2024 veterinary news in review: #11

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The dvm360 editorial team is counting down our Top 20 news stories and articles of the year, from January 1, 2024, to November 15, 2024. Rank was determined by measurable audience interest and engagement.

A spotlight is shining on 1 article each day through New Year’s Eve, when the No. 1 dvm360 story of the year will be shared. The following article is No. 11 on this list:

Retrievers have a mutation that make them hungrier, study discovers

written Sydney Yankowicz

Originally published March 22, 2024

Retrievers are known for eating anything and everything and are always excited to eat. This trait even gets them in trouble of ingesting harmful objects that cannot be digested and need veterinary intervention. However, a new study published in the Science Advances journal found that a genetic mutation may actually be the cause of this excessive hunger.¹ Overall, the study found that 1 in 4 Labrador retrievers and 2 in 3 flat-coated retrievers (FCRs) have the genetic mutation. This excessive hunger could also contribute to the breeds’ rising obesity levels.

In Labrador retrievers, researchers identified a 14 bp deletion in pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC). The POMC mutation disrupts the production of β-MSH and β-Endorphin neuropeptides that are usually involved in switching off the feeling of hunger after eating a substantial meal.^1,2 So, dogs with the POMC mutation feel hungry even after eating enough. This research is not suggesting that these dogs are not eating enough, it’s more so that these dogs just feel hungry when they no longer should.

RELATED: 2024 veterinary news in review: #12

A similar study conducted in 2016 evaluated this same phenomenon, further confirming this genetic mutation’s prevalence.² Labrador retrievers tend to be more motivated by food and have a higher prevalence of obesity than other dog breeds. Eleanor Raffan, PhD, veterinary surgeon and geneticist at the University of Cambridge was an author on both studies. She said, “Whenever there’s something more common in one breed than another, we think genetics are involved.”²

The most recent study did further experiments and found that dogs with this mutation feel hungrier between meals and burn less energy than those without.¹ From there, researchers aimed to dive deeper into how this mutation can impact a dog’s overall health and quality of life.

For more on this story, view the full article here: https://www.dvm360.com/view/retrievers-have-a-mutation-that-makes-them-hungrier-study-discovers