Body condition score

Body condition score

Over the last decade, overweight and obesity rates have risen significantly in pets, making it essential to assess a pet's weight status accurately to support effective health management and prevent related health issues. These Body Condition Score (BCS) charts will help you, as a veterinarian, assess whether a pet is underweight, at an ideal weight, or overweight/obese.

How to determine if a pet is at an ideal weight?

Weighing a cat or a dog on a scale might seem like the only option for determining whether their weight is ideal or not. However, this method doesn't consider the natural body shape of each pet. The Body Condition Score is a tool to help define the ideal shape for a pet. 
It's a 9-point scale ranging from 1, indicating the pet is severely underweight, to 9, which indicates severe obesity. The ideal body condition according to this score is a 4 or 5, meaning you can easily feel their ribs, identify a visible waist from above and see their abdomen tuck up behind their rib cage when looking at your dog from the side.

How to use a BCS?

Step 1 – Look

When determining a body condition score, look at the pet from above and from the side. Compare their body shape with those highlighted under each score from 1 to 9 to see which matches the pet's physical appearance best.

Step 2 – Feel

Using your fingers gently apply small amounts of pressure around the pet’s ribs. Compare the feeling against those highlighted under each score from 1 to 9 to see which one matches best.

You may also be interested in accessing the Muscle Condition Scoring (MCS), a method used to evaluate a dog’s skeletal muscle mass