Vet shares how to know if dog is healthy weight in 30 secs – without scales

Making sure your dog is a healthy weight will improve their quality of life and mental health. It can also delay the onset of long-term illnesses – and can even help them live longer.

But what do you do if you don't have a set of scales at home, or find them too hard to use to weight your dog? Luckily, a vet has shared an easy way for you to check if your dog is a healthy weight using a check which takes only 30 seconds.

Mairéad Leahy, A vet from Arra Vetinary Clinic, a small animal vet clinic in Tipperary Town, Ireland, explained there are only three words you need to know – ribs, waist and tuck.

The vet explained on TikTok that you should be able to feel your dog's ribs easily, and if you have to put a “lot of pressure on” in order to find them, your pet is overweight. “If you can see the ribs, your dog is too thin,” she added.

Next is the waist. Mairéad explained: “The waist should come in nicely behind the ribs,” while she demonstrated on a dog in the vet clinic. If the waist doesn't shape in nicely, she recommends “a few more walks” and if the waist is too small, “a bit more food”.

Lastly, the tummy should “tuck in nicely” under where the waist is. If there's a flat line from your dog's stomach to their back legs, they're “too overweight”, she explained.

If the stomach is “too narrow and tucked up”, they are too thin. She also demonstrated what this looked like on a dog in the vet clinic.

How to check if your dog's a healthy weight

According to the vet charity PDSA, if your dog is a healthy weight, you should be able to:

• See their waist from the side and above
• Feel your dog's ribs when running your hands over their side
• Feel the spine and hipbones – but they shouldn't be poking out
• Feel your dog's tummy go in, not bulge out
• Touch the base of your dog's tail, and there shouldn't be a build-up of fat

A dog with a ‘healthy weight' should have an obvious waist with an ‘hourglass shape'. You should only be able to see ribs and backbone on breeds like Whippets or Greyhounds.

What your dog's exact healthy weight is will depend on their dog breeds. For example, according to VetsNow, a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel (male) should be between 5.4-9.1kg. Meanwhile, a Dachshund (male) should be between 9-12kg.

If in doubt about your dog's weight, speak to your vet.