Dog Food For Overweight Dogs

Health Extension Lite Chicken & Brown Rice Recipe

Image courtesy Health Extension

Your dog will no doubt become obsessed with this diet to reduce weight. Organic, free-range chicken and whole foods like oatmeal and brown rice are used in Health Extension Lite Chicken & Brown Rice Recipe, a low-fat diet with organic, free-range chicken.

Cranberry juice also includes health-boosting superfoods including cranberry extract, milk thistle, flaxseed, green tea, kelp, and blue-green algae. This lower calorie diet is ideal for overweight adult and senior dogs.

The Chicken & Brown Rice Detoxification Blend from Life Extension provides probiotics for digestive health, omega fatty acids for skin and coat health, and CoQ10 for heart and cardiovascular support.

When To Try An Rx For Your Overweight Dog

If diet and exercise arent working, medication could help, but only as a last resort.

Tams recommends Pfizer Animal Healths prescription drug Slentrol. “We always try exercise and diet modification first,” he says. “But some animals have seen weight loss with Slentrol, which helps to decrease appetite and fat absorption.”

Things To Take Into Consideration When Choosing A Dog Food

Every dog is different and some have particular needs, so its important to know what youre looking for before you hit the store.

Is your dog already on supplements?

If so, some foods already contain supplements.

Some supplements and vitamins are pretty benign at higher doses, whereas others can cause GI upset or, in cases like vitamin D, can be dangerous to your dogs health.

So, its wise to double check doses before purchasing a supplement-rich food.

Does your dog have specific ailments or predispositions to certain diseases?

such as heart disease. If so, you would likely want to consider a diet avoiding grain-free dog food.

Do you have a small or large breed dog?

Just like when they were puppies, there are unique formulas for dogs of different sizes.

There are even dog foods designed for specific dog breeds, such as German Shepherds.

Is your dog needing to gain weight?

If the answer is yes, you would want to look for a higher fat and protein diet.

Is your dog a picky eater?

Then you would want to talk to the folks at the store to find a food that is more robust in flavor or even make your own.

Want some handmade food for your picky dog but are too busy to make it yourself? NomNomNow has you covered!

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How To Monitor Your Dogs Weight Loss

Monitor your dogs progress. Weigh your dog at least every 1 to 2 weeks. Using the recommended guidelines, overweight or obese dogs should lose about 1% to 2% of their body weight each week.

If your dog is not losing weight, the daily calories may need to be restricted further.

Also make sure no one in the house is cheating by giving extra food or treats.

The Wrong Way To Feed A Dog

Many dogs are fed free choice which means food is available 24 hours a day. So, the dog eats whenever it wants.

Free choice feeding is completely unnatural for any mammal. And , a dog will eat when bored instead of just when hungry.

Whats more, free feeding can contribute to unnatural hormonal changes which can make weight loss even more challenging.

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Wellness Core Dry Dog Food Reduced Fat

Wellness Core Dry Dog Food is a grain free organic dog food that uses only natural ingredients. Wellness core uses only whole foods and does not contain simple carbohydrates that can make your dog gain weight. Wellness has a high protein, low fat balance that will give your dog the much needed energy to burn those extra pounds. It also contains probiotics and fiber to help aid your dogs digestion, so it is getting only what it needs from the food. Wellness Core is also fortified with vitamins and nutrients so that even with the reduced calories and fat intake, your dog is getting all the nutrients it needs.

Read Reviews From Dog Owners Here

Hills Science Diet Adult 7+ Youthful Vitality Chicken Recipe Dry Dog Food

Top 5 Ingredients: 1. Chicken, 2. Brewers Rice, 3. Yellow Peas, 4. Cracked Pearled Barley, 5. Whole Grain Oats

Once your pooch blows out seven candles on his cake, it is a good time to think about introducing him to a new, more suitable diet for his golden years. This blend by Hills Science Diet features high-quality chicken as a primary ingredient inside delicious kibble that your big guy is surely going to enjoy. Packed with the recommended levels of nutrients, this diet will support your dogs health and wellbeing in his later life.

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How Quickly Should I Introduce The New Reducing Diet To My Dog

When you are introducing a new diet to your dog, you should allow about a week to make the transition. To minimize digestive upsets, mix the new diet in with the old diet in gradually increasing proportions. Start by feeding ¼ of the new diet mixed with ¾ of the old diet for one to two days, then increase to half-and-half for another two days, then ¾ new food and ¼ old food for a final two to three days before completely switching to the new diet.

“To minimize digestive upsets, mix the old and new diets together in gradually increasing proportions.”

To enhance the palatability of the diet food, try warming the food, adding a flavoring such as a small amount of salmon juice, low-fat chicken or beef broth, or an omega-3 fatty acid supplement.

Tim’s Premium Metabolite Weight Management Formula

A great mixture of salmon, chicken and eggs, this Dr. Tims recipe is rich on protein, but low in calories and fat. It’s just what your dog needs for losing weight, provided you can find where to purchase, as similar to Eukanuba, it’s one of the best weight loss dog food brands that’s difficult to find.

