Maintaining a healthy weight for your dog Factsheet
Why is it important for your dog to maintain an ideal body weight?
Being overweight seriously impairs your dog’s quality of life as well as their life expectancy. Dogs with an above healthy bodyweight are at greater risk of developing several debilitating diseases and it may shorten their lifespan for up to two years compared with healthy weight dogs.
What is an ideal body weight?
An ideal body weight is one which is appropriate for your dog’s breed, age and body frame (size). Each dog will have their own ideal body weight and maintaining this weight is important for overall health. Regular body weight recording on a weighing scale is a very sensitive method of monitoring weight change over time. Measuring body weight has the advantages of being quick, easy, repeatable, and objective, but it cannot be used alone to assess body composition as it does not distinguish different tissue types, for example, fat from muscle.
Body condition scoring, in addition to body weight measurement, is a quick method that considers your pet’s shape and any layers of fat over their contours, to give you an idea of whether they are under, at ideal, or overweight (Body Condition Score(BCS), WSAVA). The method is shown below. Using the Body Condition Scoring system takes practice, and it is therefore advised to consult your veterinarian for guidance and for their assessment too.
Body Condition Scoring System
- Optimal body weight (BCS 4-5/9): Your dog is at ideal body weight, maintain this condition. Seek your veterinarian’s advice.
- Underweight (below BCS 4/9): Your dog is underweight and needs your help to gain some weight to ensure optimal health. Seek your vet´s advice.
- Overweight (BCS 6-7/9): Your dog is overweight, and this affects their quality of life. Your dog needs to lose weight to get back to optimal health. Seek your veterinarian’s advice.
- Obese (BCS 8-9/9): Your dog is seriously overweight and has an impaired quality of life. Your dog needs to lose weight to get back to optimal health. Seek your veterinarian’s advice.
Monitor your dog’s body condition and body weight regularly
Start to assess your dog’s body condition early in your dog’s life, even during growth. Seeing your dog every day can impair your perception, which makes detecting over or underweight challenging. This underscores the importance of regularly monitoring your dog’s weight using a scale as well as body condition scoring. It is much easier to help your dog maintain a lifelong ideal weight, if the feeding amount is adjusted based on minor weight changes, compared with having to undergo a full weight loss program when your dog becomes visually overweight (BCS 6/9 or above).
Be particularly careful with puppies. Overfeeding puppies may result in fast growth, putting them at risk of growth disturbances as well as being overweight for life. You can monitor their growth rate using growth charts, available from your veterinarian.
Risk factors for overweight in dogs
Risk factors affecting the number of calories your cat needs per day:
Sex – female dogs have a higher risk of obesity compared with entire male dogs. Neutered males have a similarly increased risk.
Neutering – when a dog is neutered, the production of the hormones oestrogen and testosterone decreases. A main reason why neutering (or decrease hormones) increases the risk of overweight is that it can affect the dog’s ability to feel full and they may eat more.
Age – Increasing age may reduce your dog’s mobility and activity level and diet adjustments may be necessary to avoid weight gain.
Inactivity – Inactivity decreases your dog’s energy needs. Exercise your dog daily.
Post weight loss – Dogs that have been overweight in the past are prone to becoming overweight again, so care should be taken with feeding amounts. Keep a close eye to prevent weight creeping back on.
Risk factors affecting how much your dog eats:
Breed and individuals – dogs of some breeds, such as Labrador retrievers, may be more prone to weight gain either because they are very food motivated or are less inclined to exercise.
Diet choice – Dogs might eat too much energy if the chosen diet does not provide adequate satiety therefore it is important to choose a diet with the calorie content adjusted to the dog’s life-stage (e.g., puppy or senior) and lifestyle (e.g., activity level). “Light” diets and veterinary weight loss diets have a lower calorie content compared to regular diets, but have increased nutrients to ensure that your dog still gets adequate nutrition, despite a lower calorie intake. The increased fibre and protein content found in these types of food can help with fullness, and meal sizes can be bigger. However, if kibbles are too small, dogs might eat too quickly, consuming too much energy before satiety signals have time to take effect.
Your veterinarian or dog nutritionist can help you choose an appropriate diet for your dog.
Feeding management – Dogs are typically not good at regulating their food intake when fed ad libitum (free availability of food) and it is not recommended for the obese prone dogs. Twice-daily feeding may help protect against weight gain compared with once a day feeding.
Furthermore, measuring the feeding amount with a scoop or cup is imprecise and it may be tempting to top a little bit extra when reaching the allocated mark. Weighing the food provides a more precise feeding amount.
Feeding enrichment – feeding enrichment provides physical and mental stimulation for the dog and it increases the time spent on ingesting the food, possibly improving satiation. Feed dry food or treats in puzzles, smear wet food to increase licking time, play hide and seek or other games that activates your dog and strengthens your bond with your dog.
