Estudo da percepção de médicos veterinários sobre fatores associados a obesidade em cães e gatos

Abstract

The goal of the present study was to assess the knowledge of veterinarians in the Northeast region of Brazil about obesity in dogs and cats. A total of 195 professionals of Veterinary Medicine participated in the study, 136 general practitioners, 28 surgeons and 31 specialists from different areas of the canine and feline clinic. For data collection, an online questionnaire was applied on the Google Form platform from October to November 2021. The questions focused on general aspects related to obesity in dogs and cats, such as epidemiology, diagnosis, clinical/nutritional management and prevention strategies. Most respondents (75%) responded that they did not know how to efficiently use body composition analysis tools, such as the BCS. Of the 195 respondents, 27.2% of the professionals involved in the survey manage weight loss in their obese patients. 65.6% believe that excess energy, regardless of the food modality, is the main dietary factor involved with excess weight in small animals. As a prevention strategy for the disease, 65.6% stated that they advise the owner to modify the dietary management after castration for a less caloric food. The analysis of the results allows us to conclude that most veterinarians in Northeastern Brazil are aware of the predisposing factors for the development of obesity, including predisposed races, dietary and environmental factors, in addition to the consequences of the disease. According to the data obtained in the survey, it was found that among the professionals interviewed, it was observed that even in the face of a situation considered a global epidemic, there are still professionals who do not adopt an adequate approach to treat the obese animal or neglect the disease.