Tim’s Premium All Natural Pet Food Metabolite Weight Management Dog Formula has added L-carnitine, omega-3 fatty acids and 77% of the protein in this formula is animal derived. The complex fiber blend of this dog food recipe is also designed to keep dogs on a dietary plan fuller between meals.

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Still Not Losing Maybe Its Medical

If cutting out unhealthy snacks and table scraps, serving diet dog food, increasing physical activity, and medication dont do the trick, an underlying health condition likely triggered the weight gain. “Thats why consultation with a vet who can perform blood work is so important,” Tams says. Your vet will check for:

• Low thyroid level
• Hormonal imbalances, such as Cushings disease, an excess of adrenal hormones

Just like people, overweight dogs can face a litany of health issues, so a diet may save your pets life. The potentially devastating consequences of obesity include:

• Trouble breathing

Continued

Finding The Best Dog Food For Overweight Dogs

Heres the thing about dog food for overweight dogs: it isnt so much about changing the brand as it is changing your dogs eating habits. Granted, if youre feeding them a low-quality brand bulked up with cruddy fillers, youll want to reconsider. If youre already feeding them the best dry dog food, though, change the feeding schedule and not the food. Wondering what to look for in the best dog food for overweight dogs and how to feed them so they lose weight? Here are a few things to consider:

One other thing to watch out for: stealing! My dog, Cooper, is a rescue dog. He spent six months of his life fighting for scraps along with ten other puppies in a tiny cage. He will ALWAYS worry that food isnt going to come, so he eats whatever he can. Our vet told us that this is very common in rescue dogs. He steals everything he can get his paws on. We have to put the garbage up at night. When my son eats a snack in his room, he has to shut the door. We even have to block off the cat food so Cooper doesnt steal it!

Remember, the best dog food for overweight dogs isnt an exact brand or flavor- its an overall method of feeding. Talk to your vet to determine a weight loss diet for your pet and stick to it!

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Diamond Naturals Light Dog Food

Best Overall Light Dog Food

• Tech Specs Is made with pasture-raised lamb as the first ingredient. Made with live probiotics specifically tailored to a dogs digestive system. Has an assortment of vegetables, fruits, added vitamins and minerals, and natural antioxidants. To help strengthen a dogs skin and fur Diamond Naturals Light contains omega fatty acids.
• Overview A great blend of natural ingredients to help a dog with problems it may have losing weight. It targets a variety of different concerns a dog may have like weight and digestion sensitivity. Great balance of fat, protein, and carbohydrates that are just right for a dog to lose weight.
• What Youll Like Made with natural ingredients set to help a dog that may have other troubles besides needing to lose weight. Can help keep a dogs flatulence at bay if that is a concern.
• What You Wont Some dogs may not like how this food tastes if they have had other types of dog food to compare to.
• Recommendation I would use this for a dog that may have other concerns along with needing to be on a diet. Overall, I would say that this is the best dog food for weight loss.

Body Condition Score For Overweight Dogs

Your vet will use a body condition score and perhaps a muscle condition score to determine if your pooch is at a healthy body composition. While the BCS is a subjective assessment of body fat percentage, it has proven to be a helpful tool for tracking progress over time.

At home, you can also perform a modified BCS by comparing your dogs appearance to the charts and performing a few simple tests.

1. You should be able to easily feel and count your dogs ribs when you lightly run your fingers across the side. If you cant easily feel those smooth bones, thats a sign your doggo is probably carrying extra weight.

2. When you look down on your pet from above, you should see an hourglass figure or an indentation near the midsection. If your pet looks like a blimp from above, hes probably overweight or has obesity.

3. When you observe your dog from the side as he stands, you should see a slight tuck or upward slope of the tummy. If the abdomen hangs low and drags near the ground, that indicates the most dangerous and biologically active form of body fat, abdominal adiposity, is present. Time to get professional help.

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Creating A Weight Reduction Plan For Dogs

Weight loss is tough for anyone – two- or four-legged! However, losing weight and getting in shape can not only add not years to your dog’s life, but it can also make those extra years more enjoyable. Helping your cuddly canine to shed a few pounds may be easier than you think. It simply requires a commitment to weight loss and fitness, attention to details, and the assistance of your veterinary healthcare team.

Best Grain Free: Blue Buffalo Freedom Grain Free Dog Food Healthy Weight Chicken Recipe

Amazon

• Suited for both food allergies and weight management

• Bag size too large for small breeds to finish before it becomes stale

• Kibble size is large for small dogs

Food allergies in dogs are uncommon, and theres no need for most dogs to be on a grain free diet. However, if your pooch has been diagnosed with food allergies by your vetand needs to drop a few pounds, tooBlue Freedom Grain-Free Healthy Weight Chicken Recipe may be the right option for your dog.

This food contains no corn, wheat or soy and no artificial flavors or preservatives. Its suitable all breed sizes, but its also available in a small breeds formula with smaller nuggets.

