Welcome to the Week’s Review of Canine Social Media
Welcome to this Special Feature on the DoggieU K9 Blog for an update on this week’s dog-related social media from around the world. There are so many stories. Here we will share some of the best stories this week.
Enjoy & share them.
Overweight dogs respond well to high-protein, high-fiber diet.
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A recent research study published in the Journal of Animal Science found that “overfed dogs experience some of the same maladies associated with overweight and obesity in humans. And that overweight dogs can also benefit from a high-protein, high-fiber weight loss regimen.”
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Researchers at the Department of Animal Sciences, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign evaluated overweight dogs that were fed a reduced calorie, high-
protein, high-fiber diet for 24 weeks. Results showed that the dogs’ body composition and inflammatory markers changed over time in ways that parallel the positive changes seen in humans on similar diets. The dogs achieved a healthier weight without losing too much muscle mass, and their serum triglycerides, insulin and inflammatory markers all decreased with weight loss. -
According to faculty at the Animal Science Department, “some of the problems we see in humans with obesity also occur in pet dogs. There’s added stress on the joints, there’s an intolerance to exercise and heat; there’s also glucose intolerance, insulin resistance. And if you look at pet insurance claims, obesity is a big factor there.”
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This study is different from other studies of diets for dogs in that it also measured changes in the dogs’ fecal microbiota over the course of losing weight. Most studies of gut microbiota focus on humans, so the new research offers insight into the similarities and differences between dogs and humans, and how they respond to dietary changes and weight loss.
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In humans, the gut microbiome has been found to play a very important role in our health by helping to control digestion and corresponding benefits to our immune system and many other aspects of health. An imbalance of unhealthy and healthy microbes in the intestines may contribute to weight gain, high blood sugar, high cholesterol and other disorders. This study highlights that more research will be needed to understand how these same factors impact our canine family.
- [Link: Journal of Animal Science]
Certain Habits Your Dog Gets From You!
- Dog owners often describe that their pets are running their lives. Complaining that it seems their day is ‘centered around dog activities.’
- But have we considered all of the adjustments that our pets have made since they came into our lives? Or, how about all of the habits that they learned from us?
- An article on ‘Do Dogs Act Like Their Owners?’, describes how they have adjusted to our households and mimic our rituals and behavior. For example, they watch us stretch out on the couch to relax and realize that they should try this for themselves.
- Dogs will sleep at the same time as their owners. Instinctively, a dog’s first concern is safety. If they don’t feel safe, they won’t sleep. So by seeing their humans sleep, they believe it must be safe to let their guard down and relax.
- Dogs Can Have the Same Eating Times as Their Owners. In many households, the family dinner includes feeding the dog(s) around the same time also, so our pets feel included in the process and celebrate the dining process along with us.
- Dogs Can Share Moods With Their Owners. We all know how empathetic and emotionally supportive our dogs can be. But science has reminded us that they also feel and share our good moods and bad moods. If we feeling energetic or playful, most dogs will happily match this with their own enthusiasm.
- Dogs Can Share Personalities With Their Owners. We all know that dogs all have unique personalities — but did you know that the personality of an owner and a dog will often reflect each other? Owners who are more outgoing and active will often see this same sort of personality in their dog, whereas if you’re more reserved and relaxed then your dog will be more likely to resemble this. That being said, they’re all individuals and although influenced by us, they certainly have distinct personalities of their own.”
Our canine family are often more like us than we realize or wish to admit. If imitation is the greatest form of lattery, then we should enjoy every minute of it.
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