Fit or Fat: What's Your Pet’s Body Condition Score?

Filed Under: Pets Exclusives! Health Tips Dr. Patrick Mahaney

How can you tell if your dog or cat is too fat?

The scale only provides a number, which cannot reasonably give an accurate estimate of your pet’s health regarding their weight. Therefore, it is best to evaluate your pet’s body condition score (BCS).

The ideal BCS is 5 out of 9. The extreme obesity and a serious candidate for The Biggest Loser Pet Edition is 9 out of 9.

Place your hands onto your pet’s ribs. Can you feel the individual ribs and the spaces in between?

Stand your pet up onto all four feet and carefully observe them from above and from the side. Does your pet’s abdomen (“stomach”) stick out beyond their ribcage (from above view) or swing pendulously down towards the ground (from side view)?

If you have answered yes to any of the above then your pet is too fat and has a BCS between 6 and 9.

Pets carrying excessive weight are more likely to develop arthritis, cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, constipation, and other health problems.

Schedule an examination with your veterinarian to address your pet’s excessive BCS and establish a healthy weight loss plan.

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Tags: diabetes, disease, dog, facebook, health problems, obesity, pet, question, tips, vet, veterinarian

Posted: May 3, 2011 at 5:00 pm