Scamps Pet Health People

  While there is something endearing about a chubby cat there are no health benefits to being overweight. A significant issue for cats is an increased risk of developing Type 2 diabetes mellitus, which interestingly, is not a common issue for overweight dogs. Body condition scoring is a useful tool although trickier in cats than in dogs.  To keep it simple the width across the lumbar spine (between the ribs and pelvis) should be narrower than the depth of the trunk.  The trunk of a cat with healthy weight would be 1.5 to 1.75 times as deep as it is wide.  Some cats have loose skin and subcuteous belly fat which makes the depth more difficult to estimate.   The points of the vertebrae along the spine and the top of the pelvis should be felt with gentle pressure and not obvious.  If your cat is getting wide across the back and looking more of a square shape than a rectangle it is very likely they are overweight. Putting a cat on a diet can be challenging so p...

Wh at is a Healthy Weight for a Dog? I prefer to use body condition score (BCS) or BFI (body fat index). When a pet has an ideal BCS or BFI, they are at their ideal weight. This method works for the individual animal, regardless of their conformation. A body condition score estimates the leanness of the pet. For dogs, the main points are: Feel the ribs but not see them (when running your fingers across or perpendicular to the ribs). This assesses the fat under the skin. In lean dogs, there is little thickness, and in overweight dogs, there is more. The dog should have a discernible waist when viewed from above. There should be a narrowing over the lumbar area – behind the ribs and in front of the pelvis. The dog should have a tuck when viewed from the side. There should be an upward slope from the bottom of the chest (sternum) to the pubic bone (between the hind legs). Some breeds have a lean conformation, while others are more stocky, so the extent of the waist a...