Is my dog overweight?

Is my dog overweight? People often get very focused on an exact weight for their breed, but reme...

Is my dog overweight?


People often get very focused on an exact weight for their breed, but remember, all dogs are individuals. Even within a breed, or a litter, there are variations in frame size and weight. The most important thing is to find out what YOUR dog’s ideal weight is, and adjust the type and amount of food you feed, to suit their lifestyle, size and their taste preferences. 


How do I tell the right weight for my dog?

Great question - vets and veterinary nurses will typically examine your dog and assign a ‘body condition score’, to determine if they think your dog is underweight, overweight or in ideal condition. This score looks at following simple body characteristics to determine if your dog is carrying some extra weight:

Can we feel the ribs easily? Gently feel over your dog’s ribs- there should be a thin cover of fat, with the ribs being easily felt underneath. If there is a thick layer of fat making it difficult to feel each rib, then your dog may need to lose a bit of weight. 

Does your dog have a waist? Have a look at your dog from above whilst standing. Just behind their rib cage, they should have a narrowed, pinch at the waist. Still standing, looking at them from the side. Again, just after their rib cage, they should have a waist that tucks up so that your dog doesn’t look square. 

In most breeds if you can clearly see their hip bones, spine or ribs this may be an indication that they can do with putting on a bit of weight- but do bear in mind, if you have a sight hound or a lean breed, this may be normal for them. 

Not totally sure? No problem. Why not pop into your local vets and speak to a vet or nurse. They could give your pup an assessment, and it’s always great to get regular weigh-ins when you’re passing by. As dog parents, we see our dogs every day making it difficult to spot subtle weight gains. By regularly popping into your clinic, you can measure their precise weight – but hopefully the fuss and routine of going to the vets will help reduce your dog’s anxiety and negative associations they build by only going to the vet for vaccinations and illnesses. 


Any more questions? Why not drop our vet team a message at woof@omni.pet and we’d love to help 

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FAQs

But aren’t dog’s carnivores?

Dogs are in fact nutritional omnivores as demonstrated by a robust scientific study published in the reputable journal Nature (1,2) in which it was shown that they have 30 copies of the AMY2B gene responsible for digesting plant-based foods.

They have also evolved relatively long intestines (21) (almost as long as humans) and relatively flat surfaces on their molars (31, 22) which they use for digesting and chewing a whole range of foods.

The common misconception that dogs are carnivores probably arises from the fact that they are classified in the order Carnivora but so are plenty of other species like bears, skunks, racoons who are omnivores and even the giant panda who thrives on a plant-based diet (20).

Is plant protein digestible to dogs?

Absolutely yes, studies which have looked at how much protein dogs can absorb from plant-based and fungi-based foods like soya and yeast demonstrated over 75% digestibility which is on par with meat-based foods (23, 24, 34, 35 & 25).

Both these protein sources also contain all 10 essential amino acids (36, 37) that dogs need to thrive.

Isn't there too much fibre in plant-based food?

The average amount of fibre in a commercial dog food diet is between 2-4%. omni’s plant-powered recipe has a fibre content of 3% which is on par with meat- based diets.

In our survey with over 200 dog owners, 100% reported that their dog’s stool consistency was either ‘normal’ or ‘perfect’ and there were no reports of any digestive upsets (data on file).

Can I mix omni with other meat-based diets?

We are proud that our recipes are nutritionally complete and so include everything your dog needs to thrive. This means omni can be fed as a sole ration. We also fully support a 'flexitarian approach' like meat free lunches or using omni as a mixer.

Every little helps to bring some of the health and environmental benefits of plant-power to meal times. Mixing omni with meat/fish will help to add variety into your dog’s diet whilst adding in healthy ingredients with a relatively low carbon footprint.

Can plant-based food provide the essential fatty acids dogs need?

All the essential fats and oils that dogs need, including omegas 3 and 6 are found in a variety of both meat and plant-based foods (31, 28).

omni’s recipe is rich in plant-based sources of these nutrients so your dog will get all the essentials they need.

I hear a lot about feeding raw meat, isn’t that better?

Feeding raw meat to dogs has become a very popular trend in recent years, but most vets will warn against this practise. This is because the cooking process is vital to help kill off dangerous bacteria like E coli, Salmonella and Campylobacter (9) that have necessitated several food recalls from the market and caused serious illness and even death in both dogs and their owners (40, 41, & 42).

There are also several worms and parasites that are only killed off when raw meat is cooked. Dogs are dogs, not wolves and thanks to their domestication over thousands of years, thankfully don’t need to hunt to get their grub nor do they need to eat raw meat, it's just not worth the risk.

References

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