Maintaining a healthy weight is necessary to ensure your furry friends’ long-term wellbeing, health, and happiness. Thus, you must ensure that your pup sheds the extra pounds to stay active and healthy.
To achieve this, you must find the best dog food for weight loss and weight management. Look for formulas that agree with your pet’s digestive system.
Getting your dog back into shape is a challenging task that requires proper planning. Lucky for you, we’ve got some helpful tips and tricks to help your dog lose weight:
Ways To Determine Obesity In Dogs
Here’s how you can determine whether your dog is overweight:
- One easy way to assess obesity in your dog is by looking at his body shape. If your puppy looks rotund or oval-shaped, chances are that your dog is overweight.
- The feel and prominence of your furry friend’s ribs are a significant indicator of your dog’s health. If your pet’s ribs aren’t super prominent and can be felt without having to press hard, your dog is fit.
- Take a look at your dog from the side to determine whether they have a sagging waist or stomach. These are tell-tale signs of a chubby puppy.
- Check your dog for excess fat between their legs or on top of their hips.
- Examine your dog’s behavior closely since overweight dogs are often inactive and lazy.
What Health Problems Can Overweight Dogs Develop?
Allowing your dog to stay overweight can lead to the following health problems:
- Arthritis
- Diabetes
- Heart Disease
- Hip Dysplasia
- Hypertension
- Increased Risk of Cancer
- Joint Problems
- Liver Problems
- Overheating
- Reduced Lifespan
- Skin Problems
The Top Dog Food for Overweight Dogs
Let’s discuss the top 8 foods you should buy for your overweight dog:
Hill’s Science Diet Dry Food
Hill’s Science Diet Dry Food, a US Dog Food brand, is recognized and recommended by Nutritionists and Veterinarians worldwide. Since this incredible is trusted and approved by professionals, you can rest assured your four-legged friend is eating the best weight loss recipe.
In-depth studies prove that their food helps your pup lose weight in 10 weeks. Their recipe includes L-Carnitine in the ingredients, along with vitamins and minerals. The pack also entails antioxidants and fibrous ingredients like apples, carrots, cranberries, dried beet pulp, and peas. It ensures your dog’s tummy is full while supporting his overall wellness.
Hill Science also focuses on providing your dog a high level of protein by adding chicken. This way, the brand ensures that the recipe’s ability to repair muscle mass and offer great taste remains intact.
It even includes healthy grains like barley and corn, as well as prebiotic fibers. Therefore, Hill Science is an incredible choice for dogs with sensitive tummies.
The Farmer’s Dog
The Farmer’s Dog is a highly reputable dog food brand that offers customers access to fresh, human-grade meals, including all-natural ingredients.
Each recipe by The Farmer’s Dog is prep-portioned and personalized to meet your dog’s unique dietary needs. Just fill out a survey form based on your dog’s age, breed, current weight, and whether they’re healthy.
Once you fill out the survey, The Farmer’s Dog customizes a food plan to help you strive for the ideal weight loss goal. Their recipes are developed by board-certified American College of Veterinary Nutrition nutritionists. Plus, you can choose between three yummy flavors: beef, pork, and turkey.
The brand allows you to get customized dog meals delivered right at your doorstep on a day-to-day basis. Remember the price of each recipe varies based on your specific health goals.
Blue Buffalo Life Protection Formula
Blue Buffalo is another famous dog food brand perfect for overweight dogs. This high-quality recipe mix is rich in nutritious whole grains and contains L-Carnitine that enhances your dog’s muscular system.
In addition, it’s specially formulated to include few calories from fat such as Omega-3 and six fatty acids to keep your dog healthy. It also helps in developing and maintaining your pet’s shiny coat. Blue Buffalo Life Protection formula is rich in proteins to ensure lean muscle growth.
Apart from delivering a healthy recipe, Blue Buffalo ensures their pack includes zero cheap fillers. Moreover, it is free from artificial flavors, corn, soy, wheat, and artificial preservatives.
Wellness Core Grain Free Reduced Fat Dry Dog Food
Wellness is a fantastic brand for dog parents that want to keep their pup’s weight in check without spending their whole paycheck.
