If you’re looking for dog food for weight loss, choosing the right diet is key to achieving a healthy body condition. If you’re just planning to feed less, that might help, but there are more effective and safer options for overweight dogs. The goal is to find delicious weight management dog foods (and treats) that will cut calories while meeting your pet’s nutritional needs. By researching a few key elements and ingredients in dog food and following science-based formulations and approaches, you can find the best weight management dog food for your best friend.
How to tell if your dog is overweight
According to surveys by my organization, the Association for Pet Obesity Prevention, approximately 56% of all American adult dogs are overweight or obese. This equates to over 50 million dogs at risk for weight-related diseases such as arthritis, diabetes, kidney disease, skin problems and many forms of cancer. Plus, studies prove that dogs kept in healthy body condition live up to 2.5 years longer than overweight dogs.
The danger of being overweight isn’t a number on a scale, it’s the hormones and harmful compounds produced by too much body fat (adipose tissue). That’s why it’s important to identify the signs of an unhealthy weight and body condition score (BCS) at home.
The first step is to weigh your dog regularly. Similar to our own “battle of the bulges”, your dog’s body stores excess food energy as body fat. When an otherwise healthy adult dog gains weight, chances are it’s fat. If you can safely pick up and weigh your dog once a month, you can get a good idea of how your dog’s weight is progressing. Spotting body weight trends early is key to avoiding excessive weight gain. Too often I see pet owners completely unaware that their dog’s weight was increasing. Additionally, if you weigh your dog regularly, you are more likely to detect unexplainable weight loss early, a common finding in dogs with cancer.
To assess if your dog is in a healthy weight range, you can check the breed weight charts on the petobesityprevention.org website or refer to the American Kennel Club (AKC) and other breed standards. . Don’t worry if your healthy weight dog doesn’t fit these values perfectly. These are averages only and may vary from organization to organization. Mixed breeds (including “Oodles and Oos”) can be tricky, so ask your veterinary team for help.
Body Condition Score (BCS) for Overweight Dogs
Your vet will use a body condition score (BCS) and possibly a muscle condition score (MCS) to determine if your dog has a healthy body composition. Although the BCS is a subjective assessment of body fat percentage, it has proven to be a useful tool for tracking progress over time.
At home, you can also perform a modified BCS by comparing your dog’s appearance to the charts and performing a few simple tests.
1. You should be able to easily feel – and count – your dog’s ribs when you lightly run your fingers sideways. If you can’t easily feel those smooth bones, it’s a sign that your pooch is probably carrying extra weight.
2. When looking at your pet from above, you should see an “hourglass” or indentation near the midsection. If your pet looks like an airship from above, it’s probably overweight or obese.
3. When you observe your dog from the side as he stands, you should see a slight tuck or upward slope in his belly. If the abdomen is low and drags low to the ground, this indicates that the most dangerous and biologically active form of body fat, abdominal adiposity, is present. It’s time to get professional help.
Create a weight loss plan for your dog
When most dog owners think “weight loss for dogs”, they think “feed less and exercise more”. If only it were that simple.
The most important thing to do if your dog needs to lose weight is to make sure he is healthy and that illness or medication is not to blame. Your vet will perform basic blood and urine tests and review any current conditions or medications. Hypothyroidism is common in many overweight dogs and should be controlled first. Arthritis, high blood sugar or diabetes, high blood pressure, kidney failure and hormonal imbalances can be caused or exacerbated by excess body fat and require specific nutritional formulations to aid in weight loss.
Why giving your dog less food can be risky
The problem with “reducing calories” by simply feeding your dog less “regular food” is that you risk reducing essential nutrients, creating additional problems for a dog with chronic inflammation from excess. of body fat. Most veterinarians can share stories of wayward dog owners who have created serious metabolic imbalances in their dogs by feeding a quarter or half of “normal.” Additionally, a dog’s metabolism adapts or “resets” in response to a reduction in calories, resulting in less weight loss than you would expect.
