The best dog foods for weight loss can help your overweight and obese dogs regain health and prevent diseases such as diabetes, pancreatitis and arthritis. Read on to find out which are our top 7 picks available in stores.
2 out of 5 Australian dogs are either overweight or obese. This is based on a study done in 2005 where 52 Australian veterinary practices sent responses for 2661 dogs (AJ, 2006). This is overwhelmingly as a result of overeating and lack of exercise. Finding the best dog foods for weight loss is therefore necessary in helping your dog stay healthy and for you to avoid the stress that comes with managing health complications caused by being overweight and obese. Before we look at the options available for dog foods that encourage weight loss, let’s first look at the root causes of this problem.
Why Dogs Become Overweight or Obese
Boredom and Emotional Stress
When keeping pets indoors, it’s important to find activities that will keep them engaged. Failure to do so will result in them eating when they’re bored or anxious. Walking your dog daily could help keep this at bay.
Owner Feeding Behaviour
How you feed your dog will determine what and when it is accustomed to eating. This is obvious as dogs follow their masters and in the same way they are trained to follow certain instructions, it is the same way they learn their diet habits. Sometimes owners feel guilty about leaving their pets alone in the house all day and make up for it by giving them lots of food. The feeding could include offering them high energy scraps or “treats” that are heavy on calories and thus contributing to the weight gain. Consider giving them dog toys instead.
Competition in Multi-Pet Households
Where there is more than one pet in the house, it is likely that the dominant one will try to eat more than their fair share. This will automatically mean that he or she will grow bigger than they should.
Hormonal Influence
Neutered or desexed pets should generally reduce their intake of food as their energy requirements also decline. Feeding them the same amounts of food they used to take before being neutered will result in them becoming overweight or obese. Your vet should be able to advise how much food intake is required for your pet.
Medical Conditions
If your dog is under medication such as glucocorticoids or is suffering from hypothyroid disease, their bodies tend to conserve more energy than they expend.
Together with your vet, you should be able to identify the root cause of your dog’s overweight or obese nature so that you can come up with a proper plan on how to deal with the problem. These 7 dog foods for weight loss will come in handy in helping you get them back on a healthy track.
The Best Dog Foods for Weight Loss
This weight loss dog food can be mixed with any meat available as it is designed to fulfil your dog’s daily nutritional requirements for weight loss. Just add meat and bones for a complete, balanced meal for your pet.
“Great product for fibre and with meat chicken turkey.”
Customer review
This is a clinically proven weight loss dog food made from natural ingredients. If you’re looking to feed your dog with real food that is lacking in artificial flavours and colours, this is one of the best brands out there. It’s acclaimed to help dogs lose 70% of the weight in just 10 weeks.
“Bert, I Love this dog food keeps my pouch trim and fit and the price is the best.”
Customer review
With real turkey as the main ingredient, your dog will fall in love with this so you better stock up. This gravy wet weight loss dog food is made with 23 essential vitamins and minerals, no artificial flavours or colours. It also contains rice which makes it so deliciously tasty for dogs.
A customer review on Amazon reads “One of the lower fat canned dog foods I found and my hound loves it and we have seen no signs of distress after she eats. Very happy with this food and much cheaper than the Science Diet low fat!”
This Australian made dog food for weight loss is made mainly from lamb and ground rice with a tailored blend of protein and fiber to support weight loss. One of NUTRO’s philosophies that it firmly adheres to is to make dog food from natural ingredients that are easily recognizable and that are lacking artificial flavours, colours and preservatives.
Evan Edwards wrote a customer review on Amazon and described it as the best dog food as his dogs have been on it all their lives and have not had any allergies or skin issues. Plus my dog is never flatulent.
This dog food for weight loss is perfect for the little bodied pugs. It’s grain-free and is made of deboned turkey, chicken meal, salmon meal and whitefish. The morsels are small enough to go through a tiny dog’s food pipe so expect your little pug to scarf it down like a pig.
“Although there’s only one flavour available, dogs seem not to mind eating every single day.”
Customer review
This complete and balanced all natural nutrition for your dog contains no artificial ingredients, colours, flavours or preservatives. It’s made from a reduced fat formula with real pork, chicken, fish to support healthy weight loss goals. It’s also a popular food for dogs suffering from pancreatitis or diabetes.
“So far, this has been working out great. My dog has pancreatitis, so has to be on a low fat food. The prescriptions foods are very expensive, which is less of an issue than – she doesn’t really like them. I bought this after looking for food with <10% fat and that I could get easily. She seems to like it and my other dog could afford to lose a few pounds. This works out perfectly!”
Customer review:
This Nutro flavour contains some amazing superfoods apart from its main ingredient which is chicken. It also contains a blend of coconut, kale, chia and blueberries. How amazing is that for dogs to get a bit of some kale and chia. The coconut flavour must be making it very delicious it seems like something human could eat and enjoy as well. Whether the kibble size is perfect for your dog will depend on the dog size.
“Got the weight off my Lab. Advice for everyone. Buy a cheap digital kitchen scale and weigh all feedings. It’s easy once you get into the habit. You will probably be shocked to find how much you are overfeeding. My vet suggested starting at 75% of the maximum suggested feeding by weight. The weight came off and stabilized. Dog is much more energetic and loves to work for a treat.”
Customer review:
With these 7 choices, you are certain to find the perfect dog food for weight loss that your dog will absolutely love and crave for. The most important thing is to find out the cause of their weight gain by seeing a vet and then working towards a goal weight. Finally, don’t skimp on them as the investment your making will be appreciated by our dog in the long-term. A healthy dog is a great companion and that’s not something anyone should compromise on.
