In dogs and cats, the normal percentage of body fat is considered to be 15-20%. Overweight pets have 25-40% body fat, and obese more than 40% body fat.
How do you know if your dog is too fat or skinny?
Stand your canine chum up and run your hands over their sides. If you can't feel their ribs – or if you can't feel them very well – there's too much fat and you have an overweight dog. If there's too much rib, i.e. you can't feel much between your dog's skin and its ribs, you have an underweight dog.
How lean should a dog be?
One super simple guideline to determine your dog's body condition: If you can clearly see all their ribs, they're too lean. If you can easily feel, but not see their ribs, they're at ideal body condition. If you can't feel their ribs due to a layer of fat, they are too heavy.
How do I know if my dog is a healthy weight?
Is your dog the ideal weight? The easiest way to tell if your dog is the ideal weight is by looking at the definitions of an overweight and underweight dog, and ruling out that your dog is neither. A dog at a healthy weight has a soft outline of their rib cage, and their belly tucks up between their ribs and hind legs.
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