Life Stage: Adult | Available Flavors: Chicken | Sizes: 4 or 24-pound bags | Primary Ingredients: Deboned chicken, chicken meal, peas, potatoes, pea starch, tapioca starch, pea fiber, potato starch, natural flavor, dried tomato pomace, flaxseed, chicken fat, pea protein, powdered cellulose

Our top pick is Purina Pro Plan Adult Weight Management Formula Dry Dog Food, Chicken & Rice Shredded Blendbecause its approved for all breed sizes and is reasonably priced. If your dog prefers wet food or is a finicky eater, Hills Science Diet Adult Perfect Weight Vegetable & Chicken Stew Canned Dog Foodcombines broth and chunks for an enticing texture in a weight management food.

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Why Dog Obesity Is An Issue

Around 56% of dogs in the US are overweight or obese. According to research provided by Banfield Pet Hospital, being 10% overweight can decrease a dogs lifespan by up to 2.5 years, on average! On top of that, a fat dog can develop other dangerous health issues like diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, joint issues, and increased cancer risk.

Diseases And Problems Caused By Overweight

Being overweight predisposes to a variety of health problems, and the life expectancy of an overweight dog is shorter than that of a dog with normal weight. In puppies, excess weight can result in various growth disorders. Being overweight is also a significant risk for dogs requiring general anaesthesia for surgery because it makes them more vulnerable to various complications than normal dogs, and recovery times for overweight dogs are also much longer. Obesity has been found to predispose dogs to a variety of tumours and cancers.

Adipose tissue plays an active role in the body. It produces enzymes and hormones that are involved in the regulation of blood pressure, appetite, immune response, blood sugar, and inflammation, for example. If the amount of adipose tissue in the body becomes too high, the substances it produces will be disrupted. Excess adipose tissue produces inflammatory mediators that can lead to low-grade general inflammation, such as osteoarthritis, dermatitis, urinary tract infection, etc., which in turn can worsen the bodys inflammatory response. One of the main substances produced by adipose tissue is adiponectin, which inhibits the formation of inflammatory mediators and sensitizes the body to insulin. Adiponectin levels are reduced in obese dogs.

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Annamaet Lean Reduced Fat Formula

Rating:

Annamaet Lean Reduced Fat is a grain-free dog food that contains high-quality ingredients with just 8% fat and 30% protein. This formulas main protein source is chicken meal, and it also includes added L-carnitine which helps promote a healthy weight while keeping your dogs mind sharp.

• First 5 ingredients: Chicken meal, field peas, lentils, potato, tapioca
• Type: Grain-free
• Calories: 350 kcal/cup

Actual buyer reviewMy dog has GI issues and was on expensive prescription dog foods for many years until I discovered this food. He has had no more active GI issues for a few years now and tolerates this food perfectly. We also had weight issues and this food helped make him a healthy weight again along with exercise! He loves it. Highly recommend.

How Should I Begin A Weight Loss Program For My Dog

Theoretically, weight loss seems simple enough: fewer calories in plus more calories out equals weight loss. Unfortunately, it is not as simple as that.

You should never put your dog on a diet without the assistance of your veterinary healthcare team. There may be an underlying medical condition that is causing or contributing to your dog’s excess weight. Some common diseases associated with weight gain include hypothyroidism and hyperadrenocorticism . These diseases, along with others, should be eliminated as possible causes or contributors to your dog’s weight problem prior to beginning a diet. Too many dogs start on a diet and fail to lose weight simply because the diet was not the problem – a disease was. Your veterinarian will perform a physical examination and recommend blood tests to ensure that there are no obstacles to weight loss for your pet.

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Nutro Natural Healthy Weight Dog Food

Affordable, low-cal diet dog food

This budget-friendly weight management formula features chicken and chicken meal as the first ingredients, along with wholesome, healthy grains like brown rice.

About: Another food that is great for portly pups, Nutro Natural Healthy Weight Recipe is a nutritious and delicious food, with a very low caloric value. But despite being a low-calorie food, Nutros Healthy Weight Recipe is full of tasty ingredients dogs love, such as real chicken and sweet potatoes.

Features: Nutros Natural Healthy Weight Recipe is a very low-calorie dog food. With only 228 Calories per cup, this is a food that is clearly designed for weight loss.

But because it is important to provide your pup with the nutrition she needs while shes losing weight, Nutro uses an assortment of high-quality ingredients in this food. This includes whole proteins like the chicken , as well as whole brown rice, lamb meal and dried sweet potato.

This recipe also includes several antioxidant-rich ingredients, such as dried carrots, dried blueberries, and dried apples. Vitamin and mineral supplements round out the ingredient list.

PROS

Most owners who tried Nutro Healthy Weight Recipe raved about it. Many reported that it helped their pet lose significant amounts of weight hardly a surprising revelation, given the reduced calorie content of the food. Many also reported that it increase their pups energy level too.

CONS

Calories per Cup: 228