Should I feed my dog less if he is overweight
How to Help Your Overweight Dog Lose Weight
Want to know a simple secret that can help your overweight dog lose weight? And live longer, too?
To be successful, every weight loss plan must be based upon one simple principle
Dogs that consume fewer calories than they burn lose weight
Simple, right? Yet if weight loss was truly that easy, why are so many pets overweight?
An Epidemic of Overweight Dogs
Today, dogs are fatter than ever. Its now estimated that 45% of all U.S. dogs are either overweight or obese.1
Thats 35 million dogs.
Whats worse, obesity can be life-threatening, too. An overweight dog is more likely to suffer from a disabling medical condition like
- Diabetes
- Arthritis
- Heart disease
- Lung disorders
- High blood pressure
- Immune dysfunction
- Cancerous tumors
Add Two Extra Yearsto Your Dogs Life
A recent study proves that dogs maintaining ideal body weight live almost two years longer (and with significantly less disease) than their overweight siblings.2
An overweight dog is more likely to die at a younger age
In other words, you can add nearly two extra years to your dogs life just by maintaining your pets ideal weight.
A Couch Potato Eating Machine
Unfortunately, many fail to recognize a fat dog.
Veterinarians report that although nearly 50% of all the dogs they see are overweight, only 17% of pet owners agree.
It can sometimes be difficult for an owner to admit her 80 pound dog is 20 pounds overweight not just big-boned.
Every day I hear pet owners comment, How can he be overweight? He hardly eats anything.
Obesity is frequently indicative that our dogs are sedentary, couch potato eating machines burning almost no calories.
The Solution
The obesity equation is actually very simple. Dogs that consume more calories than they burn gain weight.
So, to lose weight
Your dog must eat less and exercise more
Thats all there is to successful weight loss. Best of all, if you work out together, exercise can be great for you, too.
The GoalYour Dogs Ideal Weight
Start your plan by knowing your dogs ideal weight. Not only can your veterinarian help you do this, but she can also screen your pet for certain conditions that can contribute to obesity
- Diabetes
- Cushings Disease
- Hypothyroidism
You can also visit the Association for Pet Obesity Prevention for some suggested weight ranges for specific breeds.
How to Calculate Caloriesfor Weight Loss
Once you know your dogs ideal weight, youll be able to discover the amount of calories to feed your dog daily to achieve steady weight loss.
Use the Advisors dog food calculator to determine this important number.
While most dogs will experience predictable weight loss when fed this amount each day, others may require even fewer calories. This can depend on a dogs age and activity level.
The Problem with a Dog Food Label
Label recommendations are designed for weight maintenance not weight loss. Following these instructions will likely lead to continued gains.
To control weight, you must know how many calories are in a cup of food. Then, feed according to calories.
Also, if your dog is severely overweight, your vet may need to help you design a custom weight loss program for your pet.
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 (just like us humans), 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.
And the Right Way
A dog should be fed two to four small portions a day. And the total number of calories for all meals and treats must equal the number of calories desired for weight loss.
If your schedule makes it difficult to follow this strategy, there are timed automatic feeders that can help your pet get the right amount of food.
And only at specific times.
Dont Guess Measure
Its critical to actually measure your dogs food. Never guess. Use an 8 ounce measuring cup not a coffee cup or a food scoop.
Then be sure to dispense the exact amount of food called for in your calculations.
The Trouble with MostWeight Loss Foods
Although there are many foods marketed for canine weight loss, not all are created equal. Products described as diet, lite or reduced-calorie may not be the best choice.
Many of these recipes replace meat content with high levels of carbohydrate fillers. This creates a low-calorie, bulky food that helps your dog feel full.
But only for a short time. Some arent very tasty and most tend to cause an increase in stool production.
These products can lead to dogs who are constantly hungry. Many times pets even gain weight due to the difficulty of staying on track in the face of persistent begging.
Most regular maintenance diets are high in calories (usually between 450 and 550 calories per cup or per can) making it easy to overfeed your pet.
Less Food More Begging
While weight loss can sometimes be achieved by feeding less of your dogs regular maintenance food, youll find you must feed very small amounts to achieve the reduced number of calories required to lose weight.
This leads to a pet that may feel less satisfied and begs more.
What to Look forin an Ideal Weight Loss Product
For successful weight loss, choose a quality dog food with
- Above-average protein3
- Below-average fat4
- Below-average calories5
A higher protein content helps a dog feel more satisfied with less begging. This makes it easier for you to stick to the diet.
