I’m not a vet, and I don’t play one on TV. But I do work with cats, live with dogs and cats, and read and write a lot about animals.
One question that comes up over and over is this: “Is my pet overweight?” I get asked that at least once a week at the cats-only boarding facility.
And I worry about it for my own pets, too! My dog Lally regulates her eating well — she only eats when she’s hungry. If I left food out all the time, she probably wouldn’t gain a pound. My dog Moose, on the other hand, will eat any time food is available. We’ve been working on reducing his weight — he tipped the scales at more than a hundred pounds when we moved west, but now he’s down into nineties.
Between all the vets I’ve known — for my own pets, for family pets, and that I work with at the cats-only boarding facility — I’ve found two main ways of determining whether or not your pet is overweight.
One quick and easy one is to check the ribs. If you can feel your pet’s ribs easily, they’re probably at an okay weight. If you can’t feel the ribs, they’re probably overweight. My parents’ vet uses this as a benchmark — and my parents celebrated they day they could actually feel their dog Becca’s ribs again.
The other way to check is to look at your pet from above, as they’re standing. You should be able to see a defined waist. If you don’t see an indentation at the waist, they may be overweight. If your pet’s sides bow outwards instead of curving inwards, they are almost definitely overweight, possibly even obese.
A third method I’ve read about (but haven’t heard or seen at the vet’s office) is to look at your pet from the side. A pet at a healthy weight will have an upwards tuck at the abdomen. An overweight pet may have little or no tuck.
Purina has images and descriptions of underweight, normal, and overweight dogs and cats if you want to see how your pet measures up!
Not all weight problems are caused by food — some health issues can cause weight gain or loss. If your pet’s weight is a concern, talk to your veterinarian.