How to Know if Your Boston Terrier Is Overweight

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Boston Terriers are very energetic, and they love running around. This can make it difficult to understand how they can become overweight. However, it is possible for them to become overweight. Gaining weight is a gradual process, and in this article, I look at how to know if your Boston Terrier is overweight.

How to Know if Your Boston Terrier Is Overweight

An overweight dog can encounter many health problems. This is why you have to be on the lookout for signs that your Boston Terrier is overweight. There are also a few things you can be able to do to know if it has gained weight.

A brown and white overweight Boston Terrier sitting on a beach on a sunny day

Feel Its Ribs

Run your hands along the sides of your furry friend. If it feels like it is balanced, it means that your dog is not overweight. It is overweight if you cannot feel the ribs and feel a layer of fat, it means the dog is overweight.

However, your dog is underweight if you feel the ribs and do not feel any muscle or fat. The bones of the ribs will also feel like they are protruding from the skin when it is underweight.

Ensure that your dog is standing up when you are checking for its ribs. When it is lying down, it can be difficult to know if the ribs feel the way they do because of their position.

Check Its Waist

Looking at your dog from above, you should be able to see that the area before its hind legs is slimmer. That is its waist, which should give you an idea of where your dog’s ribcage ends and where its hips begin.

Your furry friend is overweight if you cannot see the contour that defines its waist. Because its waist is not defined, its shape will resemble a barrel’s.

You can also look at it from the side while it stands. If the waist is raised and does not appear to be hanging down, or its abdomen is not on the same level as the chest, it is alright.

Look at Numbers

Numbers don’t lie, right? Every time you take your dog to the vet, it is weighed. Some people also weigh their pets at home. The easiest way to know how much it weighs is to weigh yourself first and then weigh yourself while holding your dog. Subtract the two, and the difference is what your dog weighs. This is much easier than weighing it alone, as it cannot stand still and usually wiggles around.

Any American Gentleman, as this breed is commonly called,  that weighs over 25 pounds is said to be overweight. When you have weighed yours, you can tell if it falls under healthy weight or is above the standard.

Tires Easily

If your dog gets tired easily from doing the same activities it used to do, it may be because it has added a few pounds. Because of the extra pounds, it will get tired more often and quickly than before. So if you used to go on runs with it for about thirty minutes every day, it would start slowing down when it gets to about 20 minutes.

With time, it will stop from wanting to participate in any exercises as they drain its energy. You will think that it is just becoming lazy. Sometimes, if you are not aware of it, you will not be able to notice how tired it has gotten, and you will want to push it to finish because you do not want it not to be unfit. However, that will only do more damage to it.

Watch how your dog behaves before, during, and after exercises so that you can detect any changes early enough and do something about it.

Experiences Trouble Breathing

It is normal for your furry friend to start panting after exercises such as running or jogging. Some dogs may even become reluctant to climb stairs or climb on the sofa. However, the situation is different when it starts experiencing trouble breathing. This indicates it is above normal weight, and you should put precautions to ensure it loses a few pounds.

Trouble breathing is a serious issue; if not handled correctly and soon, it can lead to serious consequences.

A black and white Boston Terrier training to lose weight on a grass field

How to Help Your Boston Terrier Lose Weight

Once you have looked for the above signs and done some of the methods, you can know where your dog falls under. You must help it lose weight and maintain a suitable weight if it is overweight.

Regular exercise

Ensure that your dog gets to exercise regularly. Some recommended activities include the following:

  • Playing fetch
  • Running
  • Agility training
  • Swimming

Because of its size, you can reduce the time it has to exercise and increase the number of times it does it. With time, you can increase the time it does the exercises. This way, you ensure that it does not get tired quickly and develop a bad attitude towards exercise.

When exercising with your dog, ensure you do it when the day has become cooler as you want to avoid doing it when it is still hot and risk it getting heatstroke.

Diet Review

This entails looking at what you have been feeding your dog. In most cases, it is feeding your dog food and snacks with high calories. This makes it difficult for the body to utilize all of it and some gets stored as fat in the body. You should also avoid feeding it human food.

In the case of snacks, slowly cut out those with high calories and introduce healthier options to the Boston Terriers diet. You should also ensure it eats the recommended amount of calories per day.

Vet Recommendations

Talking to your vet will help you know the best action to take. Your vet can also prescribe something to aid your dog in losing weight. You should not buy these types of medicine over the counter as it can have compounds that may harm your dog. What the vet usually recommends is tailor-made for your dog.

Conclusion

Gaining weight for Boston terriers is a serious issue and should be helped accordingly. When you know what is making it gain weight, you can come up with a solution that will work for it. However, you must consult your vet first, and they can advise you on the best way to go forward.