Is My Dog or Cat Overweight?
A Vet’s Step-by-Step Guide to Safe, Sustainable Weight Loss
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Posted by Dr. Sheno Vet Clinic | November 2025
Nobody wants to admit their fur-baby is “fat.”
But when I walk into an exam room and the first thing I see is a Labrador who waddles instead of walks, or a cat whose belly brushes the floor, I don’t judge—I educate.
Over half the dogs and almost two-thirds of the cats we see at Dr. Sheno Vet Clinic are clinically overweight or obese.
The good news? A safe, veterinarian-supervised weight-loss plan can add two to three healthy years to your pet’s life.
Below is the exact playbook we give our own clients—no gimmicks, no crash diets, just science you can trust.
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Quick Takeaways (for the skimmers)
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1. Body-condition scoring is free, takes 30 seconds, and is more accurate than the scale.
2. A 1–2 % loss of body weight per week is the safe sweet spot for dogs and cats.
3. “Low-fat” or “weight-management” kibble is useless if you still free-feed.
4. Green-lipped mussel and omega-3s protect joints while the pounds come off.
5. 90 % of pets that hit goal weight regain it within 12 months unless you have a maintenance plan.
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Section 1 – Is My Pet Actually Overweight?
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Scale weight is only half the story.
We use the 9-point Body Condition Score (BCS) developed by WSAVA:
Dogs & Cats
1–3 = too thin
4–5 = ideal
6–9 = overweight to obese
DIY Check at Home (no equipment needed)
1. Rib test – Place both thumbs on your pet’s backbone and fan fingers across the ribs. You should feel ribs under a thin cloth of fat—no digging required.
2. Waist view – Look from above. There should be a gentle tuck after the rib-cage, not a straight or bulging line.
3. Tuck up – View from the side. The abdomen should rise from the sternum toward the hind legs, not hang level.
If you scored 6 or higher, keep reading.
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Section 2 – Why Chubby Isn’t Cute
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Fat is an endocrine organ.
Every extra gram secretes inflammatory cytokines that hammer joints, pancreas, airways and even the brain.
Peer-reviewed data from Banfield’s 2022 State of Pet Health:
• Overweight dogs live 2.3 years shorter on average.
• Overweight cats are 4× more likely to develop diabetes.
• Arthritis signs show up 3 years earlier in obese Labradors.
• 61 % of overweight cats have sub-clinical hepatic lipidosis waiting to trigger.
Bottom line: shaving off even 6 % body weight drops inflammatory markers by 25 %.
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Section 3 – Rule Out Medical Saboteurs First
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Before you cut calories, book a vet exam.
We run a minimum database: CBC, serum chemistry, thyroid (T4), free T4, and cortisol if indicated.
Hypothyroidism in dogs and hyperadrenocorticism in both species will sabotage diet efforts.
Cats need a thyroid check too—hyperthyroidism can mask weight gain in early stages.
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Section 4 – Calculate a Safe Calorie Target
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Resting Energy Requirement (RER) formula
Weight in kg^0.75 × 70 = kcal needed for a healthy, neutered adult at ideal weight.
Example: 30 kg Labrador ideal wt
30^0.75 = 12.8 × 70 = 896 kcal/day
For weight loss we feed 80 % of RER → 717 kcal/day
We then split that into two meals plus a 5 % buffer for training treats.
Pro tip: use an gram-scale, not a cup.
One “level” cup of large-breed kibble can vary by 20 %.
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Section 5 – Choosing the Right Food
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Therapeutic vs OTC “light” diets
Prescription diets like Hill’s Metabolic, Royal Canin Satiety, or Purina OM have:
• Higher fiber:starch ratio → longer gastric emptying
• Added L-carnitine → helps shuttle fatty acids into mitochondria
• Precision feeding charts → eliminates guesswork
OTC “weight management” foods often drop fat and add carbs—your pet loses muscle, not fat.
Cats are obligate carnivores.
We aim for ≥ 45 % protein on a dry-matter basis to prevent lean-mass loss.
We also add water or bone broth to increase satiety and dilute calories.
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Section 6 – Exercise That Won’t Break the Joints
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Dogs
• Start with 5 min leash walks twice daily, add 2 min every 3 days.
• Swimming is gold—non-weight bearing, 3× the calorie burn.
• Mental work counts: 10 min of scent games equals 30 min of walking for calorie use.
Cats
• Vertical space: wall-mounted shelves force climbing.
• Puzzle feeders: make them “hunt” for 50 % of daily kibble.
• Laser pointer or feather wand: 3 × 5 min sessions daily can burn 20 % of daily calories.
Rule: if your pet is panting heavily, stop. Overweight animals ramp up lactic acid fast.
