Ask a dog owner whether their dog is overweight and most will say no. A survey from the dog food brand Fish4Dogs for World Pet Obesity Month found four in five rate their dog’s weight as perfect. Vets class about half of UK dogs as overweight.
The gap is not vanity. Only 39% of surveyed owners had nutrition advice from a vet and 18% had none. Meanwhile 97% felt confident about which human foods are safe, 55% thought cheese was fine, and 42% never measure what they hand over.
The habits drift with age. Portion measuring falls from 62% of puppy owners to 51% of senior owners, daily human food rises from 40% to 66%, and daily cheese doubles from 4% to 10%. Three percent of puppies are overweight, against 23% of seniors.
What this means for your dog
Senior dogs get the least scrutiny when weight matters most, and their owners least want to hear it: 35% of senior owners said more diet guidance would help, against 58% of puppy owners.
The cost shows up in time. Liverpool research puts the lifespan cost of excess weight at five months to two and a half years, and Royal Veterinary College work links it to arthritis, diabetes, heart disease and some cancers.
Two checks take a minute. Run flat hands along your dog’s sides: you should feel each rib under a thin layer of fat without pressing. Then look down from above for a waist behind the ribs, and repeat monthly.
If the ribs are hard to find, cut the cheese before the kibble, and ask your vet to score body condition. Weight also interacts with brain health, as research on extra weight and mental decline shows.
Full write-up at Companion Life.