Is my dog fat? How can you tell?

When viewed from above, your pet's back should show some gentle curves: a gentle dip after the ribs (waist area), a gradual slope to the base of the tail. When viewed from the side, you should see a "tucked up" area just before the hind legs (not a flat line along the base of the belly).

Your pet may have a coat that prevents easy viewing, but gently running your hands along the top outline of your pet should reveal these natural curves.

BCS (body condition score) is a way to visually evaluate your dog’s body composition and rate it on a numerical scale. There are two scales that can be used - one that rates dogs from 1 to 5 and one that rates dogs from 1 to 9. To score your dog’s body condition, you need to perform a visual examination of the dog from the side and from above, as well as palpate the dog’s ribs and waist. When you look at your dog from above, you should be able to see a clear waist. If you place your hands so that your thumbs are near the spine and your fingers are behind your dog’s last rib, you should easily see that the waist is thinner than the ribs and goes out slightly at the pelvis.

You can adjust your pups weight by increasing or decreasing food portions, adjusting exercise

A healthy dog should have; 1. A visible waistline 2. Ribs and spine are felt under the skin. 3. When you look from above you should be able to see the waist line as well.

If you dog is overweight they will lack a waistline from the side view and or above, you will not be able to feel the spine or ribs. If your dog is overweight, try reading and following the food suggestions on his dog food, its common to overfeed because we feel like the mount they should eat is too little. If you are feeding the right amount, try cutting that portion a bit and exercising more.