Hi Dogs4Life! I don't know of a good reduced calorie food but just wanted to relay my experience with my overweight nonpoodle (GSD). I've never had an overweight dog before so when Rex gained about 10 lbs this year I was surprised. He is so fluffy it is hard to tell. He is 6 years, and the vet did a full bloodwork panel at his yearly exam. It came back showing hypothyroidism which is apparently very common in dogs. The vet said he would never lose the weight without taking the hormone medication. I did not see any other symptoms besides the weight gain this year. Once on the medication daily he has lost the weight with a small decrease in his same food. Anyway just something to think about. Hope you find a solution!
Best Dry Food for Weight Loss
I switched both of my dogs to Purina in July. The salmon formula food is pretty high in calories, so I was concerned about Miracle because she is still overweight. I have been using a dog calorie calculator to determine how much to feed her, and I felt I was starving her, so I decided to put her on a reduced calorie/fat food. I really did not like the reduced calorie/fat foods that Purina makes given the ingredients, so I decided to try the Victor brand. This food is causing her to poop almost every single time she goes out. The poop is normal, but the amount of it isn't. Her body isn't using the food the way it should.
Anyone have any suggestions for a different and better brand? I am staying away from the foods with excessive amounts of peas and potatoes.
Anyone have any suggestions for a different and better brand? I am staying away from the foods with excessive amounts of peas and potatoes.
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I don't buy that your dog, Stormee won't lose weight without the hormone, although if your dog has low thyroid, he needs the hormone. I have that ailment myself.
If your dogs need to lose weight, you can add some green beans or other zero or near zero calorie fiber containing foods. It fills them up, makes you feel less guilty and they'll get use to fiber...just add it in gradually at first.
I like Victor but I guess they all are affected differently. It has lots of protein from meat, no peas, potatoes and all that stuff... but the hi pro plus wasn't making my particular dogs' poo large enough and they got impacted anal glands. So I switched to a different formula that has a little more fiber plus I give them things that add a little more to their diet without adding too much. (too much is no good) So we'll see.
Anyhow, rather than spend more money for less nutrition, which is essentially what you're doing when you buy a "low calorie diet for over weight dogs" just feed less of their regular food and add in some green beans or some other vegetable (make sure it's safe for dogs and not too much of the same thing every time) or a wee bit of Firm-up. (my dogs don't like that taste but a lot of dogs do) https://www.amazon.com/Diggin-Your-Dog-Supplement-Digestive/dp/B006CBD7UQ
If your dogs need to lose weight, you can add some green beans or other zero or near zero calorie fiber containing foods. It fills them up, makes you feel less guilty and they'll get use to fiber...just add it in gradually at first.
I like Victor but I guess they all are affected differently. It has lots of protein from meat, no peas, potatoes and all that stuff... but the hi pro plus wasn't making my particular dogs' poo large enough and they got impacted anal glands. So I switched to a different formula that has a little more fiber plus I give them things that add a little more to their diet without adding too much. (too much is no good) So we'll see.
Anyhow, rather than spend more money for less nutrition, which is essentially what you're doing when you buy a "low calorie diet for over weight dogs" just feed less of their regular food and add in some green beans or some other vegetable (make sure it's safe for dogs and not too much of the same thing every time) or a wee bit of Firm-up. (my dogs don't like that taste but a lot of dogs do) https://www.amazon.com/Diggin-Your-Dog-Supplement-Digestive/dp/B006CBD7UQ
Thanks for the info, StormeeK! I will check into that at her next vet appointment. I would say she's about 1.5 pounds (maybe less) overweight; but, because she is small, that's a lot! When I got her, she was underweight. I didn't do a great job with watching her calories once she was at a healthy weight. She also used to play with her toys more, but then she began to slow down energy wise. Maybe it's all health related.
Thanks, PB. There is one other food that I found on Chewy this afternoon that I might try first. If no luck, I will just put her back on Purina and add some veggies as suggested. She really loves the Purina salmon food.
My daughter’s vet had her cut back slightly on the food she was feeding her dog and add some cooked veggies to make up for the missing dog food. It’s working well, her dog has slimmed down nicely.
My Jack Russell Terror gains weight at the drop of a hat. He is small, so it just does not take much to make him porky. Since he eats Honest Kitchen, all I do to make him lose weight is cut his portion down, but add extra water. He is happy because his little bowl is still full.
I don't know, I use Victor and my dogs go 3x a day. Could you be over feeding? My standard gets 1 1/2 cups twice a day. My Cairn get 1/4 cup twice a day and my chi get !/8 cup 2x a day. The small dogs go 2x a day.
She does love veggies! She sometimes gets a few raw baby carrots as a treat. I will definitely think of this if I switch back to Purina, because that would mean cutting back to 1/4 of a cup of dry food, or maybe even less, 2 times a day.My daughter’s vet had her cut back slightly on the food she was feeding her dog and add some cooked veggies to make up for the missing dog food. It’s working well, her dog has slimmed down nicely.
I fed her Honest Kitchen for a while and she loved it! Mostly I got it for Jasper, but he turned his nose up at it, so she had to finish the box. I will look into this brand again, even though it might be a little pricey for me right now.My Jack Russell Terror gains weight at the drop of a hat. He is small, so it just does not take much to make him porky. Since he eats Honest Kitchen, all I do to make him lose weight is cut his portion down, but add extra water. He is happy because his little bowl is still full.
I have been using a calculator online to determine what her calorie needs are based on the weight she should be, and then feeding her that amount. Maybe she's just overly sensitive to this food...I don't know, I use Victor and my dogs go 3x a day. Could you be over feeding? My standard gets 1 1/2 cups twice a day. My Cairn get 1/4 cup twice a day and my chi get !/8 cup 2x a day. The small dogs go 2x a day.
I am on my phone, so there is no "thanks" button, but thank you to everyone for your responses!
The more I have been thinking about it, I am thinking I probably should get a blood panel done as suggested to check for hypothyroidism. I am thinking the years of her not being fed a high quality food probably has had a major impact on her health.
Purina Pro Plan has some nice weight control formulas which would help her lose weight without feeling hungry.She does love veggies! She sometimes gets a few raw baby carrots as a treat. I will definitely think of this if I switch back to Purina, because that would mean cutting back to 1/4 of a cup of dry food, or maybe even less, 2 times a day.
We had two poodles who wouldn't overeat and one poodle who was quick to benefit from any leftover food. We cut her serving to about 3/4 and added salt-free canned peas (hard to eat with just a tongue!) to prolong her meals. We also switched to baby carrots for most treats. I also practiced picking up the leftover food faster!
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