How to Tell If Your Dog is Overweight
Obesity isn’t just an epidemic among humans. It’s also a plague among pet dogs. In the US, more than 50% of the dogs are actually overweight. What’s worse is that almost half the owners of these chubby dogs don’t even know that their dog is overweight.
Here are some ways to tell if your dog is overweight:
Your dog looks like a sausage with legs.
A dog with the proper weight will have a well-defined chest, stomach, and waist.
You can’t feel their ribs.
There should only be a small layer of muscle and fat padding on the ribs. If you need to really push on a thick layer of fat to feel the ribs, your dog is overweight.
Your dog has trouble breathing.
This is a common symptom of obesity, so you need to watch if they pant a lot even if it’s not too hot at all. The same goes when they start having breathing difficulties after only walking a block.
They can’t seem to groom themselves.
If they’re not able to reach spots to scratch or groom themselves, then they may be carrying too much fat.
They can’t move around easily.
Unless they have another medical problem, a dog should be spry and move around with no problem. If they can’t even get up easily after lying down, then there’s a problem with obesity.
Digestive issues are common too. If they’re constipated or have gas, it may be another symptom of an obese dog.
If you notice any of these signs, check with your vet. They can confirm the obesity of your pet. And you may contact us, Got Poo, anytime for our great dog weight loss programs.
