Monitoring weight on a hairy dog

[karen15]

I've had the cocker spaniel for 18 months now and she has trimmed up nicely at last. She's lost the fat pad at the base of her tail and now is shapely, not brick like.

 

I don't want her to podge up again, but need to increase her intake to maintain weight.

 

I'm used to visual assessment when I had the staffy. It was easy to maintain his weight between 19-21 kg just by monitoring his waist and making small adjustments as needed.

 

However I'm finding the cocker harder for visual checking, due to hair distorting her outline, and I wouldn't want her much lighter based on a hands on assessment.

 

As I tend to only think of these things at feed time, is there an easy way to assess? Currently I look for visible waist from above and a tummy tuck in a side view. The tummy tuck can be aided by grooming, so it isn't as reliable visually as it was for the staffy.

[Papillon Kisses]

There is! Look here: https://www.wsava.org/sites/default/files/Body condition score chart dogs.pdf

[Dogsfevr]

Its easy .as the dog should be groomed weekly you will be easily able to feel & when the dog is having baths again easy to see with a wet coat .

We groom alot of fat dogs that owners blame the coat but coat or not its easy to see fat & feel a fat dog when picking it up

[karen15]

on that scale she was an 8 and would now be a 5 - what they had noted is what I look for. My concern with her hair is I can't see the small changes early enough. I find handling daily for cuddles etc doesn't give the same eyeball assessment you get with sleek dogs.

 

I probably just have to learn a new way to assess - be it more targeted assessment in morning bed cuddles or changing my "normal" from a sleek coated breed with a better defined waist to accepting a waist dip as the new desirable.

 

[The Spotted Devil]

It definitely can be done using hands on. My favourite is running my hands along the side of the dog - smoothly and with no more pressure than you would use to apply sunscreen to your own skin - and feeling for the last two ribs. It does take some practice not to press in and find the ribs. 

[juice]

i take mine to the petshop to be weighed every 2 weeks as i'm trying to get weight off and its hard to judge as she has a droopy tum from being a mum which i dont think will ever tuck back up. 

Goes off to try the feeling 2 ribs method! 

[denali]

Yes- by feel.
Or chuck them in the pool :D 

[Dogsfevr]

Charts are not always a good resource.if a dog is loaded in front or barrel chested then those charts would suggest to someone the dog is fat when it isn't,just like one of the diagrams saying skinny the dog is long in loin so will be skinny by structure .

If you like the weight shes at now then weigh her ,if you have your on scales easy to moniter you just holding her & taking away your weight or go the the vets or stockfeeds that have scales .

[Tassie]

Harder to see on a coated dog, although looking from the top you should be able to see waist, and from the side, tuck up and tuck in.   But agree ..popping them on the scales pretty regularly - I pop in to my vet office when it's not busy - and hands on.   I like to place my hands on the dog's back, pointing back towards the tail, thumbs either side of the spine, and fingers over the ribs .. the last few.   Same sort of thing as TSD is saying .. with only light pressure, you should feel ribs (think of running your fingers across the back of your hands).

 

Your dog must feel a lot better now she's trimmer.