Is my dog fat or just thick

By Isabella Storyclaire

last updated November 20, 2024

Contributions sourced from

How to Tell If Your Dog Is in Shape Or Overweight

If your pooch is looking a bit more pudgy than usual, its actually quite common. The battle of the bulge isnt just something people face so do pets. In fact, according to a 2018 survey conducted by the Association for Pet Obesity Prevention,55.8 percent of dogs in the United Statesare overweight or obese. And that extra weight can cause a lot ofhealth issues for your dog, includingcanine diabetes, heart problems, and painful arthritis.

Wondering how to tell if your dog is fat or overweight and needs to lose a few pounds? Read on to examine the signs you can look for to determine whether or not your dog is fat and how you can get your pup into shape to stay healthy and happy for years to come.

Check Your Dogs Body Shape

One of the simplest ways todetermine if your dog is fatis to look at the body shape. Looking at your dog from above, if you notice that the pup looks rather rotund and oval-shaped, its likely that your dog is fat. If, on the other hand, you notice that your dog has a defined waist toward the rear and a straight build down the sides, then theyre probably at a healthy weight.

Feel for Your Dogs Ribs

The feel and prominence of your dogs ribs are a major indicator of weight issues, says Dr. Sara Ochoa, DVM, a veterinary advisor forDogLaband practitioner atWhitehouse Veterinary Animal Hospitalin Whitehouse, Texas. If your dogs ribs arent extremely prominent and you can easily feel them without having to press hard, then the dog is fit, she says. For overweight dogs, its very difficult to feel their ribs because there is too much fat in the way.

Look at Your Dog From the Side

Asagging waistor swinging stomach is another tell-tale sign of a fat dog. When viewing your dog from the side, look for a waist that is slightly raised rather than simply hanging down and oval-shaped. A dogs abdomen should not be the same level as the chest and should be tucked up, says Dr. Ochoa.

Check Your Dog for Fat Pads

Excess fat on your dogs body is also a major indicator of being overweight. Some animals will have fat sacks between their legs that will waddle when they walk, says Dr. Ochoa. She also recommends inspecting your dogs hips during petting sessions. Overweight dogs will have fat pads on the top of their hips.

Examine Your Dogs Behavior

Overweight and obese dogs are typically inactive and spend a lot of time scarfing down their food. If you notice that your dog has become a couch potato, has trouble walking, exhibits trouble breathing when walking, and generally appears to have trouble moving about, they might be fat. Also, if youfree-choice feed your dogthroughout the day, this can encourage obesity.

Weigh Your Dog

The best way to tell if your dog is overweight or obese is with a weigh-in at your veterinarian. Your vet can then tell you whether your dog is overweight according to yourdogs size and breed. Remember that a healthy weight will look different for every breed. For example, most sighthounds should have visible ribs.

They will also examine your dogs body and compare it to abody condition score chart, which ranks a dogs body type by shape. Typically, scores range from one to nine, with one being very underweight and nine being extremely overweight. The target body condition usually lies in between, around four to five.

Consider the Health Effects of Being Overweight

While having a portly pup may seem adorable, those extra pounds can pack quite the punch when it comes todogs developing obesity-related health issues. Overweight dogs can develop a number of serious health conditions, including:

Diabetes.
Skin problems.
Heart problems.
Joint problems.
Kidney disease.
Canine arthritis.
Certain cancers.
Liver problems.
Mobility issues.
Breathing problems.
High blood pressure.

Carrying extra weight is especially hard onbreeds like dachshundsbecause they can develop back problems andchubby brachycephalic dog breedsmay experience trouble breathing. Large dog breeds may even developcanine orthopedic issues, especially when theyre still growing, if they become overweight.

Canine obesity-related health issuescan cause long-term problems for dogs and can shave years off your pups life. Fortunately, by losing weight, your pooch can avoid or even reverse many of these conditions.

Develop a Dog Weight Loss Plan

If your veterinarian determines that your dog is overweight, youll have to start a weight-loss plan. The two things to target are reducing calorie intake and increasing the amount of time youexercise your dog.

Encourage yourdog to exerciseby going on 10 to 15 minute walks each day to start, recommends Dr. Ochoa. Gradually increase the amount of time you spend walking your dog per day and the briskness of the walks toup to 2 hours total each day, depending on your dogs breed and age, according to the Peoples Dispensary for Sick Animals. Most importantly, make the walks fun by praising your dog for being active and rewarding your pup with lots of attention. You can also sign your pooch up for acanine agility class as part of an exercise routine.

If agility isnt the right fit for your dog, there are many other AKC Sports that can provide fun and exercise for you and your pup.

With the help of your veterinarian, develop a calorie and portion-control weight loss plan for your dog. Just decreasing the amount of food your dog eats per day by about 10 percent will help your pet lose weight, says Dr. Ochoa. Your vet can also recommend a high-fiber, lower-calorie food for your pup that will keep them feeling fuller for longer.

Once you know just how much to feed your dog each day, divide your pups meals into a morning and evening portion. This way, your dog wont become hungry later in the day.

Most importantly, keep treats to a minimum, says Dr. Ochoa. Treats and cookies have added calories. By decreasing the amount of treats given or totally eliminating them from their diet will help your dog lose weight, she recommends. You can also supplement your dogs diet with healthy, low-calorie snacks like steamed or rawvegetables that are safe for dogslike celery, carrots, green beans, broccoli, and cucumbers.