Treats and chews – Giving treats is an integral part of training activities and supports bonding with your dog. Chewing is a natural behaviour for dogs and supports their wellbeing. However, it is important to keep in mind that most treats and chews provide your dog with additional calories, just like human snacks. Therefore, treats and chews should never comprise more than 10% of your dog’s daily energy needs.
Table scraps – Feeding table scraps is another source for additional calories. It can stimulate begging behaviour that may be hard to ignore. Calories from table scraps must be included in the 10% allowance mentioned above. Ensure table scraps are not toxic for dogs or likely to cause tummy upset.
How to avoid unwanted weight gain in your dog
It is very important to avoid weight gain because it is much easier to gain weight than to lose it
- Monitor your dog’s weight and body condition score – weigh on scales whenever possible, preferably monthly, and adjust your feeding practices accordingly.
- Feed an appropriate life-stage diet, so that the calorie content is adapted to your dog’s age. Puppies need more calories for their growth while senior dogs may need fewer calories.
- Reduce your dog’s feeding amount following neutering.
- Keep your dog in good physical condition – plan exercise and physical activities adjusted to your dog’s individual ability for at least ½ hour per day
- Adjust your dog’s diet according to activity level – if your dog’s mobility decreases, you should cut down the feeding amount.
- Measure your dog’s feeding amount on a scale – there is a greater risk of overfeeding when using cups or other volume estimates.
- The total daily number of treats, chews and table scraps should never amount to more than 10% of your dog’s daily calorie need, and make sure to decrease the amount of their main meal accordingly.
- Carefully follow the feeding instructions when changing to a new food and monitor your dog’s weight and body condition score following the transition.
- A wet diet or soaking the dry diet may improve satiety in some dogs.
What weight of food contains 10 kilocalories (kcal) (which equals 42 KJ)?
Use the chart below for selected treats and foods
How much energy is 10% of overall daily energy for different weights of dogs in ideal body condition ?
Use this simple chart
How to obtain a healthy weight if my dog is overweight
If your dog is already overweight (BCS 6/9 or above), you can help them by engaging in a weight loss program and your veterinarian can guide you on how to plan and manage this successfully. The closer to the healthy weight when you start, the easier it is. Because daily calories will have to be significantly decreased, your dog will have to be switched to a balanced weight loss diet, where the nutrient content is increased to accommodate the lower calorie intake. Furthermore, these diets often contain increased protein and/or fibre, which helps them feel full, despite the lower calorie content.
Further Reading:
Banton, S., von Massow, M., Pezzali, J. G., Verbrugghe, A., & Shoveller, A. K. (2022). Jog with your dog: Dog owner exercise routines predict dog exercise routines and perception of ideal body weight. Plos one, 17(8), e0272299. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0272299
Chandler, M. (2018). New thoughts about obesity. Companion Animal, 23(12), 686-695. https://doi.org/10.12968/coan.2018.23.12.686
Chiang, C. F., Villaverde, C., Chang, W. C., Fascetti, A. J., & Larsen, J. A. (2022). Prevalence, risk factors, and disease associations of overweight and obesity in dogs that visited the veterinary medical teaching hospital at the University of California, Davis from January 2006 to December 2015. Topics in companion animal medicine, 48, 100640.
De Godoy, M. R. C., & Swanson, K. S. (2013). Companion animals symposium: nutrigenomics: using gene expression and molecular biology data to understand pet obesity. Journal of animal science, 91(6), 2949-2964. https://doi.org/10.2527/jas.2012-5860
German, A. J. (2006). The growing problem of obesity in dogs and cats. The Journal of nutrition, 136(7), 1940S-1946S. https://doi.org/10.1093/jn/136.7.1940S
Kealy, RD, Lawler, DF, Ballam, JM, Mantz, SL, Biery, DN, Greeley, EH, Lust, G, Segre, M, Smith, GK & Stowe, HD (2002) Effects of diet restriction on life span and age-related changes in dogs. J Am Vet Med Assoc 220, 1315–1320.
Richardson DC, Zentek J. Nutrition and Osteochondrosis. Vet Clin North Am Small Anim Pract. 1998; 28:(1)115-135 https://doi.org/10.1016/S0195-5616(98)50008-3
Uribe, J. H., Vitger, A. D., Ritz, C., Fredholm, M., Bjørnvad, C. R., & Cirera, S. (2016). Physical training and weight loss in dogs lead to transcriptional changes in genes involved in the glucose-transport pathway in muscle and adipose tissues. The Veterinary Journal, 208, 22-27. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tvjl.2015.11.002
Zoran, D. L. (2010). Obesity in dogs and cats: a metabolic and endocrine disorder. Veterinary Clinics: Small Animal Practice, 40(2), 221-239. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cvsm.2009.10.009
German AJ. Weight management in obese pets: the tailoring concept and how it can improve results. Acta Vet Scand 2016; 58: 3–9.
Baldwin K, Freeman LM, Grabow M, et al. AAHA Nutritional Assessment Guidelines for Dogs and Cats. Special Report. J Feline Med Surg 2010; 46: 285–296.
