After a cold winter and wet spring, your dog may be a few hikes behind this year. If you are worried about your dog’s ability to fit into this summer’s bathing suit, a reliable way to spot a few extra pounds is to place both thumbs on your dog’s backbone and run your fingers along the rib cage. If you cannot easily feel the bony part of each rib, your dog could need to lose weight.
You can also stand directly over your dog as it is standing and looking down. A clearly defined waist should be visible behind the ribs. Also check your dog’s profile. If he doesn’t have a clearly defined abdomen tucked up behind the rib cage, he is probably overweight. Don’t forget - five extra pounds on a 50-pound dog translates to 15 or 20 extra pounds on a 150-pound person.
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