References

Association for Pet Obesity Prevention. Association for Pet Obesity Prevention. 2019. https://petobesity-prevention.org/ (Accessed 15 July 2020)

Chandler M. Nutritional assessment as the fifth vital sign. Veterinary Nursing Journal.. 2010; 25:(12)31-33 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.2045-0648.2010.tb00141.x

Courcier EA, Thomson RM, Mellor DJ, Yam PS. An epidemiological study of environmental factors associated with canine obesity. J Small Anim Pract.. 2010; 51:(7)362-367 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1748-5827.2010.00933.x

Courcier EA, Mellor DJ, Thomson RM, Yam PS. A cross sectional study of the prevalence and risk factors for owner misperception of canine body shape in first opinion practice in Glasgow. Prev Vet Med.. 2011; 102:(1)66-74 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.prevetmed.2011.06.010

Cull WL, O'Connor KG, Sharp S, Tang SS. Response rates and response bias for 50 surveys of pediatricians. Health Serv Res.. 2005; 40:(1)213-226 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1475-6773.2005.00350.x

Eastland-Jones RC, German AJ, Holden SL, Biourge V, Pickavance LC. Owner misperception of canine body condition persists despite use of a body condition score chart. J Nutr Sci.. 2014; 3 https://doi.org/10.1017/jns.2014.25

Ferguson JD, Galligan DT, Thomsen N. Principal descriptors of body condition score in Holstein cows. J Dairy Sci.. 1994; 77:(9)2695-2703 https://doi.org/10.3168/jds.S0022-0302(94)77212-X

Freeman L, Becvarova I, Cave N WSAVA Nutritional Assessment Guidelines. J Small Anim Pract.. 2011; 52:(7)385-396 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1748-5827.2011.01079.x

Gant P, Holden SL, Biourge V, German AJ. Can you estimate body composition in dogs from photographs?. BMC Vet Res.. 2016; 12:(1) https://doi.org/10.1186/s12917-016-0642-7

Gates MC, Zito S, Harvey LC, Dale A, Walker JK. Assessing obesity in adult dogs and cats presenting for routine vaccination appointments in the North Island of New Zealand using electronic medical records data. N Z Vet J.. 2019; 67:(3)126-133 https://doi.org/10.1080/00480169.2019.1585990

German AJ. The growing problem of obesity in dogs and cats. J Nutr.. 2006; 136:(7)1940S-1946S https://doi.org/10.1093/jn/136.7.1940S

German A. Obesity in companion animals. In Pract.. 2010; 32:(2)42-50 https://doi.org/10.1136/inp.b5665

German AJ, Holden SL, Moxham GL, Holmes KL, Hackett RM, Rawlings JM. A simple, reliable tool for owners to assess the body condition of their dog or cat. J Nutr.. 2006; 136:(7)2031S-2033S https://doi.org/10.1093/jn/136.7.2031S

German AJ, Holden SL, Wiseman-Orr ML, Reid J, Nolan AM, Biourge V, Morris PJ, Scott EM. Quality of life is reduced in obese dogs but improves after successful weight loss. Vet J.. 2012; 192:(3)428-434 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tvjl.2011.09.015

Harvey L, Cameron K. Comparison of expectations between veterinarians and veterinary nurses in tasks and responsibilities in clinical practice. The Veterinary Nurse.. 2019; 10:(6)327-331 https://doi.org/:10.12968/vetn.2019.10.6.327

Harvey LC, Cameron KE. Stress and compassion fatigue in veterinary nurses in New Zealand. The Veterinary Nurse.. 2020; 11:(1)42-46 https://doi.org/10.12968/vetn.2020.11.1.42

Kipperman B, German A. The responsibility of veterinarians to address companion animal obesity. Animals (Basel).. 2018; 8:(9) https://doi.org/10.3390/ani8090143

Kongara K, Squance HE, Topham IA, Bridges JP. Attitudes and perceptions of veterinary paraprofessionals in New Zealand to postoperative pain in dogs and cats. N Z Vet J.. 2016; 64:(2)112-116 https://doi.org/10.1080/00480169.2015.1111172

Laflamme D. Development and validation of a body condition score system for dogs. Canine Pract.. 1997; 22:(4)10-15

What is animal?. 2012. http://www.fawec.org. (accessed 23 June 2020)

