Prospective hematological and biochemical evaluation of spontaneously overweight and obese dogs

Across species overweight and obesity are associated with numerous disorders. To evaluate the occurrence of disturbances in terms of canine overweight and obesity, the authors undertook a prospective examination of hematological and biochemical parameters in 45 overweight and obese dogs, and compared the data with those obtained in 28 healthy normal-weight dogs. Neutrophil count, total cholesterol concentration and alkaline phosphatase activity were increased in the total group of overweight and obese dogs (P<0.01; P<0.007; P<0.000007), while concentrations of blood urea nitrogen decreased (P<0.007). Overweight was characterized by increased neutrophil count, cholesterol and triglycerides (P<0.03; P<0.00005; P<0.02), while obesity resulted in an increase in glucose, alkaline phosphatase and total cholesterol (P<0.02; P<0.002; P<0.0004), and a decrease in blood urea nitrogen and creatinine (P<0.0004; P<0.004). The obtained results support the idea that neutrophils could be involved in canine obesity-related pathology. Overweight and obesity were characterized by disturbances in the glucose metabolism and dyslipidemia. One of the interesting aspects of our examination was that obesity in dogs was related to a decrease in urea and creatinine concentrations in the circulation, which may be a consequence of increased glomerular filtration or hyperlipidemia. This study implies that canine obesity significantly affects alkaline phosphatase activity. A favorable circumstance related to the epidemic proportions of obesity in dogs is that most related potential health problems can be successfully prevented by maintaining a normal body weight.