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Section 7 – Supplements That Speed Fat Loss & Protect Joints
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1. Omega-3 (fish oil) – 50 mg combined EPA+DHA per kg body weight daily. Reduces joint inflammation and improves skin while dieting.
2. Green-lipped mussel powder – Natural COX-2 inhibitor, great for cats that hate capsules.
3. L-carnitine – 50–100 mg/kg daily in dogs; helps oxidize fat during exercise.
4. Probiotics – Specific strains like Bifidobacterium animalis AHC7 improve stool quality on high-fiber diets.
Always dose per lean body weight, not current weight.
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Section 8 – Track Progress Like a Scientist
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1. Weigh every 2 weeks (same scale, same time of day).
2. Re-check BCS and measure waist circumference with a tailor’s tape.
3. Target 1–2 % loss per week.
Faster = hepatic lipidosis (cats) or muscle wasting (dogs).
4. Plateau at week 4–6 is normal; we then drop another 5 % calories or increase exercise 10 %.
We create a shared Google Sheet with our clients—accountability doubles success rates.
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Section 9 – Maintenance: The Other 90 %
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Once goal weight is hit we:
• Increase food to 100 % calculated RER for the NEW weight (not the old).
• Switch to a “light” over-the-counter diet only if the owner refuses therapeutic food.
• Continue monthly weigh-ins for 6 months, then quarterly for life.
• Set a “red line” weight (5 % above goal) that triggers an immediate diet tweak.
Clients who join our free “Slim-Pet Club” get reminder texts and a discount on rehab swims—our regain rate is < 8 % vs 45 % national average.
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Section 10 – When to Seek Professional Help
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Call us immediately if:
• Your cat refuses food for > 24 h (risk of hepatic lipidosis).
• Your dog loses > 3 % body weight in a single week.
• You notice excessive panting, collapsing, or pale gums during exercise.
• You’ve tried everything and the scale won’t budge—time for a metabolic work-up.
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Frequently Asked Questions
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Q1: Can I just feed less of my pet’s regular food?
A: You can, but you risk nutrient deficiencies. Regular adult foods are balanced for maintenance calories, not restricted calories. Therapeutic diets add extra amino acids, vitamins and minerals so your pet isn’t starving on a cellular level.
Q2: Are grain-free diets better for weight loss?
A: No. “Grain-free” simply swaps grains for legumes or potatoes; calorie count is often identical. Some grain-free diets are linked to diet-associated cardiomyopathy in dogs. Focus on calorie density and fiber, not marketing buzzwords.
Q3: My cat screams at 3 a.m. for food—help!
A: Split the daily ration into 5 micro-meals using an automatic feeder. Add a 1 a.m. snack of canned pumpkin (1 tbsp = 5 kcal). The fiber fills the stomach and breaks the “food = human attention” cycle.
Q4: Is intermittent fasting safe?
A: Time-restricted feeding (8–10 h eating window) shows promise in rodent models, but data in dogs and cats is scarce. We don’t recommend it until more safety studies are done—especially for cats.
Q5: What about raw diets for weight loss?
A: Raw diets are calorie-dense (fat ranges 25–40 %) and hard to portion precisely. The bacterial risk to immunocompromised pets and humans outweighs any theoretical metabolic boost. Stick with commercial therapeutic diets unless you have a veterinary nutritionist on speed-dial.
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References
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1. German AJ, et al. Quality of life is reduced in obese dogs but improves after successful weight loss. J Vet Intern Med. 2012.
2. Tropf M, et al. Lifetime obesity prevalence and lifespan in dogs. Banfield State of Pet Health Report 2022.
3. Courcier EA, et al. Prevalence and risk factors for feline obesity in the UK. J Feline Med Surg. 2010.
4. Laflamme DP. Companion animal nutrition: understanding fatty acid supplements. Vet Clin North Am Small Anim Pract. 2020.
5. WSAVA Body Condition Score Charts. https://wsava.org/global-guidelines/global-nutrition-guidelines/
6. AAHA Weight Management Guidelines 2021. https://www.aaha.org/resources /
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Ready to Start? Book a Free Slim-Pet Assessment
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Text “SLIM” to 201080618143 or click the booking widget at the top of this page.
Bring your pet hungry—we’ll do the body-condition score, weigh-in, and build a custom meal plan on the spot.
First visit is complimentary for new clients during November 2025.
Want to check your pet online
🐾 The Fur Parent Health Check
A fast, free tool to help fur parents assess their pet's urgent health needs.
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Author Bio
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Dr. Sheno, DVM, MS, DACVN
Board-certified veterinary nutritionist and founder of Dr. Sheno Vet Clinic.
When he’s not rehabilitating chubby Chihuahuas, you’ll find him trail-running with his two rescue Greyhounds, Kale and Quinoa.
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