Is Your Dog Overweight? Use the Body Scale Chart to Find Out

For many people the only way to tell if their dog was overweight was to talk to their vet. You'd have to sit through the wait and see what your vet says. You'd have no idea if you should even worry about it or not to go to the vet in the first place.

Some dogs are definitely overweight. You can tell just by looking at them that they are overweight but a lot of others are overweight and you don't really know. Overweight dogs are at risk for canine diabetes and heart/joint conditions.

In my time as a dog handler for the army I've had a few chances to talk to the military veterinarians to get suggestions. The biggest suggestion I've had for canine health and weight was the Purina Body Condition System. They relied on this system to determine how overweight a dog was and prescribe diets from there.

I've obtained this chart and scanned it for your own use. Check the pictures and look at the descriptions. Not all of the numbers are depicted on the right so you may have to guesstimate but it will give you a good idea about the condition of your dog.

As you look at the chart below compare the images to your dog from the side and from above. Some dogs are naturally more sleek. If you're confused refer to the descriptions next to the numbers to the left. Your goal is to have your dog in the 4 or 5 score range. 

So what do you do if your dog is over or under weight? There are a few options depending on your situation. First, you can go to the vet and inform them of what you found. He/She can suggest options from there.

For those of you who want to save a little money, or who have confidence in their own ability to care for their dog, you can just adjust your dog's food amount. I can't begin to suggest guidelines without knowing where you're at. If your dog is at one extreme or the other then you'll either want to look at doubling or halving your dog's food or even more. If you're only trying to move a few scores up or down then try changing small amounts and monitoring their body score each week.

For any questions you can always seek out your veterinarian or search this site for others who are more experienced in a dog's food quantities. I hope this helps you manage your dog's health better.