Body Condition Scoring

According to the PDSA, 81% of vets and nurses have seen an increase in pet obesity over the last four years and in increasingly younger animals. Obesity is fast becoming one of the most serious health problems affecting our pets and pet owners can often take overweight or obese dogs casually. 

Currently, figures show that 55.8% or more of dogs are overweight or obese. Yet these dogs are at a greater risk for a number of serious consequences as well as it negatively impacting their health, in 2019 Banfield released research that showed that the lifespan of overweight dogs was up to 2 1/2 years shorter, on average, than the lifespan of dogs with a healthy body weight. 

Dr. Carol Osborne, an integrative veterinarian at Chagrin Falls Pet Clinic in Ohio, echoes the fact that a dog doesn’t have to be clinically obese to experience health consequences. “Being just 10% overweight decreases a dog’s lifespan by one-third and predisposes him to heart, kidney and liver disease as well as diabetes, arthritis, and cancer,” she says.

Having a dog with an “overweight” body condition score increases the risk of developing cardiopulmonary disease, diabetes, osteoarthritis, liver disease, pancreatitis, and even some cancers.

Here are the top six consequences for obese dogs; 

1.Arthritis

Extra weight puts extra pressure on a dog’s joints. The cartilage in the joint deteriorates, which leads to arthritis. Sure, we can give pain medications, but weight loss helps significantly. In fact, according to a clinical trial published in 2010, obese dogs with osteoarthritis showed a significant decrease in lameness from weight loss starting at 6.10%.

 2.ACL

Too much weight is a well-known risk factor for tearing the ACL (anterior cruciate ligament), an important ligament in the knee. A torn ACL must be repaired with surgery.

3.Heart and breathing conditions

Weight gain can cause heart disease and high blood pressure. It’s also linked to breathing problems. Overweight dogs are more prone to a collapsing trachea and laryngeal paralysis.  Untreated, these airway conditions could lead to a respiratory crisis which could be fatal if not treated.

4.Anaesthesia risk

The heart and lungs of overweight and obese dogs have to work harder during anesthesia. The dog struggles to breathe because he has difficulty expanding his chest. Dogs often sleep too deeply or not deeply enough. In addition, overweight dogs may take a long time to wake up after anaesthesia.

5.Tumours/Cancer

Obesity may increase the risk of certain tumours such as benign fatty tumours (lipomas), as well as breast and bladder cancer (transitional cell carcinoma).

 6.Skin diseases

Overweight dogs have extra skin folds, which can cause irritation and infection by bacteria. This can lead to scratching, body odour and skin redness. Overweight dogs often have an unhealthy looking coat because it’s harder, if not impossible, for them to groom effectively.

The importance of body condition scoring

This obesity epidemic has become so prevalent, dogs with the correct body condition are often seen as being “too thin” when this couldn’t be further from the case and sometimes just relying on the weight of a dog can be deceiving. 

We often get asked' what should my dog weigh" or "the vet said my dog weighs too much for his age" but just like in humans, dogs come in all different shapes and sizes. Even two dogs of the same age and breed can weigh worlds apart. This is because each dog is an individual and will have differing ratios of bone density/fat/muscle. Muscle also weighs much more than fat.

So how should I weigh my dog? 

Well, you shouldn't, not routinely anyway.

It's perfectly fine to weigh your dog but when it comes to making decisions for your dog's health, you should go on your dogs BCS - Body condition score.

Body condition scoring was developed as a way to standardise the assessment of whether animals are underweight or overweight. It is based on a scale running from 1-5 where 1 is an emaciated animal and 5 is grossly obese. The place on the scale on which the animal falls is determined by assessing several criteria. 

These are:

– How easily felt the ribs are

– How obvious the waist and abdominal tuck are – How much excess fat is beneath the skin

– How much muscle mass is present

Below is our group guide to evaluating your dog's weight. It's a good idea to check your dog's BCS regularly, keeping a lean body condition score has been shown to extend lifespan by almost two years!

1.VERY THIN

RIBS - Easily felt with no fat cover

TAIL BASE-Bones are raised, no fat cover

SIDE VIEW-Severe abdominal tuck

OVERHEAD VIEW-Accented hourglass shape

2. UNDERWEIGHT

RIBS - Easily felt with little fat cover

TAIL BASE-Bones are raised with slight fat cover

SIDE VIEW - Abdominal tuck

OVERHEAD VIEW - Maked hourglass shape

3. IDEAL WEIGHT
RIBS - Easily felt with slight fat cover

TAL BASE-Smooth contour with slight fat cover

SIDE VIEW - Abdominal tuck

OVERHEAD VIEW-Well-proportioned waist

4. OVERWEIGHT

RIBS - Difficult to feel under moderate fat cover

TAIL BASE - some thickening, bones palpable under moderate fat cover.

SIDE VIEW - No abdominal tuck

OVERHEAD VIEW-Back is slightly broadened at Waist

5. OBESE

RIBS-Difficult to fed under thick fat cover

TAILBASE-Thickened and difficult to feel under thick fat cover

SIDE VIEW - No waist, fat hangs from abdomen

OVERHEAD VIEW-Back is broadened

Below is a link to a video from integrative vet, Dr Brendan Clarke on how to body condition score your dog!;https://youtu.be/Y5pY_8kHD64