What are the Odds of Obesity for Specific Breeds
Obesity is the enemy of the health of our dogs. A recent UK study looks at 16 breeds and their odds of obesity against crossbred dogs. Yorkie, Bichon, Goldens, German Shepherds, Chihuahua are some of the breeds studied.
Not all purebred dogs have higher risks of overweight than crossbred dogs. In fact, certain breeds have lower risks; two breeds showed a much reduced risk compared with crossbred dogs.
Age-wise, dogs between 6 and 9 had the highest risk of overweight status (x 2.99) compared with dogs under 3 years old.
Breeds with HIGHER risks of overweight than cross-breeds:
|
|
Odds of overweight against cross-breed dogs |
|
Pug |
3.12x |
|
Beagle |
2.67x |
|
Golden Retriever |
2.58x |
|
English Springer Spaniel |
1.98x |
|
Border Terrier |
1.72x |
|
Labrador Retriever |
1.70x |
|
Cavalier King Charles Spaniel |
1.50x |
|
Cocker Spaniel |
1.32x |
|
West Highland White Terrier |
1.30x |
|
Border Collier |
1.18x |
|
Chihuahua |
1.09x |
|
Bichon Frise |
1.03x |
Breeds with LOWER risk of overweight than cross-breeds:
|
|
Odds of overweight against cross-breed dogs |
|
Staffordshire Bull Terrier |
0.95x |
|
Jack Russell Terrier |
0.90x |
|
Yorkshire Terrier |
0.74x |
|
German Shepherd |
0.55x |
|
Shih-tzu |
0.53x |
Excerpt from: "Frequency, breed predisposition and demographic risk factors for overweight status in dogs in the UK" by C. Pegram, E. Raffan, E. White, A. H. Ashworth, D. C. Brodbelt, B. Church, D. G. O'Neill. Published March 2021