Arthritis and diabetes are common sequelae to being overweight as well and breathing difficulty in the short squat dogs like French and English bulldogs. Our pets do not live very long (10-15 years for most dogs 15-20 years for most cats), so giving them the healthiest lifestyle keeps them happier for those years. Popcorn is a perfect weight – she’s an average frame cat and weighs about 9lb Talk to your vet to get your pet’s ideal weight.To make it a little easier for you, here’s a chart (This is for ADULT animals, not growing/lactating/pregnant – Also, this is IDEAL weight, not their current weight if they’re obese).So, a 42lb beagle that should only weight 25lbs, 25/2.2 = 11.4kg.So, 42lb beagle that is OBESE is about 40% over weight, so ideal body weight = 42 – (42×0.4) = 25.2lb.with % overweight = anywhere from 10-40% overweight (ask your vet).** Ideal weight = body weight – (body weight x %overweight) She weighs about 8.5lb but should be about 6lb.ĭaily calorie needs for your pet = 70 x (Ideal body weight in kg)^0.75 Unlike us, they have no concept of “being healthy” other than “EAT WHEN YOU CAN BECAUSE YOU NEVER KNOW WHEN THERE WILL BE FOOD AGAIN!!!!” Remember, a dog/cat has about the intelligence of a three year old child, so we have to be their brains and think of their health for them. And don’t be fooled by the pet who is ALWAYS hungry. So, even just a little bite for you could be enormous for our pets. Remember, a 100 calorie snack for an adult human could be 50% of a small animal’s daily needs. Here’s an equation to figure out how much your pet needs to eat in a day (not just their pet food, but you have to include EVERY calorie that goes in their mouths – food dropped, just a little snack while cooking, kids feeding them, treats every time they go outside and use the bathroom, the cat’s food when you leave it out for them to steal, etc, etc). If you can feel spaces between their ribs like your fingers, your pet needs to gain weight.
If you have to push through flesh to feel the bones like you would on your wrist, your pet needs to lose weight.
You should be able to easily feel the ribs without pressing, but not feel any depressions between them, like the back of your hand. Have them stand up, then run your fingers down their ribs. So, especially with those super fluffy critters, you’ll have to put your hands on them to decide if they’re too fat/skinny. In general, you should be able to feel your pet’s ribs, but not see them. 3: just because the parent was 195lb, that doesn’t tell me if that parent was an ideal body condition and not also obese. 1: every breed has a wide range of what can be normal (height, thickness, etc), 2: every individual gets different genetics and may not end up as large as their parents (or could be larger) – My parents were both 5’11” and I ended up 5’8″. I often hear “well, how big should he be for his breed?” or “well, his daddy was HUGE – with a head *THIS* big and was 195lb!!” There are a few problems with this theory. People tend to judge how much their pet should weigh based on their breed (or perceived breed) and their parents’ sizes. Dan, the office cat: OBESE 19.5lb – should be about 12lb Unfortunately as they get older, or even some at a much younger age, the extra weight can cause so many more problems. The animal wants the food, it makes them “happy” and if baby is happy, owner is happy, but the animal doesn’t seem to really ENJOY the food typically and just wolfs it down and looks for more like “I can’t believe that’s all you’re going to give me” and the big eyes instill guilt, we feed, feel happy, then guilt for not giving more, and so the cycle continues. If they could just have a big eyed, furry thing to pet and feed forever, that would be their ideal life. I’m not good at estimating things, but I’d say about 90% of the pets I see are overweight to obese.
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