RESULTS: Seven dog owners choose a target distance of 2 km and 14 owners choose 5-10 km. Mean BCS decreased (P = 0.007) after the programme (5.1 ± 0.9 vs. 4.7 ± 0.6) but there was no effect of target distance. Almost all chest and abdominal circumference measurements decreased (P ≤ 0.007) with the 2 km group driving the reduction in chest circumference and the 5-10 km group driving the reduction in abdominal circumference. In contrast, thigh circumference (28.8 ± 0.4 vs. 30.2 ± 0.4) increased (P = 0.007) while bodyweight was maintained. There were positive correlations between BCS and abdominal/chest ratios before and after the programme (Pearson correlation; R square ≤ 0.43, P ≤ 0.0012) but the mean ratio remained constant.
CONCLUSIONS: Results indicated a redistribution between total body fat and muscle mass in body composition of normal weight to slightly overweight dogs after the physical exercise programme. The use of bodyweight alone was not a reliable evaluation method to complement the BCS assessment. However, repeated measurements of chest, abdominal and thigh circumference might aid in the assessment of body composition in dogs performing physical exercise. Further research should include a control group and objective evaluations of total body fat and lean mass, in order to investigate the effectiveness of physical exercise as a freestanding method for decreasing BCS and increasing muscle mass in overweight dogs.
结果:七个狗主人选择2公里的目标距离,14个主人选择5-10公里。治疗后平均BCS降低(P=0.007)(5.1±0.9vs.4.7±0.6),但目标距离没有影响。几乎所有的胸围和腹围测量值都降低了(P≤0.007),其中2km组驱动胸围降低,5-10km组驱动腹围降低。相比之下,大腿围(28.8±0.4vs.30.2±0.4)增加(P=0.007),同时保持体重。程序前后BCS与腹/胸比率之间存在正相关(皮尔逊相关性;R平方≤0.43,P≤0.0012),但平均比率保持不变。
结论:结果表明,在体育锻炼计划后,正常体重的狗的身体组成中的总脂肪和肌肉质量之间的重新分布。单独使用体重不是补充BCS评估的可靠评估方法。然而,反复测量胸部,腹部和大腿围可能有助于评估进行体育锻炼的狗的身体成分。进一步的研究应包括对照组和对总脂肪和瘦体重的客观评估,为了研究体育锻炼作为减少超重犬BCS和增加肌肉质量的独立方法的有效性。