Obesity In Canines: Issues, Causes, Treatments And Managements

Leptin of 167 is a Abstract Obesity is a nutritional disorder resulting due to positive energy balance in which excessive amount of adipose tissue is accumulat-ed in the body of an organism. Determination of degree of obesity depends mainly on Body Condition Score (BCS) estimated by palpation of ribs, tail base etc. Dog with BCS “5 or 9” is considered to be obese depending on the system chosen i.e. 5 or 9 point system. Various metabolic disorder, neutering, age and sex, unhealthy diet etc. can be major causes of obesity. Osteoarthritis is one of the major issues related to obesity followed by cardiopulmonary disorder, urolithiasis, reproductive disorder etc. There is no specific treatment for obesity but dietary management plays pivotal role in weight reduction. Dietary management mainly includes L-carnitine and conjugated linoleic acid. L-carnitine enhances fatty acid oxidation whereas conjugated linoleic acid acts by inhibiting Stearoyl-CoA desaturase activity, which prevents the synthesis of monounsaturated fatty acids. Some Microsomal Triglyceride Transfer (MTP) protein inhibitors are also manufactured recently which prevents formation of chylomicrons and prevents its absorption from intestine.