McGreevy PD, Thomson PC, Pride C, Fawcett A, Grassi T, Jones B. Prevalence of obesity in dogs examined by Australian veterinary practices and the risk factors involved. Vet Rec.. 2005; 156:(22)695-702 https://doi.org/10.1136/vr.156.22.695

New Zealand Companion Animal Council Inc. Companion Animals in New Zealand. 2016. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5d1bf13a3f8e880001289eeb/t/5f556c917d0bb54905a22858/1599433901911/Companion+Animals+in+New+Zealand+2016+Report_web.pdf (accessed 19 March 2021)

PDSA. UK pet populations of dogs, cats and rabbits. 2020. https://www.pdsa.org.uk/get-involved/our-campaigns/pdsa-animal-wellbeing-report/uk-pet-populations-of-dogs-cats-and-rabbits (accessed 25 October 2020)

Raosoft.com. Sample Size Calculator. 2020. http://www.raosoft.com/samplesize.html (accessed 6 June 2020)

Does gender influence online survey participation? A record-linkage analysis of university faculty online survey response behavior. 2008. http://works.bepress.com/grinell_smith/5/ (accessed 19 August 2020)

Census totals by topic – national highlights – CSV. 2018. https://www.stats.govt.nz/large-datasets/csv-files-for-download/ (accessed 16 July 2020)

Such ZR, German AJ. Best in show but not best shape: a photographic assessment of show dog body condition. Vet Rec.. 2015; 177:(5) https://doi.org/10.1136/vr.103093

The Humane Society International of the United States. Pets by the numbers. 2019. https://www.animalsheltering.org/page/pets-by-the-numbers (accessed 25 October 2020)

Vieira A, Brandão S, Monteiro A, Ajuda I, Stilwell G. Development and validation of a visual body condition scoring system for dairy goats with picture-based training. J Dairy Sci.. 2015; 98:(9)6597-6608 https://doi.org/10.3168/jds.2015-9428

White GA, Hobson-West P, Cobb K, Craigon J, Hammond R, Millar KM. Canine obesity: is there a difference between veterinarian and owner perception?. J Small Anim Pract.. 2011; 52:(12)622-626 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1748-5827.2011.01138.x

Assessing body condition scores assigned to images of dogs by veterinary nurses working in urban, rural and suburban settings in New Zealand

02 March 2021

Research

14 mins read

02 March 2021

Volume 12 · Issue 2

ISSN (print): 2044-0065

ISSN (online): 2052-2959

Figure 1.

Abstract

Background:

Canine obesity is a growing problem, both in New Zealand and overseas. Veterinary nurses play a vital role as part of the veterinary healthcare team in ensuring clients are provided with timely, accurate, and consistent advice, and this includes advice relating to a pet's nutritional status and body condition.

Aim:

To investigate if there were any differences in body condition scores assigned to images of canines by veterinary nurses working in urban, suburban, and rural settings.

Methods:

Veterinary nurses (restricted to those with a minimum of 2 years formal training) in New Zealand were recruited online and asked to complete a short, online survey providing a body condition score for 10 dogs of varying morphology, via a photograph.

Results:

There were 77 useable responses and results showed no significant difference to the score assigned by veterinary nurses in different geographical settings.

Conclusion:

These results provide assurances to the consistency of body condition score being assigned by veterinary nurses in New Zealand, showing that geographical setting is not a confounding factor in a veterinary nurse's interpretation of body condition. While this result is optimistic, further research is needed to determine if this consistency is present across other members of the healthcare team.

There is a global obesity epidemic in companion animals (Kipperman and German, 2018). Canine obesity (commonly defined as a body weight of 15% greater than optimal (Courcier et al, 2010)) is a significant health issue for companion pets. It is considered the most common form of malnutrition and is a common medical disorder in companion animals (German, 2010).

Large numbers of companion dogs are now classed as overweight or obese (German, 2006; Courcier et al., 2010). A recent retrospective study of a large sample size (n=24 247) by Gates et al (2019) has shown that canine obesity affects 28.4% of companion dogs in New Zealand, with similar rates found internationally (Courcier et al, 2010).

Register now to continue reading

Thank you for visiting The Veterinary Nurse and reading some of our peer-reviewed content for veterinary professionals. To continue reading this article, please register today.

Or continue by

Signing in with your registered email address