👀 Your dog's obesity is genetic?!

Your heavy-set dog’s weight loss journey might be facing a genetic, uphill battle.

Ever wondered why some dogs seem naturally rotund, no matter how much they run around?

Turns out, the same genes that contribute to obesity in humans are also found in our pooches.

In a new genome study, scientists have pinpointed several genes linked to obesity in dogs—genes that we humans share, too. This means our dogs could actually help researchers unlock new insights into weight gain, health, and complex diseases.

Though environmental factors such as the cheap availability of ultra-processed foods are commonly singled out for rising rates of obesity, scientists emphasize that it’s a complex condition with a multitude of biological root causes. A big factor is heritability, with a 2007 study estimating that a person has between a 40-70% chance of developing obesity due to the genes they inherit from their parents.

As Dr Eleanor Raffan, lead academic on the new research, told BBC Science Focus, “If you are unlucky enough to get genes that make you prone to obesity, that manifests as greater appetite, making it harder to resist those drives to overeat. Slim people aren’t morally superior – they just don’t need to exert as much willpower to keep at a healthy weight.”

To see if obesity was also hereditary in dogs, researcher Natalie Wallis and her team looked at the genes of 241 pet Labrador retrievers – a particularly obesity-prone dog breed.

Using a cross-species approach, they identified multiple obesity-contributing genes that dogs and humans share. Among these, the gene DENND1B – which plays a key role in how our cells process energy – emerged as a particularly strong genetic link between human and canine obesity.

“By looking in just a few hundred Labrador retrievers, we have uncovered new biology of relevance across species. I hope more people consider using the canine genetic model for more scientific discovery in the future, especially for complex disease,” Wallis told BBC Science Focus.

As well as offering scientists a new model to understand human disease, this research could also help us take better care of our dogs. Pet obesity is on the rise, with The Royal Veterinary College in London recently reporting that 1 in 14 dogs are recorded as overweight in the UK each year.

In the US, a 2022 Association for Pet Obesity (APOP) survey found that 59% of dogs were overweight, indicating a widespread problem within pet health. However, until now the genetic basis of canine obesity hasn’t been widely studied.

Understanding a pet’s genetics could be a game-changer for their care. “Our results underscore the importance of encouraging exercise and limiting food intake for our pet dogs," says Dr Raffan. "Importantly, our data shows that management is most important in dogs with the highest genetic risk, and therefore greatest appetite.”

“Many people still blame owners of fat dogs, saying they are lazy or indulgent, and the same stereotypes are mirrored about people with obesity. Our data shows it is much harder work to control food intake in the dogs with high risk. That should change how we address canine obesity in practice: we need to target owners of high-risk dogs and offer them support on effective management (rather than blaming them).”

“The Squeeze”: Dog News In 60 Seconds

•  🧀 Want to become a nun that makes cheese and raises dogs all day? Well… here’s your answer.

• 🔎 STUDY: Towns with more dogs have less crime.

• 🥤 Think you got “that dawg in you”? Mug Root Beer just created a DNA kit so you can flex on your friends.

• 🏎️ F1 star Lewis Hamilton just threw a party for his plant-based dog. Our invites must’ve gotten lost in the mail…

• 🛷 A dogsled race just derailed Second Lady Usha Vance’s trip to Greenland.

• ⚕️ Meet the vet tech who travels 1,700 miles to Honduras to help animals.

• 🏈 Nearly 200 dogs were just seized from an ex-NFL player (not Michael Vick) for operating an illegal dogfighting business.

• 📷 Alabama just named the winner of their 2025 Best Sporing Dog Photo Contest. Go off, Fancy!

Today’s Last Laugh:

It’s official. Naomi Watts isn’t the biggest star in her home…

fallontonight

18 followers

View more on Instagram