Most owners of overweight dogs describe them as a good weight. This is not stubbornness, it is calibration: you see your dog every day, the change happens over two winters, and the reference point drifts. It helps that most of the dogs you meet on the same walk are also carrying a little extra.
It matters more than it sounds. Excess weight is associated with a shorter life, it worsens arthritis and hip dysplasia, it increases the risks of anaesthesia, and it makes every existing joint problem more painful. It is also the single health variable most completely under an owner's control.
The hands-on test
Three checks, performed with your hands rather than your eyes, every month.
- Ribs. Run your palms along the chest. You should feel the ribs easily with light pressure, in the way you feel the back of your own hand. If you need to press, there is a layer that should not be there. If they are visible from across the room, the dog is too thin
- Waist from above. Standing over your dog, there should be a visible narrowing behind the ribs. A straight line from shoulder to hip, or a bulge, is too much
- Tuck from the side. The belly should rise from the ribcage to the hind legs rather than running parallel to the ground
Coat length hides all three, which is why the test is done by hand. Ask your vet to score your dog on the nine-point body condition scale at the annual check, and note the number so you have a reference you did not invent yourself.
Weigh your dog every three months. Many practices let you use the scales in reception without an appointment, and a two-kilo gain on a twelve-kilo dog is the equivalent of a great deal more on a person.
How much to feed
Packaging guidance is calculated for an active, unneutered adult, and most dogs in a city flat are neither. Treat it as a starting point and expect to end up below it for a neutered, moderately active dog. Neutering typically reduces energy requirements, and the portion should be adjusted at the time rather than after the weight appears.
Weigh the food on kitchen scales rather than using a cup. Volume measures vary wildly between people and between kibbles, and the error is invisible and daily.
Then adjust by results. If the ribs are getting harder to feel, reduce by about ten per cent and reassess in a month. Weight loss should be slow: roughly one to two per cent of body weight per week is the usual veterinary target, and crash dieting a dog is neither kind nor effective.
The treat arithmetic
This is where most careful feeding plans fail. Treats should account for no more than about ten per cent of daily calories, and they should be subtracted from the meal rather than added to the day.
Count everything: training rewards, the dental chew, the crust of toast, the piece of cheese used to get the harness on, and whatever the second person in the household is giving out without mentioning it. A large chew can carry a substantial share of a small dog's daily requirement on its own.
Practical substitutions that cost nothing: use part of the measured daily ration as training rewards, keep high-value food for recall only, and use carrot, cucumber or green beans as filler for a dog who is genuinely hungry rather than merely hopeful.
Schedule
Two meals a day suits most adult dogs. Puppies need three or four, reducing with age. Deep-chested breeds should not be exercised hard immediately before or after eating, since strenuous activity around mealtimes is one of the risk factors discussed in relation to gastric torsion, which is a genuine emergency.
Keep the timing consistent, particularly for dogs on medication with food, and write the times down for anyone else who feeds the dog. Double feeding by two people who each assumed the other had not is common and entirely avoidable with one shared note.
Changing food
Transition over seven to ten days, mixing increasing proportions of the new food into the old. A sudden change produces digestive upset in most dogs and makes it impossible to tell whether the new food suits them.
If you are changing because of suspected intolerance, change one thing at a time and give it several weeks. Trying three foods in a month tells you nothing. Real food allergies are less common than the internet suggests, and itching, ear infections and chronic soft stools deserve a veterinary diagnosis before a self-designed elimination diet.
The always-hungry dog
Some breeds, labradors in particular, appear permanently ravenous, and their enthusiasm is a poor guide to their needs. A dog's begging is a behaviour that has been rewarded, not evidence of hunger.
That said, a sudden and marked increase in appetite, especially with weight loss or increased drinking, is a veterinary question rather than a feeding one. So is the opposite: a dog who consistently leaves food it normally finishes.
Dry, wet or raw
The format matters far less than the total, provided the food is complete and appropriate for the life stage. A complete dry food, a complete wet food and a properly formulated raw diet can all keep a dog in excellent condition, and all three can make a dog fat if the portion is wrong.
What is worth checking on any label: that it says complete rather than complementary, which life stage it is formulated for, and the feeding guide by weight. Ingredient lists are ordered by weight before cooking, which is why they are less informative than they look. If you feed raw, handle it with the hygiene you would apply to raw meat in any kitchen, and be careful with households containing small children or anyone immunosuppressed.
Do not mix in leftovers on top of a measured meal. If you want to add something fresh, subtract the equivalent from the ration, and keep away from the common toxic items: grapes and raisins, onion and garlic, xylitol, chocolate, macadamia nuts and cooked bones.
When it is not the food
Weight gain despite careful feeding can indicate an underactive thyroid or other endocrine disease, particularly in middle-aged dogs with coat changes, lethargy or recurring skin problems. Unexplained weight loss in a dog eating normally always deserves a consultation. If the numbers do not respond to an honest reduction in calories over two months, the next step is a vet, not a further cut.
Why your walker should know the rules
Anyone else feeding or treating your dog is part of the calculation. Write down the measured amount, the times, what treats are permitted and what is forbidden, and whether food from other sources is allowed on walks. A midday visitor handing out three biscuits a day is adding a meaningful number of calories a week to a small dog.
At PAWLY the feeding instructions are written down at the meet and greet and the report records what was actually given and whether it was eaten, which is also the earliest sign that something is wrong.
General information for dog owners in Luxembourg, not veterinary or legal advice. For your own dog, ask your vet, a qualified behaviourist or your commune. How this journal is written and checked.
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