Obesity and intermittent fasting as a dietary intervention in dogs: Review

Abstract

Obesity is the excess of body fat that results in the compromise of the health and well-being of the animal. It is a condition of great concern, as it has been affecting the canine population with increasing frequency. Treatment is based on dietary management and physical exercise, and tutors' awareness is essential for the success of this therapeutic approach. The obese dog's diet needs to be balanced according to the physiology of each organism, where essential nutrients are balanced and managed by a veterinary nutrologist, which includes fiber, protein, carbohydrates, lipids, food moisture and physical exercise routine in the planning. nutritional. Intermittent fasting (IF) is a recently tried approach that already has several benefits observed in several studies. The implementation of IF as a dietary intervention in dogs can be used with the guidance of a professional, bringing promising results in reducing the healthy weight of animals. The objective of this work was to carry out a literature review on obesity and on the ideal diet used in dogs that have this disease, in addition to defending intermittent fasting as a current therapeutic intervention.