does my dog look overweight ?

[thefootofourstairs]

just interested to see what people think , the vet descibed him as 'portly' and said i ought to watch his weight .

Yup - he has no defined waist

Yes, he looks considerably overweight

I would agree. So many people let their pets get overweight it can be hard to know how they should look. I certainly think it's worth keeping an eye on his weight, has it been creeping up?

Looks a bit more than portly to me. Think the vet was being diplomatic. The vet should also have told you what weight he should be and whether it is longer walk and less food he needs.
Very cute dog X

Yes I'd say that he's considerably overweight as he has no waist definition. I'd get a lower calorie food, no treats and gently increase the exercise. He's incredibly clean .

Yep, he's overweight. Dogs should tuck up at the waist and you should be able to feel their ribs (under a thin layer of fat).

I think a lot of people don't know that though. I've recently spotted lots of people claiming a dog that is shaped like a dog should be is 'underweight' or skinny. Actually, they were healthy!

Yes. Agree with everyone else he should have a waist and a proper tuck up. Ribs should be easily felt but not visible. Also have to agree with triptrap most people don't seem to realise this and lots of dogs you'll see out and about are fat to obese, despite most people thinking they are "normal" weight. My boy is a Cavalier and despite knowing loads of others I've only met one that was just about ok weight/bordering on being fat. All the others are obese.

More walking (off lead or on a longline preferably), playing and watch his food.

Yes definitely overweight, his body should taper off thinly towards his hips and hind legs

Thankyou . I've only had him a couple of months , he weighs 7.5 kg . I'm not sure how much food he was having previously but he hasn't changed in weight at all during the time i have had him .

He is being fed on barking heads dry food , so , looking at the bag i have given him less than what it says even for a 5 kg dog , which i am guessing would be a more reasonable weight for him.
It says 70 grams and i've given him 60 grams but as i say , no change in weight in the last 6-8 weeks .

He's lovely! If you take second pic, or stand over him and look down, he should have a "peanut shell shape" from above ie go in at the waist. Remember to include all treats in overall food count and up the exercise a bit.

Just watch the tit bits. The calories REALLY add up. Saw an interesting programme once ( you can probably google it, stating the equivalent in human terms, for the tiny little treats we give our pets)

How does his dry food intake compare to what you feed yours ? 60 grams seems a small amount in his bowl ( i give him 30 grams x 2 ) and he eats it like he's starving !

The only treats he gets are homemade , just tuna and mackeral baked with a bit of flour. I make a batch from 2 tins of tuna and one mackeral and it lasts a week .
He walks for an hour a day . more when the weather is drier .

He looks very overweight sorry!

For a good quality food, and a small dog, it will look a tiny amount but if he's still that size, it's obviously too much.

I'd up his exercise to 2 hours a day and reduce food a bit more. No treats (or use his food allowance) and consider feeding in a long or similar as stops them wolfing it down. He looks at least 2kg over weight, sorry!

Ps - That amount of treats sounds loads for a dog that size.

I'd look at the Barking Heads - think they do a "fat dog slim" one which is lower in calories, or the "golden years" one would be lower too. For treats, I'd go for carrot or cucumber rather than biscuits.

Yes.

appears to have a slight waist when sitting does that count ?

janeyre i'll try the fat dog slim .

If his weight staying the same on what he's getting you just need to cut back a bit and he should start to lose weight.

I would drop the treats and use just his food allowance. His food allowance will look small, particularly if it's a quality food. Little dogs only need a bit and are often good at pretending they are still starving. If you don't like how small it looks in his bowl or feel he wolf's it down too quickly, then you could start scatter feeding and using treat dispensers to make it take longer to eat (also good for him mentally to have to 'work' for it).

There are quite a few good guides on the web that show how they should look from above and from the side and yes he looks overweight.

appears to have a slight waist when sitting

That could apply to me

Yes he's a tubster, but super cute.

He's lovely, but he is fat sorry OP.

Cut down his food and up his excersise and it should come off easily.

He's lovely but definitely overweight.
No vet would say a dog was portly if it wasn't true. Obesity in dogs leads to so many health risks. There's some information on body condition scores for dogs and cats on Royal Canin's website. Good luck with his diet.

No need to be sorry , i did think he looked a bit fat myself when i got him and the vet said portly , but since then a couple of other people have disagreed .
I thought it was the previous owner giving him lots of treats and junk , thought what i was giving him was very little and he'd lose weight but seems not.
Those that feed dry food , do you give what it says on the packet ?
60 grams is a small amount isn't it ?

I have had him bring up bile a couple of mornings and i think its when his stomach is empty , if hes had his tea a bit early . Feel like im starving him giving him less ! I really want him to be a healthy weight though so i will try giving him carrot as a snack .