Do you think your dog might be overweight? Did your vet tell you your dog was overweight? Is your dog’s collar or harness getting too tight? If you answered “yes” to any of these questions then you need to figure out what your dog’s ideal weight is and how to get your dog to his ideal weight.
When your dog is at an ideal weight then when you view your dog’s shape from above, your dog will have an almost hour glass figure. That is, you’ll be able to see that the area around your dog’s ribs is wider than his waist which will be indented a little bit and then curve back out at your dog’s hips. An overweight dog won’t have this hourglass definition with the indentation at his waist. Iams pet food has a chart on their website with illustrations to visually assess your dog’s ideal weight.
Another way to determine if your dog’s weight is your dog’s ideal weight is to feel his ribs. You should not be able to see a dog’s ribs but you should be able to feel them a little bit. If there is too much fat on your dog then you won’t be able to feel the dog’s ribs at all.
Determining if your dog is at his ideal weight by sight and touch comes in handy especially for large dogs. If your dog is small, then you can use your scale. Step on your scale to get your weight at that moment and then pick up your dog and weigh yourself again while holding your dog. Then subtract your weight number from the number the scale read when you weighed yourself with your dog. You’ll be subtracting the smaller number from the larger number. The difference will be the weight of your dog.
If your dog is over his ideal weight, then you need to help him lose weight. Overweight dogs run into similar health problems that overweight people run into such as diabetes. There are many “diet” dog foods available, but many dogs are not overweight because of their dog food alone. Many dogs are overweight because they take in more calories than they burn. Dog treats are not without calories and if you give your dog a lot of treats then you’re adding extra calories to your dog’s diet which can contribute to your dog’s weight problem or obesity. And if you’re giving your dog a lot of table scraps you have to keep in mind that table scraps have calories as well. The best course of action to get your dog to his ideal weight is to speak with your vet to determine how much you should be feeding your dog while taking into consideration how many treats and table scraps you give your dog.
