Hill’s BFI (Body Fat Index) risk chart - 3 steps to determine ideal weight

Oct 12, 2026

Upload by Kyle

Hill’s BFI (Body Fat Index) risk chart provides a structured way to estimate a pet’s body fat percentage by visually assessing ribs, lumbar waist shape, abdominal tuck/bulge, muscle definition, and tail base bones and fat cover. It categorizes results into mild, moderate, serious, severe, and extreme risk levels with descriptive body-shape cues. A 3-step method links the estimated body fat percentage to ideal body weight using a current weight-to-ideal weight table, noting results may vary by breed and individual.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryForms

FormatPDF

Pages2

Reading Time1 min

AccessFree to download

3 steps to determine ideal weight

Weight the pet

Determine body fat percentage from images and descriptors

Establish ideal weight using this chart

Hill’s™ BFI (Body Fat Index) risk chart Patients name: Ribs Slightly prominent. Easily felt. Thin fat cover. Shape from above Well proportioned lumbar waist. Shape from the side Abdominal tuck present. Shape from behind Clear muscle deﬁnition, smooth contour. Tail base bones Slightly prominent. Easily felt. Tail base fat Thin fat cover. 30 26-35% body fat Mild risk Ribs Slightly to not prominent. Can be felt. Moderate fat cover. Shape from above Detectable lumbar waist. Shape from the side Slight abdominal tuck. Shape from behind Losing muscle deﬁnition, rounded appearance. Tail base bones Slightly to not prominent. Can be felt. Tail base fat Moderate fat cover. 40 36-45% body fat Moderate risk Ribs Not prominent. Very difﬁcult to feel. Thick fat cover. Shape from above Loss of lumbar waist, broadened back. Shape from the side Flat to bulging abdomen. Shape from behind Rounded to square appearance. Tail base bones Not prominent. Very difﬁcult to feel. Tail base fat Thick fat cover. May have a small fat dimple. Serious risk Severe risk | | Ribs
Not prominent. Impossible to feel. Extremely thick fat cover.
Shape from above
Extremely broadened back.
Shape from the side
Severe abdominal bulge.
Shape from behind
Square appearance.
Tail base bones
Not prominent.
Impossible to feel.
Tail base fat
Extremely thick fat cover.
Large fat dimple or fat fold. | | --- | --- | Ribs Not prominent. Extremely difﬁcult to feel. Very thick fat cover. Shape from above Markedly broadened back. Shape from the side Marked abdominal bulge. Shape from behind Square appearance. Tail base bones Not prominent. Extremely difﬁcult to feel. Tail base fat Very thick fat cover. Fat dimple or fold present. 70 > 65% body fat Extreme risk Ribs Unidentiﬁable. Impossible to feel. Extremely thick fat cover. Shape from above Extremely broadened back, bulging mid-section. Shape from the side Very severe abdominal bulge. Shape from behind Irregular or upside down pear shape. Tail base bones Unidentiﬁable. Tail base fat Extremely thick fat cover. Large fat folds or pads. Clinic: [www.hillspet.com.au](www.hillspet.com.au) 3 steps to determine ideal weight 1 Weighthe pet 2 Determine the pet’s body fat percentage using images and descriptors on the reverse side 3 Establish ideal weight using this chart | Current
weight (kg) | Ideal body weight (kg) | | | | | | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | | 20% body fat | 30% body fat | 40% body fat | 50% body fat | 60% body fat | 70% body fat | | 4 | 4.0 | 3.5 | 3.0 | 2.5 | 2.0 | 1.5 | | 5 | 5.0 | 4.4 | 3.8 | 3.1 | 2.5 | 1.9 | | 6 | 6.0 | 5.3 | 4.5 | 3.8 | 3.0 | 2.3 | | 7 | 7.0 | 6.1 | 5.3 | 4.4 | 3.5 | 2.6 | | 8 | 8.0 | 7.0 | 6.0 | 5.0 | 4.0 | 3.0 | | 9 | 9.0 | 7.9 | 6.8 | 5.6 | 4.5 | 3.4 | | 10 | 10.0 | 8.8 | 7.5 | 6.3 | 5.0 | 3.8 | | 12 | 12.0 | 10.5 | 9.0 | 7.5 | 6.0 | 4.5 | | 14 | 14.0 | 12.3 | 10.5 | 8.8 | 7.0 | 5.3 | | 16 | 16.0 | 14.0 | 12.0 | 10.0 | 8.0 | 6.0 | | 18 | 18.0 | 15.8 | 13.5 | 11.3 | 9.0 | 6.8 | | 20 | 20.0 | 17.5 | 15.0 | 12.5 | 10.0 | 7.5 | | 22 | 22.0 | 19.3 | 16.5 | 13.8 | 11.0 | 8.3 | | 24 | 24.0 | 21.0 | 18.0 | 15.0 | 12.0 | 9.0 | | 26 | 26.0 | 22.8 | 19.5 | 16.3 | 13.0 | 9.8 | | 28 | 28.0 | 24.5 | 21.0 | 17.5 | 14.0 | 10.5 | | 30 | 30.0 | 26.3 | 22.5 | 18.8 | 15.0 | 11.3 | | 33 | 33.0 | 28.9 | 24.8 | 20.6 | 16.5 | 12.4 | | 36 | 36.0 | 31.5 | 27.0 | 22.5 | 18.0 | 13.5 | | 39 | 39.0 | 34.1 | 29.3 | 24.4 | 19.5 | 14.6 | | 42 | 42.0 | 36.8 | 31.5 | 26.3 | 21.0 | 15.8 | | 45 | 45.0 | 39.4 | 33.8 | 28.1 | 22.5 | 16.9 | | 48 | 48.0 | 42.0 | 36.0 | 30.0 | 24.0 | 18.0 | | 51 | 51.0 | 44.6 | 38.3 | 31.9 | 25.5 | 19.1 | | 55 | 55.0 | 48.1 | 41.3 | 34.4 | 27.5 | 20.6 | | 59 | 59.0 | 51.6 | 44.3 | 36.9 | 29.5 | 22.1 | | 63 | 63.0 | 55.1 | 47.3 | 39.4 | 31.5 | 23.6 | | 67 | 67.0 | 58.6 | 5

FAQs

How is a pet’s body fat percentage estimated in the BFI chart?

Use the images and descriptors for ribs prominence, lumbar waist shape, abdominal tuck/bulge, muscle definition, and tail base bones and fat cover to determine the body fat percentage range.

What does the chart say about risk levels?

It assigns mild, moderate, serious, severe, and extreme risk based on how difficult the ribs are to feel and the thickness of the fat cover, along with overall body shape descriptors from above, side, and behind.

How do you calculate ideal body weight using the chart?

First weigh the pet, then determine the body fat percentage using the chart’s descriptors, and finally use the current weight to look up the ideal body weight for that percentage in the table.

Oct 12, 2026

Upload by Kyle