Obesity in dogs
Over half of dogs in the UK are overweight or obese. Is your dog a healthy weight or are they too heavy? Use our dog body condition chart to find out.
Why is it important to keep dogs a healthy weight?
Many dog owners nowadays are unaware that their pet is overweight or just how harmful this can be. With over 50% of dogs in the UK thought to be overweight or obese, being desensitised to obesity is a common issue for pet parents.
Unfortunately, excess weight can lead to a series of health issues for your dog including reduced lifespan, rheumatism, arthritis and diabetes.
How can I tell if my dog is overweight?
A body condition chart can help you to identify if your dog is overweight. Dogs who are an ideal weight have a visible waistline and you should be able to easily feel their ribs with a flat palm. If you have to press to feel the ribs then this means that there is a layer of fat covering them and your dog is likely overweight. This applies for ALL breeds and ALL ages.
What do I do if my dog is overweight?
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Pick the right dog food
All of our Burns diets aim to meet a dog’s needs and not exceed them. Diets with high protein and fat levels are often adding more calories to your dog’s diet than they can burn off and this is what leads to weight gain.
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Don't overfeed
Double check the feeding guidelines and ideally this amount should be weighed out rather than done by eye. Adult feeding amounts should be based on their ideal or target weight, not their current weight if they are overweight or obese.
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Monitor treats
Treats should only be given as part of training, and even this should be done in moderation. For many dogs, using some of their daily food allowance for training is enough. If you do need to give tastier treats for training, make sure to reduce their daily food allowance to compensate.
