Being overweight puts your dog at risk for developing a serious health complication, like diabetes, arthritis or heart disease. Along with exercise, a diet consisting of higher protein and lower fat can help a dog lose weight. Most dogs need about 25–30 calories per pound per day to maintain their weight. For example, a 30-pound dog needs around 800 calories a day. You can subtract from this figure to help your dog lose weight.
What is the best dog food for weight loss?
There are a variety of dog foods on the market advertised to promote healthy weight in dogs. We’ve selected five of our top picks to highlight below. Each of these recipes includes a low-fat diet, with little-to-no artificial, synthetic or filler ingredients for a healthy, balanced meal. Consider adopting a grain-free diet for your dog if are concerned about them filling up with fillers instead of real ingredients.
NomNomNow offers fresh, never frozen pre-portioned food using whole, restaurant-quality ingredients. The protein options are beef, chicken, turkey or pork. All meals are made-to-order and customized to your pet’s needs. Customers fill out a survey about their pet including their current and goal weight and NomNomNow delivers custom pre-portioned fresh food straight to your door on a weekly, biweekly, or monthly basis.
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Summary
4 PROTEIN OPTIONS
Price: $$$
Type: Fresh
Protein: Based on customization
Fat: Based on customization
Calories per serving: Based on customization and recipe
Canidae is a brand with several special diet options, including grain-free, limited ingredient, ancestral diets, small-breed diets. For weight loss, we recommend their PURE diet, which is a limited ingredient diet designed for easy digestion for dogs with sensitive stomachs.
If you have a dog that can’t chew kibble, or simply prefers wet food, FreshPet is our favorite wet food option. Their website has a formula recommendation tool where you can enter your dogs preferences and needs, including weight loss, to be matched with the right formula for your dog. The Vital formulas are grain-free with no artificial colors, flavors, preservatives and no animal by-products.
Blue Buffalo’s Healthy Weight recipe contains the lowest calories of all the formulas on our list, making it easier to feed your dog a calorie-reduction diet without them feeling like they’re missing out. The diets are corn-free, wheat-free and have no artificial colors, flavors or preservatives and no chicken by-product meals.
If you’re not sure your dog is overweight, consider using a body condition score for dogs, which is similar to a BMI for people. Ideally, your dog will land in the middle of the score. Check to see if you can feel your dog’s ribs. You should also be able to distinguish between your dog’s chest and stomach. Overweight dogs also might breathe heavier when walking, move slower or sleep more often.
How much should my dog weigh?
Not all dogs are the same. Your dog's ideal weight depends on several factors, including breed, gender and height. Here's a look at healthy weights for the country's top 10 dog breeds.
Top 10 dog breeds
Healthy male weight
Healthy female weight
Labrador Retriever
64–79 lbs.
55–71 lbs.
German Shepherd
66–88 lbs.
49–71 lbs.
Golden Retriever
65–70 lbs.
55–65 lbs.
French Bulldog
Under 28 lbs.
Under 28 lbs.
Bulldog
50 lbs.
40 lbs.
Beagle
20–30 lbs.
20–30 lbs.
Standard Poodle
60–70 lbs.
40–50 lbs.
Rottweiler
95–135 lbs.
80–100 lbs.
Yorkshire Terrier (Yorkie)
7 lbs.
7 lbs.
German Shorthaired Pointer (GSP)
55–70 lbs.
45–60 lbs.
How to help a dog lose weight
More than half of dogs in the United States are overweight, according to research from Banfield Pet Hospital. Since 2007, the number of overweight canine pets has increased a staggering 158 percent. When dogs are heavier than they should be, they are more prone to suffer from conditions such as heart disease, arthritis and diabetes, as well as a lower life expectancy. Luckily, there are ways to help your dog return to a healthy weight:
Increase your dog’s daily exercise
Almost every dog stands to benefit from 30 minutes to two hours of physical activity every day. Often, a casual walk around the neighborhood will suffice.
Decrease your dog’s food portion size
Instead of feeding once or twice a day, feed your dog smaller portions multiple times a day to keep blood sugar levels steady. Keep water available to your dog all day, but don’t leave food out after more than 15 minutes since dogs can’t self-regulate.
Feed your dog weight management dog food
Buying the best diet dog food for your pet’s nutritional needs is another important way to keep your dog’s weight under control. Look for a formula that offers more protein and less fat with a reduced calorie count.
By making a few simple changes, you can help your dog lose weight and live a healthier, happier life.