Is My Dachshund Overweight 5 Ways To Figure Out If Your Dog Is Too Fat

Last Updated on September 7, 2022 by Maria

Doxies are adorable little wieners but they can put on weight somewhat easily. So, is my dachshund overweight here are 5 ways to figure out if your dog is too fat. If youre wondering, well also touch on why obesity is such a problem for dachshunds more so than it is for other dogs, whether this should be a factor in your decision to get a Doxie, and what you can do to keep your pet healthy and fit.

Is My Dachshund Overweight and Why Is That A Problem?

If youre a bit too liberal with the dog treats but you dont exercise your dog enough, chances are that your dog is overweight, yes. And as adorable as a little pudgy Doxie can be, it should go without saying that raising an overweight dachshund is not good. Not only can this lead to all the standard health problems stemming from obesity such as diabetes, cancer, hypertension, and heart problems, but it also drastically increases the risk of back problems such as the dreaded Intervertebral Disc Disorder (IVDD).

So, what can you do? The first step is to answer the Is my dachshund overweight? question and figure out exactly how far has the problem gotten.

5 Ways To Determine Is My Dachshund Overweight

Fortunately, determining whether your pet is overweight or not is quite easier than it might seem. And, yes, most of the ways to do that is to just look at your dogs body. But lets go into a bit more detail:

Look at the numbers. The first thing to do would be to just place your dog on the scales. Fortunately, Doxies arent that big, so its fairly easy to just get them on some standard floor scales for a few seconds. If your pet is too restless, something else you can do is first measure yourself, then pick up your dachshund and measure your combined weight. From there, its just a matter of substrating one number from the other.Once you have your dogs weight, compare it with the expected weight for standard dachshunds which is 16 to 32 pounds (7.3 to 14.5 kg). Yes, this is a pretty wide margin which is why you should also measure your dogs upright height at the shoulder back length and compare those to the standards too. A standard dachshund is expected to be between 8 and 9 inches tall (20 and 23 cm) and 15 to 19 inches long (38 to 48 cm). So, if your dachshund is moderately long and tall (say, 8 inches tall and 42 inches long) but is 32 pounds heavy, its overweight.
Feel the ribs. Another thing to try is to just feel your dogs rib cage. The ribs shouldnt be visible to the naked eye under the skin as thatd mean your dog is underweight. However, they should be easy to feel with your fingers. If not your dog is overweight.
The eye test. Simply look at your dog from above are its two sides parallel? If not and your dogs body looks more like an oval, then you have an overweight Doxie.
Look for visible fat. Another eye test is to just look for visible fat under the skin. Look especially around the shoulders and on the lower back, behind the tail there should be no excess fat there. The guys at schlsseldienst Bremen are very fond of dogs and advise you to take your pet seriously.

Learn more about:The Best Food For Dachshund Weight Loss

Wheres the skip in the step? Or, you can just look at your dogs movement. A healthy and fit dachshund should move around with a skip in its step, even if its an adult or a senior. If your dog doesnt hop around and has trouble jogging even lightly, its time for a diet.

What Should You Do If Your Dog Is Overweight?

Weight loss is a long and extensive subject but the gist of it is very simple switch to a more low-fat diet thats still high in nutritional value, then start incorporating more physical exercise into your dogs daily life. Add some regular vet visits just to be safe and you should be able to get your dog back into shape pretty quickly.

FAQs

What is a good diet for a Dachshund?

Dachshunds are predisposed to getting overweight so that means that you should avoid overly fat diets. However, that doesnt mean that a dachshund should always be on a diet with the lowest possible fat content. Rather, it means that you should take a more holistic approach and incorporate more exercise and an overall more lively lifestyle for your dog.Remember, dachshunds are hounds. They were bred to be food-motivated, thats true, but they were also bred to be physically active. So, even if you give your dachshund a standard canine diet and not something overly low-fat, as long as your dog is physically active enough, it should remain fit and healthy. If your dog already has some health issues and predispositions, then you should talk about those with your vet.As for other aspects of your dachshunds foods nutritional value Doxies can thrive on a standard high-quality and high-nutrition diet. The only thing you might want to consider prioritizing is extra calcium and extra phosphorous which are useful for your dogs back and joints.

Why is my Dachshund always hungry?

Because its a scenthound its in the dachshunds nature to always be looking for food. Its quite literally its job to do so. This sits in contrast to other breeds such as shepherds or gun dogs whove been trained to work with people and even help hunting but not be the ones actively chasing, engaging, and taking down the prey. That was the dachshunds job on the field and it has left the breed with a powerful nose and a strong urge to bite into anything that smells edible.

What percentage of Dachshunds are overweight?

Such statistics are unfortunately impossible to make as we dont have data about every dachshund in the world. We do know from observation that dachshunds are more predisposed to becoming overweight than most other breeds and that many dachshunds fall into the trap of this predisposition.Fortunately, we dont need to know the exact percentage because dachshund obesity isnt an inescapable condition instead, its easily preventable with the right care.

How can I get my Dachshund to lose weight?

The same way you would a human change your dogs diet to something more slimming but nutritious, add more exercise and playtime in your dogs daily routine, and visit your vet regularly to keep an eye for any underlying health issues.

Jordan is an animallover who specializes in dachshunds. He has owned and cared for dachshunds since he was a child, and his passion for these unique dogs has only grown with time. Jordan is an avid researcher and learner, and spends a large portion of his free time studying the history, behaviour, and health of dachshunds. He has a knack for training and socializing his own dogs, and loves introducing them to new experiences. When not caring for his own pets, Jordan likes to volunteer at local animal rescue shelters, helping to find homes for abandoned dachshunds. He is a true animal advocate, and dedicates his time to ensure that all animals receive the love, respect, and care they deserve.