median of the group; error bars represent the interquartile range. Lower-case letters identify significant differences (p < 0.05) between groups