Keep your dog’s weight moderate by ensuring they don’t eat too many calories in a single day. Wellness understands that weight management requires the perfect balance between calories and energy expended. For this reason, their Core Grain Free Reduced Fat Dry Dog Food is rich in proteins, minerals, and vitamins.
The protein in their formula is sourced from deboned beef and is the first ingredient on the list. The recipe also includes lamb and salmon meals to ensure lean muscle growth. The presence of fatty acids and antioxidants in the formula promotes healthy skin, shiny coats, and resilient immune systems.
In addition to this, probiotics help improve your dog’s digestive system. The taurine enhances your pet’s heart health. Wellness Core Grain Free Reduced Fat Dry Dog Food is ideal for adult dogs struggling with weight problems.
Nutro Natural Choice Dry Dog Food
The perfect blend of up to 15 superfoods, this recipe is ideal for your dog, aiming to lose weight. This incredible recipe includes real chicken, lamb, and salmon meals, which provide your pet with the necessary proteins to improve muscle mass.
In addition, the Natural Choice formula is rich in glucosamine and chondroitin, which improves joints and bones. The wholesome grains make it easier for your dog to digest. It also ensures your dog’s sugar levels don’t spike to prevent persistent hunger urges.
Rich in natural superfoods, including apples, blueberries, carrots, coconut, kale, and spinach, this recipe improves your dog’s immune system. The Omega 3 fatty acids and flaxseed promote healthy skin and a shiny coat.
It has super low fiber content, making it the perfect option for dogs who prefer a high fiber diet.
Purina Pro Plan Focus Wet Dog Food
If your dog prefers feasting on can food, Purina’s PRO plans are the way to go. This premium quality and heart-healthy formula are rich in protein and vitamins.
It ensures your furry friend can maintain lean muscle mass while shedding off excess fat. Purina Pro Plan Focus Wet Dog Food sources its proteins from turkey. The brand allows you to purchase 12 excellent cans of wet food.
You may choose to feed the formula in portions that match your dog’s size and breed. You can even mix it with the dry kibble for a more nutritious and tasty meal. Keep in mind that this recipe contains rice.
If your pup is picky and doesn’t enjoy turkey, you can choose its chicken-flavored can. The Purina Pro Plan Focus Dog Food contains 25% less fat than its standard line.
Merrick Grain-Free Healthy Weight Dry Dog Food
Merrick Grain-Free Healthy Weight Food contains delicious and natural vegetables and proteins. The brand ensures its healthy recipe is free of nasty fillers.
This incredible recipe includes a high protein content which makes it the perfect formula for muscular dogs. With up to 55% healthy animal protein and at least 45% vegetables, fruits, and other natural ingredients, this Healthy Weight Dog Food pack ensures your dog gets all the must-have nutrients.
In addition, Merrick Grain’s dog food is rich in minerals and vitamins that boost your best friend’s immune system. It ensures your dog is fit and active. The recipe also includes salmon oil and flaxseed, which improves your furry friend’s skin and coat.
A bonus of choosing Merrick Grain-Free Healthy Weight Dry Dog Food is that it’s yummy enough to satisfy the fussiest dogs. So, if your dog is picky, this grain-free recipe is perfect for them.
What to Look for in Dog Food for Weight Loss?
Pick the perfect dog food for your pet by learning what features you should look out for:
Rich in Proteins and High in Fiber
To help promote lean muscle growth in your pet, seek weight loss dog foods high in protein and fiber. Protein in dog food may come from chicken, turkey, lamb meal, salmon meal, and chicken meal.
Fiber sourced from plants is a form of complex carbohydrates that fills your puppy’s stomach without needing excessive calories. While fiber has a low nutrient value, keeping your pet’s digestive system in optimal condition is necessary. It also helps remove waste from your dog’s body, which assists in healthy weight management.
Low in Calories and Carbs
Look for weight loss dog foods that are low in calories and carbohydrates than regular recipes. You should find foods containing between 300 to 400 calories per cup.
In addition, if you want your furry friend to lose weight, look for kibble that’s low in fat.
Tasty
Make sure you feed your furry friend tasty food when you’re working on losing weight. Otherwise, they might end up becoming incredibly picky.
