06/10/2024
A BIG ISSUE – Today our breed expert Carol Price revisits the subject of how you can identify and maintain a most healthy weight in your dog.
TOO FAT, TOO THIN OR JUST RIGHT?
How to know if your dog is the right weight
One of the more heartening sights for me on this page is the number of followers who send us pictures of their active, healthy BCs who are all of an ideal weight. For being the right weight will not only preserve your dog’s active life for so much longer, it will also spare them so many more unpleasant health issues in older age.
It is also vital for working or competition dogs to maintain the right weight to minimise the risk of injury or excess strain on the heart and joints.
Obesity in dogs, in general, is now becoming as massive a problem as it is in people. Similarly it makes them more vulnerable to so many other illnesses or conditions, ranging from diabetes and arthritis to heart problems and a number of cancers. And seeing as we totally control everything a dog eats, it is also completely avoidable.
WHAT IS AN IDEAL WEIGHT FOR YOUR DOG?
What your dog weighs, on the scales, is not always the best indication of how healthy or ‘right’ their weight is, as collies can come in so many different sizes and body builds. A far better guide can be seen in our illustration, where we look at these key things:
1. WAIST. Does your dog have an immediately obvious ‘waist’ when you look down on them from above? If so, this usually signifies a healthy weight. Similarly, when you run your hands LIGHTLY down their sides, you should EASILY feel their ribs underneath without pressing harder. If your dog looks ‘squarer’ from above, without a more obvious waist and you cannot easily feel their ribs for fat, or without having to press quite hard, the chances are they are pretty overweight. Your dog’s ribs, however, should not actually be sticking out, which could indicate they are UNDERWEIGHT instead.
2. THE ‘TUCK UP’. Dogs of an ideal weight should also have a pronounced ‘tuck up’ where their underbelly tapers up, at an angle, neatly into the groin area (again see illustration). If the underbelly sags down instead, or you cannot see this same slanted angle of ‘tuck up’ your dog is likely to be overweight (though do note some health conditions can also cause swelling of the belly in dogs – covered a bit later).
3. PELVIC BONES. If you put your hand on top of your dog’s ‘bottom’ or hip area, in dogs of ideal weight you should just feel the top of the pelvic bones under the skin. If you cannot easily feel them your dog may be overweight. If they are actually sticking out, your dog may be underweight.
In longer coated dogs you may need to rely more on ‘feel’ than sight to tell if they are the right weight, or look at them when wet. And if in any doubt you can also ask your vet for their opinion.
WHAT TO DO IF YOUR DOG IS OVERWEIGHT
If your dog is overweight, the most important thing to do is accept it. As too often owners tend to go into denial about it, instead, or say their dog “doesn’t eat that much” when the evidence right in front of them is that if this were true they would not have an overweight dog. Or they may say ‘the vet says my dog is fine’ when this may not actually be true, or the vet is struggling to be more honest with them, or may genuinely not be aware of what a healthy size or weight should actually be in a particular breed.
What they really mean is that they do not want to have to change what they are doing, and start giving their dog a lot less food and more exercise, and thus if they keep denyng their dog is overweight they do not have to do this. When I would argue that truly caring about a dog is always about putting their optimum health and best interests first, as opposed to your own need to keep doing what is most comfortable for you.
As many vets will be aware, the food or ‘weight’ issue in dogs can also sometimes be very emotionally complex for owners, as they may continually confuse the constant over-indulging of their dog with extra treats, snacks, leftovers etc. with ‘love’. However, it is worth remembering that dogs can get used to eating – or expecting – less food just as easily as they get used to eating more. So with overweight dogs, you just have to stick to a plan of more restricted food intake for them until the former happens, and not think they have to be fed every time they look at you or ‘seem hungry’. Giving them more exercise or stimulation of other kinds will also help stop them being more continually food
orientated.
STEADY GAINS
Weight usually creeps up steadily on dogs for the same reason it does on people – too many extra treats or snacks, as just mentioned, or portions of food that do not match your dog’s daily exercise levels. Some dogs are also more prone to weight gain than others. But the more overweight your dog gets, the more exercise becomes progressively harder work for them, and takes an ever greater toll on their heart and joints.
You should begin by cutting out all extra snacks, treats and food leftovers and then additionally cutting their daily food portions back by about a quarter to a third, so the reduction is less drastic. If you want to give them treats things like carrot sticks, or lower calorie treats made of fish skin, can be substituted. You want to aim for slow and steadier weight loss over time. Vets can also really help these days with weight loss plans and special diets if required.
WHAT TO DO IF YOUR DOG IS UNDERWEIGHT
People can be so used to seeing overweight dogs in society today – and thinking this ‘normal’ – that very often what they may think is an underweight dog is actually one of perfect weight. Again, if you are not sure check our illustration, or with your vet.
Collies who have been subjected to great trauma or stress – like rescue dogs – can lose weight very rapidly, as can dogs with more super-high metabolisms. Often when the stress element is removed from any dog’s life, their weight will return to normal. However some collies will always be harder to keep weight on than others, but it doesn’t necessarily mean they are not also healthy.
MORE RAPID WEIGHT GAIN OR LOSS
If your dog has suddenly gained or lost weight more rapidly, or over a shorter period of time, then a vet check up is strongly recommended. As conditions like Hypothyroidism or Cushing’s Disease can make dogs gain weight or give them a more ‘pot bellied’ appearance. Other conditions can lead to more dramatic weight loss, so it is always worth ruling these out first.
Generally, it is worth weighing your dog(s) more regularly, like every two or three months, to ensure they are maintaining a more stable, healthy weight. It will also give you a chance to act sooner, rather than later, if they need to lose or gain a bit more weight, or if their weight change is a first sign of something else not going right with their health.
Finally, if you had an overweight dog, and stuck to your goal of making them slimmer, you will not believe the difference it can make to their overall health and wellbeing. They may become so much more active and happy, and appear so much younger – and it can genuinely add years to their active lives. So if anyone among you has just gone through doing this for their dog, we salute you.
All text © Carol Price/Collieology 2024