These products also help combat muscle loss an unwelcome side effect with dieting.6
Lower calories allows your dog to eat more and still lose weight.
Weight loss is often easier to achieve by adding canned food to your dogs feeding regimen.
Canned products usually have higher protein, lower carbohydrates and fewer calories compared to a similar sized quantity of kibble.
Its also possible to achieve a good high protein weight loss diet by combining a high quality commercial dog food with low-calorie home-cooked foods. This should be accomplished with the help of your veterinarian or veterinary nutritionist.
Exercise. Exercise. Exercise.
Forty percent of American adults do not participate in any leisure time physical activity. So, no doubt our dogs are just as sedentary.
In humans, physical activity has been proven to
- Aid in weight loss
- Lessen heart disease
- Lower cholesterol levels
- Decrease the risk of diabetes
- Control anxiety and depression
- Reduce the risk of certain cancers
- Slow bone loss associated with advancing age
We can probably expect many of these same benefits for our pets.
So, get your dog moving. Take a walk. Run. Play fetch. Swim. Climb the stairs. Provide at least 30 minutes of brisk exercise every day to facilitate weight loss.
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.
Once You Reach Your Goal
Once the ideal weight is reached, the amount of food your dog is eating will likely need to be increased.
Its important to continue weighing and monitoring your dog for any future change in weight.
So, keep a log. And make any necessary adjustments throughout your dogs life to maintain an ideal weight.
My Recommended Dog Foodsfor Weight Loss
To see a list of my current recommendations, be sure to visit the Advisors article, Dog Foods for Weight Loss.
Donna Spector, DVM, DACVIM is a renowned, board-certified Veterinary Internal Medicine Specialist.
Dr. Spector has written and lectured extensively on topics including animal nutrition, diabetes, gastrointestinal disorders, and kidney failure. She is widely acknowledged for her role as consulting veterinarian to Halo, Purely for Pets and her TV appearances with The Ellen DeGeneres Show.
Dr. Spectors online consulting service offers personalized and tailored medical, nutritional and weight loss consultations for owners of both dogs and cats.
She provides professional advice relating to urinary disorders, liver problems, immune diseases, intestinal issues, diabetes, asthma and other breathing conditions, hormonal problems and other internal medical complaints.
What & How to Feed Your Overweight Dog: 6 Myths to Debunk
Whats a major but unspoken cause behind the rising percentage of dogs considered overweight or even obese in this country? For pet parents, not fessing up to having an overweight dog speaks to the fear of being judged. For veterinarians, its the fear of appearing judgmental. Without open, two-way conversations, far too many dogs are staying chubby and at risk for a host of health issues.
A person who has a Labrador Retriever who is 20 pounds overweight is afraid the veterinarian may judge him or her as being a poor pet parent, says Ernie Ward, DVM, founder of the Association for Pet Obesity Prevention. And the veterinarian is so afraid of inadvertently offending the client about the dogs weight that he or she backs off the conversation about the weight. I find that many veterinarians are more comfortable lifting the lip and telling their clients that their dogs have periodontal disease but wont go that extra step to tell them that their dogs have obesity. But obesity is a disease, and as long as we remain silent about it, we cant make it better for our dogs.
Dr. Ward, who launched the APOP in 2005 to develop and promote effective weight loss programs for pets, is on a mission to help pet parents and their veterinarians shed fears of judgment and focus on working together to help dogs achieve healthy weights and enjoy quality lives. For me as a veterinarian, I really care less about what a dog weighs and more about his body condition score that measures muscle, bone and fat, he says. There will always be a LeBron James of the dog world who has big bones but who is not overweight based on his body condition score. He is hard at work dispelling myths regarding overweight canines.
The 6 Myths About Feeding Overweight Dogs
Myth #1: A definition of overweight dog exists.
We dont have a definition for overweight dogs yet, but we are working on it, Dr. Ward says. Quite frankly, overweight is anything that is over ideal weight. But we do agree on a medical definition of obesity and that is 30 percent above an ideal weight or a body condition score of 8 or 9.
For dogs, the goal is to be a 4 or 5 on the 9-point body condition score system developed in 1997 by Nestl Purina.
Myth #2: Its the number of pounds on the weight scale that matters.
When determining if you have an overweight dog, focus less on the number of pounds registering on the scale and more on your dogs fat percentage.
