By Dr. Rebecca MacMillan BVetMed BSAVA PGCertSAM MRCVS

In veterinary practices one of the most asked questions from pet owners is ‘how much should my dog weigh?’. It’s great that owners are asking this because we are currently seeing an obesity epidemic in our pets.

A recent report carried out by a leading UK pet charity states that vets believe 46% of dogs are either overweight or obese. Other studies suggest that figure may be even higher. Interestingly this is in stark contrast with many pet owners, many of whom believe their pet is at a normal healthy weight.

We’re going to explore the best ways to assess your pet’s weight, as well as some steps you can take to make sure they stay in the healthy range. 

How much should my dog weigh?

Dogs vary hugely in size and shape! Even dogs within the same breed have natural variation. So, it can be confusing to work out just how much your dog should weigh, especially if your dog is a crossbreed.

If you want an approximate idea of how much your dog should weigh then you could refer to these charts produced by The Association for Pet Obesity Prevention. However, breed averages only give you a rough guideline - individuals can be outside of these ranges and still be healthy. Combining our knowledge of approximate breed weights with body condition scoring is therefore essential.

Body condition scoring

One of the best ways to check whether your dog is the correct weight is by assessing their body condition. Veterinary professionals regularly body condition score their patients using resources produced by the World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA).

This is something that you can also do at home. You will need to look and feel your pet to assign them a score between 0 and 9, where 0 is emaciated and 9 is morbidly obese. The ideal dog should be a 4 or a 5, with easily felt ribs and a defined waist.

When scoring your pet, you need to get hands-on to feel their ribs and backbone and assess the amount of fat coverage. A healthy dog should have ribs that are very easy to feel, with only a thin fat layer. If you need to probe your fingers in to find them, then your pet is definitely overweight.

You should also see whether your dog has a visible waistline. This should appear as a tucked-up abdomen when viewed from the side, sweeping upwards towards the groin. They should also have a nipped in waist behind the rib cage when viewed from above. Pets that are overweight lose this defined waist. They may be straight-sided or even look rounded if they are obese.

It can take some practice to get body condition scoring right, so get your vet to check your scores at first.

Seeking veterinary advice

Regular vet checks will help to make sure your dog’s weight is healthy. As part of your pet’s routine vaccination (and any other visits in between!), your pet will be weighed. Your vet will make a note of this in their records, which allows them to identify whether your dog’s weight is stable or if there have been any recent changes.

Many vet practices also have weight clinics run by nurses or vets to have more detailed conversations about your dog’s weight and diet. This can be particularly helpful if you are starting a weight loss regime for your pet and need help with realistic targets and feeding amounts.

For a few top tips to go alongside this check, why not check out our advice on How to Help a Dog Lose Weight.

Problems with being overweight

There are many problems associated with being overweight including an increased risk of joint disease, cancer, diabetes mellitus and skin complaints. Being overweight could shorten your pet’s lifespan considerably.

For more detail on this check out Common Overweight Dog Problems

Staying in shape

There are several things you can do to keep your dog at a healthy body weight:

●     Familiarise yourself with body condition scoring and regularly weigh your pet, so you can spot any changes early on.

●     Make sure your pet is getting enough good-quality exercise.

●     Follow the feeding guidelines on your chosen dog food, weighing it out accurately each day. Cups and handfuls vary wildly, weighing is consistent.

●     Keep treats and titbits to a minimum, and reserve them for training exercises rather than giving them ad-lib. Alternatively, you could keep back some of your dog’s daily meal allowance to use as treats throughout the day, which stops you from adding extra calories.

●     Avoid giving table scraps and leftovers. Even seemingly small scraps can be very calorie-dense. As an example, a 10kg dog eating a 25g piece of cheese as a snack is the same as a human eating one and a half cheeseburgers.

●     Keep your dog mentally stimulated, as well as physically stimulated, through activities like agility, obedience, working trials and flyball.

Summary

Being proactive about your dog’s weight is key to keeping them fit and well. Regular monitoring through weight checks and body condition scoring is an essential part of ensuring your dog is a healthy weight. If you are still unclear how much your dog should weigh, or need advice on safe weight loss for dogs, then don’t hesitate to speak to your vet.

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