What to look for in dog food for weight loss
For overweight dogs, therapeutic weight loss diets remain the safest and most proven method of reducing excess body fat. Keep in mind that marketing terms such as “weight management”, “healthy weight”, “weight management” and “weight control” have no regulatory or legal meaning and are not weight loss diets. .
Look for foods labeled:
- Light
- light
- low calorie
- fewer calories
- Reduced Calories
- lean fat
- Low fat
- Less fat
- Lightened
These are approved and proven weight loss formulations for dogs.
In general, feed a food with the fewest calories per cup or that your dog likes. Most therapeutic weight loss formulations will contain less than 260 calories per cup compared to maintenance diets which range from 325 to 500 calories per cup.
I generally start my dog weight loss patients on a higher protein and fiber weight loss diet. Protein and fiber have been proven to help with satiety and keep your dog feeling full longer, reducing begging and nagging behavior for food. If a dog does not like the weight loss diet, do not hesitate to ask your veterinarian for another recommendation. There are many well-researched therapeutic diets with a wide variety of nutritional formulations to choose from, so your dog can get healthy while enjoying their meals.
A good rule of thumb is to transition your dog to a new food over a seven to ten day period by adding an additional 25% of the new diet every two to three days. If you want to compare nutritional levels between pet foods, my colleagues at Tufts University, Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, have created a great pet food calculator.
How much food should you feed overweight dogs to lose weight?
You will first need to have your dog examined by your veterinarian and an ideal weight calculated based on his current BCS. Depending on how overweight your pet is, your veterinarian may choose a target weight higher than the ideal weight to start with (Step Weight Loss). You can visit PetObesityPrevention.org for calorie recommendations or use this basic formula for weight loss in dogs:
The weight in pounds divided by 2.2 gives you the weight in kilograms (kg)
Calculate your dog’s resting energy requirement (RER) in calories (kcal) based on ideal or target weight:
30 x (ideal or target body weight in kilograms) + 70 = Daily RER Calories
For weight loss in healthy, inactive, indoor, neutered or neutered healthy adult dogs, feeding RER calories for weight loss target weight (or ideal weight in some cases) should be adequate. In cases that do not meet this calorie count, your veterinarian may further adjust the total.
How fast should my dog lose weight?
Whatever weight loss dog food you give should help your dog reach his ideal weight safely and quickly. My general guidelines for weight loss in dogs are 3-5% body weight loss per month. For a 95-pound Labrador Retriever who needs to lose 20 pounds, that’s about 4-5 pounds per month for five to six months. Most of my canine weight loss patients will be on a weight loss program for three to 12 months.
If a dog is not meeting their weight loss goals every 30-90 days, you should either cut calories by 10% or try a different diet. I’ve seen too many dogs fed the same food for months without losing enough weight. Change the amount, formulation or brand at least every 90 days if your dog is not losing weight. Metabolic adaptation is real; Periodically changing the diet may be necessary to keep your dog’s weight loss on track.
How much should I exercise my dog to lose weight?
Exercise is important, but the majority of fat loss begins – and ends – at the food bowl and the treat jar. In general terms, canine weight loss is about 70% diet and 30% activity. Aim for at least 20 to 30 minutes of walking or structured play a day.
What about dog treats to lose weight?
Take stock of the treats you offer. Many of these “calorie grenades” pack a ton of energy into an irresistible flavor bomb. To lose weight with your dog, try switching to healthy, low-calorie vegetables such as baby carrots, cucumber or zucchini slices, broccoli, celery, or any other crunchy vegetable your dog will love.
| baby carrots | 2-3 calories per carrot |
| Cucumber | 1 calorie per ¼ inch slice |
| Apple | 16 calories per slice (1/8) of large red apple |
| asparagus | 3-5 calories per spear |
| Celery | 6 calories per 7-8 inch stem |
| Broccoli | 5-6 calories per flower |
| Banana | 7 to 9 calories per ½ inch slice |
| Pumpkin | 21 calories per ¼ cup (canned, no salt) |
Weight loss in dogs is a journey
Good health is a journey. Losing excess body fat takes time. Stay on the weight loss path laid out by your veterinarian and you will be rewarded with a healthier, happier dog when you reach your destination.