Fat is one of the most biologically active ingredients in the body, says Dr. Ward, who is based in Raleigh, North Carolina. Excessive amounts of fat cause chronic inflammation throughout the body, and inflammation is the enemy of good health. When the body is in this chronic, inflamed state, there is an increased chance of cancer, arthritis in joints and other health issues developing.
Myth #3: When measuring food portions, kibble is an easier option than canned commercial food.
It is far easier to use a kitchen scale and weigh the portion of canned food than it is to measure out the precise number of kibble, Dr. Ward says. For example, if you fed just 10 extra pieces of kibble a day to a dog under 22 pounds, he would gain one extra pound in one year. Its easier to divide a can of food than to do kibble counting.
And keep tabs on the number, size and ingredients in treats you dole out when rewarding your dog in training for successfully going to the bathroom in the backyard or acing his basic obedience class.
Giving your dog a high-calorie treat each and every time he successfully potties outside or walks nicely on a leash can contribute to the extra pounds, Dr. Ward says.
Myth #4: Low-fat diets aid in weight loss and can help avoid having an overweight dog.
Therapeutic diets tend to excel because they are higher in palatability and protein, Dr. Ward says. The dream weight-loss diet is high protein, high fat, high fiber, and low carbohydrates. Fiber is filling and helps with the gut flora.
He adds that canned foods reduce the carbohydrate content found in dry food and that some contain two healthy allies: l-carnitine to increase fat metabolism and omega-3 to maintain healthy joints and skin. Consult your veterinarian about the possible benefits of adding these two ingredients as supplements.
Myth #5: An overweight dog will automatically become diabetic.
People and cats who are overweight or obese are at tremendous risk for developing type 2 diabetes, but dogs are more resistant to type 2 diabetes, but they are at risk for being whats known as insulin resistant, Dr. Ward explains.
These dogs may not show the classic signs of diabetes urinating and drinking excessively but will suffer chronic inflammation in the body due to insulin spikes. Dr. Ward urges you to have your veterinarian analyze results from blood and urine tests on your dog to accurately identify his health status.
For dogs identified as insulin resistant, boosting quality protein and losing weight steadily may be a simpler fix than getting a diabetes diagnosis that requires giving insulin injections twice a day for the rest of the dogs life, he says.
Myth #6: An overweight dog must lose at least 10 percent of his weight to achieve better mobility and better health.
I have a lot of Labrador Retriever patients who are 100 pounds and who need to be 75 pounds, Dr. Ward says. But if they lose just 5 to 10 pounds, you will see improved quality of life in these Labs. We need to focus on the goals of achieving quality of life and not on the number of pounds lost.
In the Ward household, Border Terriers Harry and Jenny were doled out healthy treats, especially baby carrots that the family also enjoys snacking on. Its a super way to do parallel healthy eating, he says. Whats good for my pet can be good for me.
Dr. Wards parting message to anyone who has a dog who is above the ideal weight
Dont beat yourself up, and realize that you are not helpless, he says. If your dog has gained weight, you can help with minimal effort by not giving high-calorie treats by weighing your dogs food at mealtime and by taking your dog for an extra 10-minute walk. The joy of obesity is that of all the diseases we treat in dogs, this is one that people can address inexpensively through consistent efforts.
Pet parents talk about their tricks to combat having an overweight dog
Here are comments we at Dogster fetched from a Facebook shout out:
- Linda Stello of Crystal, Minnesota: Doc, her 9-year-old German Shepherd Dog-Chow Chow mix, shed 20 excess pounds over two years. Linda worked with her veterinarian in giving Doc a Chinese herbal supplement, carprofen, and adjusting the food portions for her arthritic dog who now moves easier and with less pain.
- Laura Showers of Davenport, Iowa: After noticing that her senior dog, Harley, was a bit overweight, she followed her veterinarians advice and replaced one-fourth of Harleys food with green beans at each meal.
- Raquel Aguilar of San Antonio, Texas: Her moms dog, Missy, has hip dysplasia, so they turned to eliminating treats, switching to a therapeutic diet recommended by her veterinarian and training Missy how to safely walk on a water treadmill available at the veterinary clinic. Missy is also taking anti-inflammatory medicine.
To learn more ways to help keep your dog at a healthy weight, visit the Association for the Prevention of Pet Obesitys website at petobesityprevention.org.
Read more about dog health and care on Dogster.com:
About the author: Arden Moore, the Pet Health and Safety Coach, is a pet behavior consultant, master certified pet first-aid instructor, author and host of the Oh, Behave Show on PetLifeRadio. Learn more at ardenmoore.com.
