Definition

• There are two main types of fat in dogs: subcutaneous, which is close to the skin, and visceral, which clings to internal organs like the liver and the heart.
  
  

Causes and Effects

• A high-fat diet and lack of exercise can lead to a buildup of visceral fat, which can contribute to heart disease and metabolism problems. It also leads to a resistance to insulin, which increases the risk of diabetes.
  
  

Similar Effects in Humans

• Visceral fat in dogs has very similar effects to visceral fat in humans. In fact, when scientists want to understand more about visceral fat, they often perform experiments on dogs.
  
  

Detection

• Visceral fat is harder to detect because it is deeper inside the body. A decrease in the level of C-reactive proteins indicates a problem, as do increases in triglycerides and cholesterol. Your veterinarian can run some tests to detect damaging levels of visceral fat in your dog.
  
  

Cutting Down on Visceral Fat

• Exercise and diet can reduce visceral fat.Dog image by Miron Kostiukov from Fotolia.com
  
  If your dog has a weight problem, cut down on the snacks you give out, feed your dog less, and feed it with a lower-fat food. Supplement the diet with vegetables like carrots, preferably fresh from the garden. Also, giving your dog more exercise and play time will reduce its risk of obesity.