11/05/2020
I haven't posted in a while, but I'd like to take a moment to talk about one of the health issues I see the MOST in house call practice, which is overweight pets. Keeping your pet lean is honestly one of the most important things you can do to help lengthen their life and the comfort level of their life. Dogs (and cats) that are overweight are much more likely to suffer from arthritis, torn cruciate ligaments in their knees and overall wear and tear on their bodies. I have attached the Purina body condition score sheet to help you gauge how your dog is doing. There is a similar sheet available for kitties. A dog or cat in good body condition should have easily palpable ribs, this means you can feel each rib independently like the bones in the back of your hand with minimal fat covering them. They should also have a well defined waist when viewing them from the side or top. Our opinions of how dogs should look has changed over time, as overweight dogs have become the norm, we start to think healthy dogs are actually too skinny looking! Some dogs, like bulldogs, tend to have a more compact body, but the same rules still apply! If you can't easily feel ribs, your pup is too chubby. If your dog is severely overweight but you really feel they aren't getting that much food, occasionally low thyroid hormone can be to blame. Spring is right around the corner, lets work on those beach bodies and creating healthy, happy pets!