What shape is your pet in?

With the growing pet obesity epidemic it can be an eye opener to know how much your pet's extra kilos mean in human terms.

Use our handy tool below to see your pet's weight in human terms:

1. Select your preferred units of measurement.
2. Select your pet's approximate ideal weight (base this on whether you have a small, medium or large animal).
3. Drag the slider bar to the amount your dog is overweight.
4. The display will tell you how much an equivalent human would be overweight.

The dangers of a dog being overweight are numerous and carrying even a small amount of additional weight can put a dog at risk. A small dog that is just 1kg overweight is the equivalent of a human carrying an extra 5kg, while a large dog who is 5kg over his ideal weight is the equivalent of a 25kg overweight human.

For more in depth information The Association for Pet Obesity Prevention (APOP) has created tables of the most common breeds that compare those extra pounds on our pets in terms we can easily understand. APOP Founder and President Dr. Ernie Ward remarks on why the group created these tools. “As a veterinarian I’m always looking for ways to demonstrate how serious even a few extra pounds on a pet can be.”

If your pet is carrying any additional weight, we urge you to visit a Pet Slimmer participating practice. They will assess your pet and if needs be, enrol you for the Hill’s Pet Slimmer Programme.