Most dogs are known to eat until all their food is gone. This is a survival instinct, but also a bad habit that is difficult to control. Given that an estimated 50% of all dogs are overweight or even obese, how can you identify weight issues with your dog and ensure that 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 difficult to tell if your dog is at a healthy weight. Most of the 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 labs over 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 identify 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. Rather than using dog breeds as a guide to a healthy weight, BCS uses visual observations to assess a dog’s body condition and determine whether he is underweight, overweight, or at an ideal weight.

Checking your pet’s BCS is something that most pet owners can do at home on a regular basis to monitor the health of their dog’s weight. Finding a dog’s body condition score is based on how easy it is to feel your dog’s ribs, the size of the animal’s waist and abdomen, the amount of excess fat under its skin, and the amount of muscle mass present in the dog. An overweight dog will have a visibly flabby 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.
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 undernourished.

If you determine that your dog is underweight, you will need to increase and control his eating habits. For many underweight dogs, their owners are less likely to not give them enough food, as the dog is particularly fussy about food. If this is the case, it is essential to find a type of dog food that they like to eat and to control their eating habits. For overweight dogs, the best solution is to slowly decrease their food intake and increase their physical activity. Don’t abruptly cut your dog’s meals in half, 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 eating problems persist or you think your dog may have another health condition, it is always a good idea to take your dog. to your local vet.