How to Determine if Your Dog Is Overweight

Obesity in a dog can lead to health problems'and can itself be a sign of a serious medical condition. Monitor the weight of your pooch with this simple test.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Dog Dishes
• Dog Toys
• Reduced-calorie Dog Food
• Scales
• Veterinarian

1. Check that your dog's ribs are not visually noticeable but are easily felt. This indicates that your dog is at a desirable weight.

2. Look at your dog from above. Some indentation behind the rib cage, depicting an hourglass shape, indicates that your pet is at a desirable weight.

3. Feel your dog's hips. Anything more than light fleshiness indicates that your dog is above normal weight.

4. Check your dog for a trim abdomen.

Tips & Warnings

• Regular exercise helps reduce weight. See related eHows.
• A healthy dog's weight at 1 year of age often reflects his optimal body weight, though this is not true of dogs that are obese at 1 year. Your veterinarian can also provide guidelines on the proper weight for your dog.

Who Can Help Sponsored

[MacDonald]

on 12/31/2008 Actually in many dogs, you SHOULD be able to see the ribs. With most, if you can't see ribs at all, in any position, the dog is overweight.

[Oreoroller]

on 8/30/2007 I juice carrots and every morning our two minature longhaired Dachshunds are waiting for me to give them their usual 2 or 3 pieces of carrots which they love and also cleans their teeth.Our female "Gracie" is a "red piebald" and our male "Barney" is a chocolate dapple"

on 11/22/2005 Feed your dog one scrambled egg a week for a lusterous shine to their coat.

on 11/22/2005 I add two tablespoons of plain non-fat yogurt to my dogs' dry food. It makes their coat look great.

on 11/22/2005 I feed my labs baby carrots instead of dog biscuits because my dogs love them and the carrots get rid of plaque and are good for them.