Overweight Dogs: Symptoms, Health Risks & Treatment

Last Updated on June 22, 2023 by Amanda P. Brown

You can easily figure out if your dog is overweight by looking at its outer structures, touching its body and observing its activities. Many of us do not know the concept of overweight dogs and how adversely obesity affects their lives.

If you’re conscious about your doggy’s health and what to do with Overweight Dogs You can see the detailed answer below.

Let’s Figure Out Whether Your Dog is Overweight

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Come near your dog and stand in front of it. Look at it straight from the top so that you get a wide range. If you can see a nice taper shape around the abdominal side just a bit lower from the rib cages, then your doggie is in good shape. But if you see its structure is more of like an oval, then your dog could be a little heavier than it should be.

Some dogs genetically are more floppy and more chubby than others, so the first trick might not be hundred percent accurate for them. So you can try the other way around. That is to feel the rib cages. If your doggy’s rib cages are easily felt when touched, then it’s in the right shape. It should be noted that the rib cages will be felt under a thin layer of fat, not directly the cages.

If you cannot feel the rib cages, then your doggie has more fat than it should have. On the other hand, if the rib cages are clearly visible to you, then your dog is thinner than it should be.

To be double sure, you can try out a few more ways to figure out your dog’s overweight or not. Keep a watch on it when it walks. If you see a wider thigh or bigger hips, then you can be sure that your pooch is overweight.

Figure Out Your Dog’s Ideal Shape

Dogs have different body shapes according to their breeds. So it is illogical to use the same scale for all the breeds. That’s why scientific researchers have charted the most approximate suitable weight for dogs of all breeds.

Here is a chart to help you figure out your dog’s ideal weight:

Breed	Ideal Weight
Affenpinschers	3 – 4.5 kg
Afghan Hounds	22.5 – 27 kg
Airedale Terriers	22.5 – 32kg
Akitas	32 – 59kg
American English Coonhounds	20 – 30kg
Australian Cattle Dogs	16 – 22.5kg
American Eskimo Dog	3 – 4.5 kg (toy) 4.5 – 9 kg (miniature) 11 – 16 kg (standard)
American Hairless Terrier	5.5 – 7 kg
Australian Cattle Dog	16 – 23 kg
Australian Terrier	5.5 – 8 kg
Basset Hound	18 – 29.5 kg
Bearded Collie	20.5 – 25 kg
Beauceron	32 – 50 kg
Border Collie	14 – 25 kg
Berger Picard	23 – 32 kg

Overweight Dogs Health Risks

Your tubby chubby doggie is obviously too cute! And anyone would fall in love with it. But this obesity is trouble for it is such big trouble that it can even take away his life. It is inevitable for you to know what the threats are of overweight dogs.

Dogs that are obese face many fatal diseases. Some of the most dangerous are: canine orthopedic and arthritis, diabetes, high blood pressure, heart and skin problems, urinary bladder stone, liver and kidney syndromes, joint problems, difficulty in breathing, moving and even sleeping. And the list gets bigger with certain cancer like Mastocytoma, Lymphoma, Melanoma, Osteosarcoma and a few more.

All these are very painful for your little pooch. Even normal day-to-day life becomes tough for it. Hypertension heat intolerance adds discomfort to its life. And most terrible part of obesity is that it reduces 1-3 years longevity of your doggie. So there is no alternative to getting into shape and remain healthy.

Treatment

Reach Out to Your Dog

Once you figure out your dog is overweight and you know what problems it is facing and what are the threats of this obesity, the first thing you have to do is help it.

You can go to a veterinarian. You can take his help to give your dog a proper diet and workout schedule. Being overweight is equally harmful to dogs as for humans. So it is obviously important for them to have a proper diet and the right amount of exercise every day.

Before starting any diet course, you have to know how much calorie intake does your dog need. Accordingly, you can reduce his calorie intake to a small amount. Taking a few fewer calories every day will surely help him reduce his extra weight.

Also, redacting treats would prove a great help in this process. The right amount of time to exercise can go a long way to keep your dog healthy. A 1-2 hours walk, on average, would work like magic in a weight loss dog.

Low Fat Dog Food

Similarly, like humans, dogs also have growth age. 1-7 years is their growing age. When it is 7-years old, it’s considered an adult. Undoubtedly a dog needs enough food in the growth years, and the food must include a sufficient amount of protein, calcium and fat too. But after 7-years of age, its calorie intake has to be monitored.

Generally, obesity appears in dogs after the age of seven. Until then, they grow to gain the structure of an adult. So you may not measure the calorie intake of your dog till it hits seven, but after it’s an adult, it has to be brought under proper diet.

Dog food mainly contains protein and calcium. A large part of fat generally comes from the treats. So choosing treats that are low on fat would prove to be a great help. You can switch your doggie’s regular treats with carrots, pumpkin, baby carrots, green beans and peas, apple, boiled sweet potatoes, watermelon, broccoli, strawberries, bananas, avocado, cooked squash and many more.

Also, if you want to give diet food to your doggie, then you can easily find many diet food for dogs in stores, and also you can make healthy diet food for them at home.

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Do Fun Activities With Your Dog

All your dog needs are your attention. If you give them time and proper nurturing, then they’ll remain fit and overweight will not hit them ever. I am going to tell you some fun activities that you can perform with your dog to make both of your days! It’s necessary to keep your dog active to avoid the mental sickness which grows in its mind due to inactivity.

To keep it active, we can do many things which will not only help him to be active and well trained but also will help him to remain in shape. In order to make it active, you can play a few games with it. Or you can try training him.

For example, you can throw some seeds in an open field and untie his collar so that he can find those seeds. This will make his smell sensors more active and effective. In the morning, you can take him along for jogging in the fresh air. It will help his running skills and breath-holding skills stronger. In your lazy time, you can help him to follow simple commands like stand up, sit down, run faster etc. This will make a close affection between your mind and its mind.

On weekends you can take it for swimming that will help it make its mental and physical health balanced. Dogs are very fond of playing with a toy. You can throw a ball or a boomerang in a long-distance and ask your dog to fetch, and when it successfully brings the toy back, you can offer it some small treat for its excellence and obedience. You can listen to music with your dog. It is proven that music calms dogs’ minds. Sometimes do some little mischief and madness with your dog.

You can go hiking together, play some hide and seek. You can try hiding its food somewhere in the house, which is very easy to find. You must bring some changes in its daily routine and playtimes regularly so that it does not feel monotony about following the same process again and again. You can try sharing your sadness happiness with your dog. It will make you feel lighter and will give them a better understanding of your mental state; hence it will act according to your mental conditions.

Read More: Why Do Dogs Eat Grass Outdoors?

Final Verdict

Being overweight is as harmful to dogs as it is to humans. It is high time people start considering this topic. Your roly-poly pooch is undoubtedly loveable, but that cannot be the reason to overlook the fact that being overweight can even cost its life.

However, overweight dogs just need a persistent owner and a bit of extra effort from you to get back in shape. Just by paying closer attention to your doggie, you can help it lead a long and healthy life.

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