Containing Probiotics
When it comes to switching your dog’s food, look for a formula containing probiotics. These will assist in ensuring smooth digestion and help reduce the chances of intestinal upset when transitioning to new food.
Ways to Get Your Overweight Dog Back in Shape
An integral part of being a responsible pet parent is ensuring your pet is in good shape. Listed below are four helpful and practical tips to help your dog lose weight:
Investigate How Much You’re Feeding Your Dog
Ask yourself how you decided on the quantity to feed your dog? Most dog owners look at the side of the dog food pack for suggested feeding recommendations.
However, your dog is unique, and it’s unlikely their digestion system will match generalized feeding instructions. Chances are, the manufacturer’s feeding recommendations were too high and led to your puppy gaining extra weight. If this is the cause, consider reducing their food percent by 5%.
To receive an accurate recommendation about how you should feed your pet, talk to a vet or use an online feeding calculator. Feeding calculators determine precisely how much food your dog requires based on its breed, size, and additional information.
Ensure a Proper and Healthy Diet
The fact is that your furry friend gains weight similar to how humans do. It means feeding your puppy with excessive amounts of treats, food, and table scraps will lead to weight gain. It’s especially true for pets that don’t exercise much. Make sure to discuss new diet and exercise plans with your veterinarian.
One effective way to kick start your dog’s weight loss journey is by feeding your dog his standard meal. But replace his second meal with green beans, kibble, and doggie multi-vitamins.
In addition, consider switching your dog’s treats to healthier options that will assist them in losing weight. Reduce the number of treats per day to reduce their calorie intake.
Do Lots of Exercises
Additional exercise will assist your dog in losing weight. Most pets enjoy going out for swimming, walking, running, and hiking. So consider going outside and enjoying outdoor activities with them.
If your dog is obese, consider starting with slow exercises and gradually increase them. However, avoid overexerting your four-legged friend.
Train Your Dog to Run
When planning to run or jog with your dog, keep their age in mind. You risk damaging their joints by making them run on hard surfaces like concrete or asphalt.
Most breeders recommend dog owners avoid jogging on hard surfaces until their puppy is 12 months old. In addition, if you want to run with your dog when they reach maturity, make sure they’re in peak physical condition.
Contact your vet to ensure they don’t have a physical weakness like hip dysplasia, luxating patella, or heart issues.
How Much Weight Should my Dog Lose?
It’s almost impossible to calculate your puppy’s optimal weight range based on breed, height, and age. The best way is to contact your vet.
Apart from that, look at your dog’s ribs to determine whether their waist is clearly defined. If so, then your dog is not overweight.
Weigh your dog at the vet’s office or your scale at home. Once you find out their current weight and your weight loss goal, curate a weight loss goal of up to 5% of their total body weight.
When Should You Visit a Vet?
After ten weeks of exercise and an improved diet, your dog should lose some weight. If you notice that the number on the scale doesn’t change, consider making an appointment with your vet.
In some breeds of dogs, slow loss and steady weight gain can signify underlying health problems. Cushing’s and hypothyroidism are two of the most common causes of weight gain in dogs. In addition, your veterinarian will help you determine whether your weight loss goals are achievable.
The Bottom Line
Dogs that become overweight may end up adding strain to their backs, joints, and knees. It, in turn, may make it difficult and painful for them to walk, sit, and exercise.
For your pet to lose weight, they must burn more energy than what they eat. By pinpointing what food brand and quantity works best for your pet, you can help them lose weight.
Dog’s tummies are extremely sensitive to diet changes, so contact your vet before introducing new meal and exercise plans.
Sources:
https://www.barkva.org/best-dog-food-for-weight-loss/
https://www.caninejournal.com/best-dog-food-for-weight-loss/
https://www.mudbay.com/dog-weight-exercise/dog-lose-weight/
https://wagwalking.com/symptom/why-is-my-dog-gaining-weight
https://www.loveyourdog.com/weight-loss-dog-foods/#Final_Thoughts
https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/health/how-to-tell-if-your-dog-is-fat/
https://www.dogloversdigest.com/dog-food/best-dog-foods-for-weight-loss/
https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/health/getting-the-overweight-dog-in-shape1/
