Vet World   Vol.15   June-2022  Article-21

Using bioelectrical impedance analysis for modeling regression and predicting body fat accumulation in dogs in East Thailand

Background and Aim: Obesity in dogs leads to several health problems, such as premature death, and contributes to other diseases. Recently, body fat percentage has been considered to represent the body condition of dogs, and bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) is the most effective method for accurately measuring body fat in dogs. In Thailand, information on the body condition of dogs is limited, and there is no standard body fat level for Thai or mongrel dogs. This study was designed to evaluate and analyze the body fat percentage in dogs through BIA using a handheld instrument. The results of this study can help enhance the quality of life and health of dogs and aid in setting a standard body fat level for Thai or mongrel dogs.

Materials and Methods: The body fat percentage of 340 Thai and mongrel dogs in East Thailand was measured in the standing position, and the body condition score (BCS) (range, 1–5), sex, sterilization status, age, type of diet, and lifestyle were recorded. A linear regression model was developed to compare the variables and the predicted body fat percentage, and multiple linear regressions were used to analyze the factors for body fat increment.

Results: The linear regression model used to estimate the percentage of body fat (y) for each BCS (x) was y = 0.84 + 8.36x (R2 = 0.7219; p < 0.0001); the average body fat percentage was 27.52% for all studied dogs; specifically, 24.83% for the Thai Bangkaew, 26.42% for the Thai Ridgeback, and 27.65% for mongrels. The median body fat percentage was significantly higher in female than in male dogs. We found that as age increases, body fat percentage also increases; this increasing trend begins at the age of 5 years. However, increasing the level of activity and decreasing meal frequency leads to an increase in body fat percentage in neutered male dogs.

Conclusion: The average body fat percentage of dogs in East Thailand is 27.52% and this value is expected to increase when these dogs reach the age of 5 years. BIA is a valid and effective measurement tool for detecting the body fat percentage in dogs. Keywords: bioelectric impedance analysis, body fat, dog, Thailand.

Keywords: bioelectric impedance analysis, body fat, dog, Thailand.

How to cite this article: Arreesrisom P, Phichitrasilp T, Naimon N, Charoensin S, Rerkamnuaychoke W, Panpiansil J, Jarudecha T (2022) Using bioelectrical impedance analysis for modeling regression and predicting body fat accumulation in dogs in East Thailand, Veterinary World, 15(6): 1566–1574.

Received: 11-01-2022  Accepted: 12-05-2022     Published online: 28-06-2022

Corresponding author: Thitichai Jarudecha   E-mail: thitichai.j@ku.th

DOI: 10.14202/vetworld.2022.1566-1574

Copyright: Arreesrisom, et al. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver (http:// creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated.