Is your pooch an overweight dog, and you're worried about it? Then fret not! As humans, dogs also struggle with maintaining a healthy weight. However, you must look for ways to reduce your dog's weight, since obesity can lead to several chronic diseases. For instance, diabetes, hypertension, arthritis, and liver disease, to name a few. In addition, keeping your dog's weight under control and maintaining a healthy weight through food or exercise can lengthen and improve their lives.
What Causes Dogs To Gain Weight?
There are several reasons for your dog's potential weight gain. For instance, genetics, lack of exercise, or simply eating too much could all be contributing factors. Whatever the cause, being overweight can harm your dog's health.
According to American Kennel Club, an overweight dog is more likely to develop cancer, arthritis, and bladder problems. Therefore, it's crucial to ask how much food your dog needs, and do everything you can to assist your dog in losing weight, because all of these problems can be expensive and challenging to treat.
In addition, certain medical diseases, such as hypothyroidism or Cushing's syndrome, can also impact a dog's metabolism, leading to weight gain. So, like humans, some breeds are more prone to weight gain than others, and some might have a slower metabolism or a propensity for overeating.
Lastly, environmental elements like a sedentary lifestyle, or eating a diet high in fat or carbohydrates can also cause dogs to gain weight. In short, several reasons can cause a dog to gain weight, so it's critical to find and treat underlying problems to keep your pet healthy and fit.
Best Dog Food For Weight Loss
We've gathered some excellent, low-caloric dog foods for weight loss to get your pooch in shape and maintain a healthy weight. However, before jumping to any conclusion, you should consult your veterinarian before making any dietary changes for your dog.
Hill’s Science Diet contains guidelines for adult dogs who have excess weight, and have smaller serving sizes for weight loss. Also, the company claims that the formula is designed to produce results in just 10 weeks. This dry dog food is best for small breeds, giving them the nutrients and energy needed to live healthy lives.
It is mainly composed of lamb meal, a high source of protein that contains necessary amino acids for muscle growth and repair. Another main ingredient is ground brown rice, a wonderful supply of carbohydrates. So, this small bag of dry dog food is rich in nutrients necessary for your dog’s weight management.
What makes this low-fat dog food stand out is its small kibble size. It is specifically made for small breeds to make chewing and digesting food easier. Since small tiny breed dogs have smaller lips and teeth, Hill’s Science Diet formula is the right dry dog food rich in natural amounts of glucosamine and chondroitin.
Purina Pro Plan has got you covered if you want your dog's weight loss journey fun! This dog food is based on a balanced protein-to-fat ratio that helps your dog lose weight and maintain lean muscle mass. With this weight loss food, your dog will remain satisfied and healthy due to premium ingredients, including chicken, grain brown rice, and fish meals.
Even though it has chicken as the main ingredient, its carb portion is filled with whole-grain wheat, barley, and cornmeal. The Pro Plan recipes are made with high-energy, active dogs in mind.
Tired of taking your overweight dog to the vet over and over again? The Natural Balance, low-fat recipes packed with necessary proteins and carbohydrates, can save you from that! It is high-quality, human-grade dog food created in the United States with locally sourced products. So, feeding your pooch a healthy and natural diet will not only make them fuller, but also helps them to get in shape.
Its formula is based on meat and non-meat proteins, such as nutritious grains and legumes. What makes this weight-loss dog food stand out, is its low-calorie serving size. According to the company, it contains much fewer calories per cup, only 250 cal compared to other dog foods on the market. Additionally, it only has 7.5% fat, making it a perfect choice for your overweight dog with a low activity level.
Moreover, it is packed with L-carnitine, which aids in fat metabolism, making it another great characteristic of this weight-management dog food. This can speed up your dog's weight loss and fat-burning processes.
To help your dog maintain a healthy weight, Wellness CORE’s grain-free, balanced dog food was made with a recipe that uses less fat and more protein. The company goes above and beyond to come up with dog food that’s not only fuller, but rich in proteins. It is produced with carefully chosen ingredients, such as premium proteins like turkey meal, chicken meal, salmon meal, and fruits and vegetables.
