Dog is Obese - How to Help

How do I know if my dog is obese and what can I do to help him lose weight?

You (hopefully) don’t feed him chips and beer, he goes for walks every day, and he eats way less than you. By that formula, your dog should be in fairly decent shape.

But is he? The nutritional and activity needs of dogs are far different from humans’, so that 20-minute walk each day probably won’t do much for a medium-sized or larger dog. You measure the food you put in his bowl, but is the food constantly available to him? Do you give him bits and pieces of your own food?
Does he counter surf or break into trash cans? Any and all of those food sources need to be taken into consideration. Much like their owners, more and more dogs worldwide are showing signs of obesity. Besides limiting their enjoyment of life as a dog, extra body weight can lead to joint and heart problems, shorter lives, and sometimes behavioral issues.
While some breeds are more prone to obesity than others, every dog can be at risk if fed incorrectly or not exercised often enough.

The easiest way to tell whether or not your dog is obese is to examine his body.

Try the following:

• Have him stand up, then stand above him. Does his body slope inward at the waist?
• Run your hands over his sides from front to back legs. Can you feel his ribs fairly easily?
• Feel the base of his tail. Are the bones easily detectable?
• Look at him from the side. Does his tummy slope upward as it gets closer to his tail?

If you answered no to any of the questions, your pup is probably overweight. If you answered “What waist/ribs/tail bones?” and “Upward? Really?,” your pup is probably obese.