Your Pets Ideal Weight: A Visual Guide

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How to Visually Assess Cat
and Dog Body Condition

Food For Thought™ Technical Bulletin No. 77R
Innovative Research in Dog and Cat Nutrition™

: :	Cat Body Condition Chart
: :	Dog Body Condition Chart

Importance of body condition assessment
Assessing body condition is an important step in the overall evaluation of a companion animal's nutritional well-being. Particularly in cases where the cat or dog appears to be obese or thin, it is important to evaluate total health of the dog or cat before a proper nutritional management program is selected. The following body condition charts help explain body condition terms.

Cat Body Condition Chart
Thin Cat	Ribs, lumbar vertebrae and pelvic bones easily visible Thin neck and narrow waist Obvious abdominal tuck No fat in flank folds, folds often absent
Underweight Cat	Backbone and ribs easily palpable Minimal fat covering Minimal waist when viewed from above Slightly tucked abdomen
Ideal Cat	Ribs palpable, but not visible Slight waist observed behind ribs when viewed from above Abdomen tucked up, flank fold present
Overweight Cat	Slight increase in fat over ribs, but still easily palpable Abdomen slightly rounded, flanks concave Flank folds hang down with moderate amount of fat—jiggle noted when walking
Obese Cat	Ribs and backbone not easily palpable under a heavy fat covering Abdomen rounded; waist barely visible to absent Prominent flank folds which sway from side to side when walking

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Dog Body Condition Chart
Thin Dog	Ribs, lumbar vertebrae and pelvic bones easily visible No palpable fat Obvious waist and abdominal tuck Prominent pelvic bones
Underweight Dog	Ribs easily palpable Minimal fat covering Waist is easily noted when viewed from above Abdominal tuck evident
Ideal Dog	Ribs palpable, but not visible Slight waist observed behind ribs when viewed from above Abdomen tucked up, flank fold present
Overweight Dog	Slight increase in fat over ribs, but still easily palpable Abdomen slightly rounded, flanks concave Flank folds hang down with moderate amount of fat—jiggle noted when walking
Obese Dog	Ribs and backbone not easily palpable under a heavy fat covering Abdomen rounded; waist barely visible to absent Prominent flank folds which sway from side to side when walking