Most dogs are known to eat until the food is gone. This is a survival instinct, but also a bad habit that is hard to break. With an estimated 50% of all dogs being overweight or even obese, how can you identify weight issues in your dog and ensure your pet is at a healthy weight?
Since dogs come in a variety of shapes and sizes based on breed and other factors, it can be hard to tell if your dog is at a healthy weight. Most resources used to determine a dog’s weight are based solely on breed and can vary widely. For example, the average weight range for an adult Labrador Retriever is 55 to 80 pounds. We know that Labradors weighing more than 80 pounds are considered overweight, but what if your dog is a mixed breed? For pet owners who have mixed breed dogs, or have or are adopted rescue dogs and may not even know what the breed is, how can you tell if your dog is at a healthy weight?
One technique veterinarians use to identify weight problems in dogs is the body condition score, or BCS. Instead of using dog breeds as a guide to a healthy weight, BCS uses visual observations to assess a dog’s body condition and determine if they are underweight, overweight, or ideal weight.
Checking your pet’s BCS is something most pet owners can do at home on a regular basis to monitor their dog’s weight health. Finding a dog’s body condition score is based on how easy it is to feel your dog’s ribs, how large the animal’s waist and abdomen are, how much excess fat is under its skin, and how much muscle mass is present in the dog. An overweight dog will have a visibly sunken stomach, no visible waist, hard-to-feel ribs, and a flat, broad back. In contrast, underweight dogs have ribs, spine, and other skeletal features that are visible from a distance.
Just like their human counterparts use BMI to accurately determine weight, dogs with a higher BCS tend to be overweight, while dogs with a lower BCS are underweight and often malnourished.
If you determine that your dog is underweight, you will need to increase and monitor his eating habits. For many underweight dogs, it is less likely to be a problem that their owners do not give them enough food, as the dog is a particularly picky eater. If this is the case, finding a type of dog food they like to eat and monitoring their eating habits is key. For overweight dogs, the best solution is to slowly decrease their food intake while increasing their physical activity. Don’t abruptly cut your dog’s meals in half, but gradually reduce his food intake over time.
You can use these techniques to find your dog’s BCS and identify weight issues early on, however, if feeding issues persist or you think your dog may have another health condition, it’s always a good idea to take him to your dog. local vet.
