Dogs, walks, weight and health

Researchers at the University of Liverpool have in a study found that pregnant women owning a dog is 50% more likely than women without dogs to achieve the recommended 30 minutes of exercise a day. Failing to achieve this increases the risk of  gaining too much weight during the pregnancy, which in turn increases the risk of complications during both pregnancy and child birth, and the risk for the child to be over-weight or obese itself will be higher if the mother is or becomes over-weight during the pregnancy. Being obese or over weight is itself a risk as this increases the risk of different diseases, like for example diabetes. Another rather alarming realization gained from this study was that some pregnant women don't walk their dog at all. Which brings us to the second part of this post.



What about the weight and health of the dog itself? Another study, also at the University of Liverpool showed that obese dogs that lost weight had an increased quality of life. Obesity is in dogs just as in humans, a serious condition that can lead to many health disorders including diabetes, heart disease and arthritis. The increased quality of life however that the dogs experienced after losing weight was only in part due to these direct health benefits. Other effects were reduction of pain and emotional disturbances and increased vitality. Methods of keeping the dog lean and healthy, or losing weight if necessary, include portion control, increased exercise and diets specifically formulated for overweight pets.


So what to do? Walk your dog! Both you and your beloved pet will be healthier and happier!

Me on a mountain walk with Siberian huskies Birk and Tessa, july 2011.

Sources:


http://m.liv.ac.uk/research/index.php#owning-a-dog-encourages-exercise-in-pregnant-women


https://news.liv.ac.uk/2012/02/20/quality-of-life-of-obese-dogs-improves-when-they-lose-weight/