Visually Inspect Your Dog For Weight Problems

obesity, weight - By Staff Writer on Wednesday, August 25, 2010 - 09:53

When visually inspecting your dog for potential weight problems you want to look at three things.  Their ribs, their waist from above and their stomach from the side.   Even if your dog is of a healthy weight now you should inspect him to get a good understanding of what his base line weight is.  Continue inspections periodically and you will notice any changes or problems before they are too big of a problem.

The Ribs
A healthy dog has ribs that are easy to feel even though a thin fat layer is present between the skin and the bones. The ribs of overweight dogs can barely be felt at all. Puppies have a lot of extra skin that they eventually grow into, but even in a puppy, the ribs should still be easy to feel.

The Waist
look down at your dog’s back while he’s standing, you should see an ‘hour glass figure’, meaning the chest area should be wider than the hip area if your dog has a normal body condition.  Overweight dogs appear like a barrel.

The Stomach
Look at your standing dog from the side, it should be obvious that his chest dips lower to the ground than his belly area. If your dog’s belly dips as low as his chest, giving the appearance of a barrel, he’s likely overweight.
 

Keep in mind breed features when inspecting your dog as some breeds are naturally larger while others like sight hounds are on the very thin side.   Once you inspect your dog you can grade them on the Nine Point Scale to determine how their body condition is.