Background

The association between overall obesity and fat distribution on the present of heart disease remains unsettled. In the present study, we evaluate the association between standard and computed tomography (CT)-based measures of obesity and clinical heart disease in dog.

Design

Cross-sectional, observational study of dimension of body parts and CT obesity measures and presence of heart disease in dogs.

Subject

A survey was conducted between October 2005 to October 2006 in 47 healthy dogs and 44 adjudicated heart disease dogs at Kasetsart Veterinary Teaching Hospital, Bangkhen.

Methods

Body mass index (BMI) was calculated from body length (BL) and weight, and waist circumference (WC) and ilium wing distance (IWD) were measured. Intra-abdominal fat (IAF) and subcutaneous fat (SQF) were measured in normal (n=4) and heart disease (n=4) dogs at the levels of lumbar 4 and 5, using computed tomography.

Results

Heart disease dogs have a relative waist circumference (WC/IWD and WC-BL) higher than normal dogs. Although BMI in heart disease dogs was higher than normal dogs, but it did not reach statistical significant except in neutered female dog with heart disease. IAF and SQF were not significantly different between normal and heart disease groups.

Conclusion

Abdominal obesity, rather than overall obesity, may be another risk factor for dog with heart disease.