my dog’s not overweight… right?

On Pet Obesity Awareness Day, we're taking a look at what we can do to fight pet obesity. Have you ever looked at your dog and wondered if they are overweight? If your answer is no, you’re not alone. It’s not always easy to notice when a dog is overweight, even obese.

But you can become a better observer of your dog and their health may depend on it. According to recent research, 56% of dogs are obese or overweight. What’s most concerning is that overweight dogs live 2 ½ years shorter, on average, than those with a healthy body weight.

In this post, we’ll show you how you can visually evaluate your dog’s weight and how portion control can help prevent unintentional overfeeding, a leading cause of dog obesity.

let’s start with the study

Researchers at the Banfield Pet Hospital examined records for more than 50,000 neutered, male and female dogs aged between 6 1/2 and 8 1/2 years across 12 well-known dog breeds.

All of the breeds in the study showed a correlation between being overweight and a reduced lifespan.

However, the amount of the lifespan reduction was different between breeds, from five months for male German Shepherds to 2 ½ years for male Yorkshire Terriers.

So, how can you tell if your dog is obese or overweight and what can you do?

how to visually evaluate your dog’s weight

The first thing you can do is learn how to visually examine your dog. Stand your dog up and check out their profile. You might have to get down on their level, so you can see them straight on. Snap a few photos while you’re down there! What do you notice? Is there any sag around their belly?

The next step is to look down on them, from the top, while they are still in the standing position. Do you see a healthy hourglass figure between their hips and shoulders, or do they look more like a sausage?

While this is a well known and effective method, you might want the assurance of a professional. Schedule an appointment with your vet. And if you need help with a portion control food plan, give us a ring. That’s our specialty.

Whether your dog is underweight, overweight or at a healthy weight, we have meal plans that will feed your pup the right amount for every meal, every day, every month. Use code GOODPUPPY at checkout to save 50% on your first month's box.

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we feed all of our dogs like individuals

We like to remind dog parents that dogs can’t tell you if they’re being fed too much, or too little, and they only eat what you give them. Often, people give their dogs too much food, which can lead to obesity and related health concerns.

Creating a simple solution to this problem was one of the reasons we started pallaby. We built an algorithm that helps us create a tailored nutritional plan and monitor your dog’s needs as they change. You’ll receive our kibble in portion-controlled pouches, so there is no guesswork. You can even factor in our nutritional treats into their daily caloric intake.

Quality ingredients plus our pup-personalized tech allows us to treat (and feed) your dog like the individual they are.