How to Prevent Obesity in Dogs
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In my 15 year career as a Veterinary Nurse, one of my main roles was supporting owners with obese pets reach a healthy weight so they could get the best out of life and live a longer life.
A 2023 PDSA report estimated 46% of dogs were overweight or obese in the UK.
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The impact to your dog's life of being overweight is significant. From joint pain to arthritis later in life, heart disease, diabetes, respiratory issues, skin fold infections and increased risk of heat stroke on hot days to name just a few.
By not helping our beloved fur family members stay healthy, we may be setting them up for a poor quality of life, a decreased life span and unnecessary pain.
In some ways, I think we have become a little used to dogs being a more padded shape. My own experience with both my Labrador and Cavapoo, both in optimum health and condition, has been at least one person has commented they are underweight. Its important that we all check our dogs' weight and check we have not ourselves become confused with what is a healthy dog body shape.
How do I know if my dog is overweight?
When assessing if your pet is overweight, the best place for advice is your Veterinary Surgeon and especially Veterinary Nurses who specialise in this area.
Every dog is an individual, and just like humans, there is a guide weight but other things need to be considered.
For example, is the dog male or female and what breed they are. Some dogs with thick coats can be perfect weight but look different to similar-sized dogs with thin coats.
Those with thin coats can look underweight when they are not as the ribs may be more visible.
In my general opinion, my favourite way to assess if a dog is healthy is to use both Body Condition Score (BCS) and weight guides for breeds. BCS are even more necessary today with many dog breeds being crossed so the traditional breed-specific weight guides can be confusing.
The BCS is when you look at the shape of the dog and get hands-on, rather than just looking at the scales.
There are many good pictorial guides of BCS online.
I always added to this my HEAVY HANDS examination. Not a technical term and maybe I should patent it! Heavy hands examination is where (providing your dog is happy for you to touch them) you place hands either side of their rib cage. Then do not press but let your hands relax and the natural weight of your arms fall into your hands. Then move your hands over the ribs. You should be able to feel the ribs... just. If they have a thick coat, get your fingers underneath as much as possible before moving your hands over the ribs.
Why do dogs become overweight?
There are many reasons, but some of the biggest contributing factors, just like humans, is poor diet and lack of exercise.
Another important factor is our need to show love with food. Dogs need food to survive. They will generally keep asking for it and taking it. Some breeds are less likely to be food-focused but tasty treats, especially human dinner leftovers, will normally get those puppy dog eyes working over time.
We express our love quite often by giving lovely treats, and whilst this is important and should be part of every relationship, it needs to be done in the right way to be loving and not damaging.
A recent study showed the genetics of some Labradors can make them feel hungry more often. Some food for thought there that care with breeding needs to be taken too.
Diets and how they effect weight gain
Cheaper diets can be high in sugar and cereals (carbohydrates). High sugar can lead to a metabolic crash and that, combined with the sugar making it tasty, the dog begs for more. Highly processed diets can reduce nutrient content, leaving the dog asking for more food to meet their daily requirements.
The right balance of good quality protein and fibre will help your dog not only get the right nutritional balance but also feel fuller for longer.
Years food has been minimally processed and is perfectly balanced for your dogs breed, age, sex and neutered status. The quality of the ingredients and extremely high palatability will have your dogs wanting but not needing more. So you can rest assured if they ask for more, they don’t need it. You have already shown them love by getting this amazing life-enriching food.
To treat or not to treat?
Even if you know your dog's nutritional needs are met, we all like to give extras sometimes, and indeed, I would encourage it for mental stimulation and training.
It is about finding a balance! Dogs need a complete, healthy, balanced diet fed at a volume that allows space for treats and chews that are nutritionally complementary and don’t increase their calories to the level your dog becomes overweight.
Years have a large range of chews and treats, with high-quality protein with low fat options, like the Tasty Harvest Rewards. These meet the need we have as humans to give those extras to our dogs without compromising health, and some even help to keep their teeth clean.
With Years food being so tailored, providing your dog is getting the right amount of exercise, the training treats they need for mental stimulation and daily training should not cause harmful weight gain.
If you're training your dog daily, which is the ideal especially with puppies with lots to learn, then you can consider using some of your dog's daily food allowance for rewards too. I squish a spoonful of Minty's Years food on a small LickiMat and let her have a lick every time she completes a challenge. You can hide or offer multiple activity feeders to give for each meal. Think LickiMats and Kongs for a fun and active way to enjoy mealtimes.
Some of my favourite training treats are the Years Brainy Bites range and Salmon Charcuterie. Some of these options are higher in fat so I would use them for high prizes given for super achievements or when working in highly distracting environments like the park.
I also like to give some leftovers sometimes - who doesn’t?! The reason my dogs don’t get overweight is that the leftovers are not every day, they are small volumes, saved in the fridge and given in activity feeders when I need my dog busy, like when visitors come unexpectedly.
We love leftover roast lamb in a plastic snake or using some chicken bits for a search game around the garden or even some broccoli squished in a Kong. I keep the leftovers in the fridge and sometimes they don’t get them if they have had more training treats or we have done less exercise.
Over time, you, as your dog's expert, will learn how many extras they can have.
I also tend to give these well away from meal time so they always eat their meals, and I know then their nutritional needs are met.
If you're not sure how big treats should be and how many to give, I would be happy to advise further. Do feel free to book a call with me through customer services or book to see your local vet nurse.
As a general rule, if I am giving many treats like in the case of teaching something new or when working with puppies, I use good quality single protein and the pieces are around 2 to 3mm squared.
Summary
So to sum up, it's important that we don’t give into puppy dog eyes and instead show love and give excitement in their day with treats, chews and good quality food given in the right volumes and when it's meal time or they have earned it.
If we want to say I love you a hundred times a day (which let's face it, we do!), this can be with our voices, affection, playing games and walking them in their favourite places.
They really will thank you for it! No, I will go further than that - they will love you for it!
How do I know if my dog is overweight?
You can check by feeling their ribs and looking at their body shape. A healthy dog should have a visible waist and ribs you can feel but not see prominently. Your vet or veterinary nurse can confirm with a Body Condition Score assessment.
What health problems can obesity cause in dogs?
Obesity in dogs increases the risk of joint pain, arthritis, diabetes, heart disease, skin fold infections, respiratory issues and heat stroke. It can also shorten your dog’s lifespan and reduce quality of life.
Why do dogs become overweight?
Common causes include overfeeding, too many treats, lack of exercise, and low-quality diets high in sugar or fillers. Some breeds, like Labradors, also have genetic tendencies that make them feel hungrier more often.
What is the best diet to help my dog lose weight?
A high-quality, balanced diet rich in protein and fibre helps dogs feel fuller for longer and supports healthy weight management. Minimally processed fresh food is often recommended, alongside regular exercise and controlled treats.
About the author
Nurse Joanna
Joanna Sutherland – VN, Cert AAB
Joanna is a qualified Veterinary Nurse and Behaviorist with over 15 years of experience in first opinion and referral practice. You can often find her sharing her experience in our Very Important Dog Facebook group.