Moreover, to thrive, your dog requires a combination of macro and micronutrients. These requirements are met by CORE recipes, designed for the weight management of dogs of all ages. Although actual calorie density can vary greatly, Wellness CORE recipes are typically made to meet the minimal calorie requirements of your active dog. This gives your adult dog the protein, fat, carbs, fiber, and other nutrients they require to survive and meet its energy needs.
So, if you’re searching for a premium grain-free, low-calorie dog food, that supports your dog’s healthy weight, while assisting in developing lean body mass and muscle tone, Wellness CORE is your best bet. With this dog food, you will be at peace knowing your dog is eating the best food without meat by-products, fillers, soy, wheat gluten, or chemical preservatives.
Nutro Ultra is one of the best weight-loss dog foods that provides premium formulas, while being reasonably priced. It is a bowl full of nutrients, blended with a mix of superfoods, that satisfies your dog's palate.
This dog food includes turkey, chicken meal, lamb meal, and salmon meal. These proteins aid in maintaining the strength of your dogs' muscles, and ensures that they play and exercise to their heart's delight, for a considerable amount of time. And since your dog also needs carbohydrates to function, it includes oats, rice bran, and whole brown rice.
In short, this dog food contains all the nutritious elements to ensure your dog energy to stay active, and doesn't acquire weight easily. Even though it has few calories, this dog food is best for your overweight adult dog, since it has many savory components to satisfy your dog's taste buds.
Other Things You Can Do To Help Your Dog Lose Weight
If your dog has put on too much weight, the best strategy to help your dog lose weight is to switch to weight-loss dog food. However, that's not the only option available. You can always look for alternative ways to lose weight. The following tactics and ideas can also assist your dog in its weight loss journey:
Increase Their Exercise Frequency
Exercise is the opposite of the body weight coin if calorie intake is one. You can raise the number of calories your dog needs each day by increasing the amount of exercise they get. But if you don't give them more food, they'll have to use their body's fat reserves as fuel.
However, you need to be patient throughout the process. Just be sure to ease into any training program to prevent injury. Don't just take your couch potato dog on a 5-mile run. Start with short strolls and lengthen them with time.
Stop Giving Them Treats
We know how fun it gets when your dog gets a treat, and you overdose it out of joy. That's what you need to stop. Many owners overlook the calories that come with the snacks, and it mainly affects small dogs' weight management because each reward accounts for a sizable portion of their daily caloric intake.
Stop Giving Human Food
Giving your dog the occasional french fry or green bean is generally okay, but owners who regularly give their dogs high-calorie human meals are putting their dogs at risk for health issues. In general, you should give your pooch dog food and save human food for yourself.
Check Their Calorie Intake Regularly
You must lower your dog's calorie consumption to aid in weight management. You can achieve this by giving them smaller servings, switching to dog food for weight management, or including low-calorie treats and snacks. For this, you must check the labels carefully to ensure your dog's food and treats are high in nutrients and low in calories.
FAQs
What Is The Best Thing To Feed A Dog To Lose Weight?
To help your dog lose weight, a few pieces of vegetables, such as baby carrots, frozen sliced carrots, green beans, broccoli, asparagus, or celery, should be given. Most dogs enjoy crunchy treats, so choose something nutritious and low in calories. However, you should not be giving sweets made of meat or carbohydrates like bread or pasta.
How Can I Get My Dog To Lose 10 Pounds?
If you want your dog to lose weight fast, consider its calorie intake. Other than this, feed your dog more fiber, give clean water, give enjoyable rewards rather than food, and create more exercise opportunities.
How Can I Get My Dog To Lose 20 Pounds?
Losing 20 pounds at once can be harmful, and to ensure your dog is healthy enough for a weight-loss program, you should first speak with a veterinarian. Once your veterinarian gives the all-clear, you can modify your dog's diet. Also, you need to increase physical activity.
Start with simple strolls and gradually increase them to longer, more intense workouts. Moreover, you can also include mentally challenging things like training sessions or puzzle toys.
Conclusion
Keeping your dog's weight under control is crucial for general health. It's critical to maintain weight control because obesity can cause a variety of health problems that might harm their quality of life. Nutritious, grain-free diets, or a low-fat diet can aid in your dog's weight loss, along with frequent exercise. So, to assist you, we've given a list of the top dog foods for weight reduction, but never forget to check the label and pick a food that is right for your pet.