Dog Weight Calculator
Check your dog's weight and body condition.
Starting estimate, not a diagnosis. Your vet knows your pet.
How to use the dog weight calculator
- Enter today's weight. This is the number the score will scale. It is not the ideal.
- Mark neutered or not. That changes maintenance calories. It does not change the ideal-weight line.
- Open the score cards and pick the description that matches your hands on the ribs, not a photo you wish were true.
- Read the ideal weight if the score is 4 or higher. Scores 1 to 3 do not get a target weight.
- If the score is above 5, the weight-loss mean is AAHA's figure on that ideal weight. The vet still sets the plan.
What the cards are, and what they are not
The nine cards are original sentences for ribs, waist and tummy. They are not the WSAVA chart's wording and they are not a copied drawing. The scores themselves are the usual 9-point scale. AAHA's 2021 screening section asks clinics to use that scale as whole numbers.
AAHA's Table 2 is the math. Score 4 is marked ideal. Each point above 5 is about 10% overweight: 6 is 10%, 7 is 20%, 8 is 30%, 9 is 40% or more. Score 5 is not listed as overweight, so this page treats 4 and 5 as the ideal band and leaves today's weight alone.
The page opens at 40 lb and score 7 of 9. That is 20% overweight, so the ideal estimate is 33.3 lb. The line is today's weight divided by 1.20. It is an estimate for a conversation, not a diagnosis that the dog is obese.
Calories that follow the score
Maintenance on screen uses Merck's adult factor for an ideal shape, neutered or intact as you marked it: 985 kcal. It is the 'what if the body were ideal' maintenance on today's weight, which is a bit of a fiction when the score is 7. It is there so neuter status still changes a number you can see.
The weight-loss mean, 485 kcal, appears only when the score is above 5, and it is counted on the ideal weight, using AAHA's dog figure. Scores 4 and 5 show 0 on that line because a weight-loss intake is the wrong tool for a dog already in the ideal band.
Scores 1, 2 and 3 stop. Table 2 has no 'percent underweight' for them. Printing a heavier target would be a number this page does not have. A thin dog needs an exam, not a multiplier.
Hands on the dog, then the scale
People mis-score dogs they love. If you cannot feel ribs, you are not at 4 or 5, whatever the dog's face is doing. If you can see every rib from across the room, you are not at 7. The cards are written so you can check yourself without a picture.
Muscle and fat are different. AAHA says a dog can be heavy and still have lost muscle. This page does not score muscle. If the spine is bony and the ribs are buried, say that to the vet rather than forcing one card.
The table under the article holds score 4 through 9 at a fixed 40 lb so you can see the percent step without re-tapping cards. Your weight replaces 40 lb as soon as you type it. The table will not follow you.
Ideal weight at 40 lb by score
| Score | Percent overweight | Ideal weight at 40 lb | Weight-loss mean |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 of 9 | 0 % | 40 lb | 0 kcal |
| 5 of 9 | 0 % | 40 lb | 0 kcal |
| 6 of 9 | 10 % | 36.4 lb | 515 kcal |
| 7 of 9 | 20 % | 33.3 lb | 485 kcal |
| 8 of 9 | 30 % | 30.8 lb | 455 kcal |
| 9 of 9 | 40 % | 28.6 lb | 430 kcal |
AAHA Table 2: 10% overweight per point above 5. Scores 4 and 5 stay at today's weight. Weight-loss calories appear only above score 5, on the ideal weight.
Tips and common mistakes
- Score with your hands. A winter coat hides a waist that your fingers can still find.
- Do not pick score 5 because you want the ideal line to equal today's weight.
- Neutered changes maintenance calories only. It does not make a score-7 dog 'ideal'.
When to call your vet
- The score is 1 to 3, or 8 to 9, or you cannot decide between two cards.
- Weight changed quickly and the food did not.
- You want a weekly loss target. The calorie line is a starting intake, not a schedule.
- The dog is a puppy. Body-condition percents here are the adult table.
Frequently asked questions
What is a healthy weight for my dog?
On this page it is the ideal-weight line for the score you pick. At 40 lb and score 7 of 9 that line is 33.3 lb. Scores 4 and 5 keep today's weight. There is no breed chart here.
How do I score body condition?
Feel the ribs, look down for a waist, and look from the side for a tummy tuck. Match the card. The sentences were written for this site. The 10% step above score 5 is AAHA's Table 2.
How fast should a dog lose weight?
The page does not say. Above score 5 it shows a weight-loss calorie mean of 485 kcal on the ideal weight. How many weeks that takes is the vet's plan, not a division you should do at home.
Why is there no target under score 4?
AAHA's table starts its overweight percents at score 6 and marks score 4 as ideal. It does not give a percent for scores 1 to 3. Inventing one would look precise and would be made up.
Is score 7 the same as obese?
The card calls 7 heavy: ribs hard to feel, waist barely there. AAHA's table calls that about 20% overweight. The word on the card is a description. The clinic decides the medical label.