What is this disease?

Obesity occurs when a dog has a body condition score higher than indicated for its body type. Although it's possible to suspect your dog is obese, it's very common for owners to judge it as just "cute." However, it's important to remember that obesity is a risk factor for several diseases such as orthopedic, metabolic, and even cancer, so the pet should be evaluated by a veterinarian, and in cases where overweight/obesity is detected, it is extremely important to act to reverse this condition. The POMC gene is the main gene related to increased appetite and predisposition to obesity, since the presence of variants in this gene has already been associated with these characteristics in Labrador and Flat Coated Retriever breeds. However, as obesity is a multifactorial characteristic, the final outcome for your pet will depend on several factors. Firstly, dogs with two copies have a higher risk than those with one copy of the variant in the POMC gene. Furthermore, this is not the only gene important for this condition, so the result of this analysis may not correspond to what you observe in your dog, especially if it is not one of the two breeds mentioned above. And lastly, it is important to remember that your dog will only gain excessive weight if it consumes more calories than it expends, which means that you, as the person responsible for your pet, have control over this issue.

What are the clinical signs and when do they start?

Clinical signs / Test changes: Weight gain, overweight, high body score

Affected system: Metabolic

When they start: It generally begins in early adulthood and worsens if no intervention is made.

Is there any way to prevent or delay this disease?

Mesmo em cães com risco baixo, é importante manter uma dieta balanceada, seguindo as orientações do médico veterinário. No entanto, em cães com maior predisposição à obesidade, é importante o acompanhamento de médico veterinário nutricionista, que irá ajustar a alimentação do pet para prevenir o ganho de peso. Este acompanhamento é ainda mais necessário em cães portadores de duas cópias da variante de predisposição.

Which professional should I see?

In cases of predisposition, monitoring by a veterinary nutritionist is important.

Can they be bred? What care should I take?

There are no restrictions on reproduction related to the outcome of this disease.