Recent work at the University of Liverpool suggests that obese dogs may suffer from metabolic syndrome.

In Humans, metabolic syndrome (MS) is a combination of medical disorders which, when they occur together, can increase the risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes.  It occurs when people are obese and have at least two of the following problems: high blood pressure, increased blood triglycerides (lipids), decreased HDL cholesterol (‘good’ cholesterol) and/or increased blood glucose.  However, whilst overweight dogs are known to have problems with blood lipids and insulin resistance, the presence of metabolic syndrome has not been examined. 

In new research, conducted at the Royal Canin Weight Management Clinic, University of Liverpool (www.pet-slimmers.com), thirty-five obese dogs were assessed using a modification of the criteria used for human metabolic syndrome (a.k.a. canine obesity-related metabolic dysfunction, ORMD).  Many of these dogs had increased blood pressure, increased cholesterol and triglycerides, and increased blood glucose.  When the dog-specific criteria were applied, approximately a fifth of the dogs were found to have ORMD.  Interestingly, these same dogs also had increased insulin concentration and decreased adiponectin concentration, both of which are abnormalities seen in as with people who suffer from metabolic syndrome, and linked to disease risk.  Finally, most of the metabolic abnormalities improved when the dogs successfully lost weight.

This new study demonstrates that some obese dogs can have metabolic abnormalities similar to humans with metabolic syndrome.  It also highlights the fact that, like with people, weight loss can be key to improving health status in an overweight dog.

The study was conducted in conjunction with research partners at Murcia University, Spain.