A healthy weight starts with healthy habits A healthy weight is key to your dog’s general health and wellbeing. Over this and the next two editions of the magazine Dogs Queensland will publish simple ways to maintain that healthy weight and keep your dog in good shape, courtesy of Royal Canin. We continue with Weight Management – Healthy Shape (April) followed with Activity (May) and Growth (June).
Weight Management – Healthy Shape HEALTHY WEIGHT ISN’T ONLY MEASURED ON A SCALE Weighing your dog is not the only way to check if they’re overweight. You can find out if your dog is a healthy weight by asking your vet how to use the Body Conditioning Score.
WHAT’S A BODY CONDITION SCORE FOR DOGS? The body conditioning score is used by vets to help you check whether your dog is overweight or underweight. It focuses on the look and feel of your dog because checking their weight alone doesn’t give an indication of a healthy shape.
HOW TO TELL IF MY DOG IS OVERWEIGHT? It’s crucial to identify if your dog is carrying too much weight and take action, as an overweight dog has a higher risk of serious and life-changing conditions. This can include diabetes, cancer, osteoarthritis and more. A dog is classed as overweight when it is 15% to 20% over its ideal weight and is classed as obese when it is more than 30% over. It’s easy to underestimate how heavy your dog is though, so the best way to check if they’re gaining too much weight is a 3-step look-feel-weigh approach. 1.
Look at their behaviour and shape. Are they somewhat lethargic or get tired easily? Does their stomach sag or can you see their waist and the tuck of their abdomen behind their ribs?
2. Feel their ribs – can you only feel them with heavy pressure?
Your vet can show you how to use the dog body condition score chart. It’s also important to visit them regularly so they can help you monitor your dog’s shape over the long-term.
50
DOG WORLD April 2021
Image: Pixabay
The body conditioning score uses a 9-point system ranging from emaciated at 1 to severely obese at 9. The indicators used for scoring are your dog’s ribs, waist and abdomen, and a score of 5 is the ideal dog shape. This means a well-proportioned dog will have ribs that can be easily felt, a waist that can be seen from above and an abdomen that tucks up behind their rib cage when seen from the side.
