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Canines are the preferred model for obesity research, since humans and canines have similar nutritive requirements, obesity-induced disorders (diabetes), consumption patterns (small number of large meals), and metabolic characteristics. (Rodents are dissimilar to humans in all these categories.)
Specific cognitive models have been developed for the canine to assess feeding patterns, to order to test efficacy of appetite suppressing compounds or satiating effects of treatments, without relying solely on measuring food consumption or body weight. One such test, labeled the cognitive satiety assessment protocol, examines a canine’s cognitive performance in relation to satiety, i.e. the animals’ performance declines as they become satiated, with a positive correlation observed between the difficulty of the task and the rate of decline. This protocol has been validated using overfeeding, treatment with amphetamine (anorexic agent) and consumption of a high fiber diet.
A second protocol allows for the assessment of palatability, by measuring food preference. In this protocol, canines learn to associate different objects with different foods. Palatability is determined by the animal’s preference in responding to one (non-food) object over another, based on the learned food associations for the two objects.
More common measures such as food intake, body weight and body condition scores are also available, as well as other obesity-related measures (body fat, bone density, and total body mass) that can now be assessed through a non-invasive technique labeled DEXA (dual absorption x-ray spectrometry).
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