We are currently in the process of becoming an approved weight management practice.

Daleside are proud to offer the very best in weight management. We understand how difficult it is to take the first steps. A dog or cat is classified as overweight when they exceed their ideal body weight by 10% and are classified obese when they exceed their ideal weight by more than 20%. Obesity predisposes animals to a variety of pathological disorders, such as cardiac and respiratory diseases, osteo-articular disease and diabetes. In addition overweight pets are at greater risk during surgery and anaesthesia. Life expectancy can be reduced as a result, and quality of life for the pet can be severlely affected.

How to tell if your pet is overweight

The most practical way to assess if a pet is in underweight or overweight is to perform a body condition score. We do this by using a 9 point scale that shows us pictures and descriptives of the animals shape. With all methods, the observer estimates the ‘condition score’ both with visual and ‘hands-on’ characteristics (e.g. presence of a waistline, amount of ‘fat cover’ over the ribs etc). It is important to use sight and touch particularly in longhaired pets, as it can be easy to over or under-estimate their condition score if sight alone is used.

How to Body Condition Score

1. Palpate your pet, only applying light pressure initially along the ribs (chest area). You need to decide whether or not you can feel an outline of the ribs present. Remember you are only using very light pressure.
2. Then do the same along the waist and under the abdomen. Using touch and vision decide if you can feel or see an abdominal tuck from the side of the animal and above.
3. Using light pressure now run your hands over the spine, lumbar region and around the base of the tail and decide whether you can feel any extra fat covering in any of those areas. Again look at the animal and the pictures on the body condition score chart for guidance.
4. Refer to your body condition score chart http://www.royalcanin.co.uk/knowledge-centre/body-condition-score/ and using the slider and descriptives, decide which number condition score is best suited to your pet.

If you are unsure about Body Condition Scoring then ask our Daleside team.