Canine Weight Management Building a Healthy Dog Diet Plan

By Isabella Storyclaire

last updated September 16, 2024

Contributions sourced from

How to Help Your Dog Lose Weight

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In the U.S., 56% of dogs are overweight or obese, and that excess weight is tied to an astonishing array of health problems. When it comes to preventing dog obesity, or even the slow creep of excess pounds, simple awarenessknowing what your dogs weight should be, and keeping on top of any fluctuationsis the first step. Just a few pounds can make a big difference.

You can seek your vets counsel on your dogs ideal weight, but a quick way to assess good canine condition at home is to ask:

Does your dog have an hourglass shape when you stand behind them and look at them from above?
Do they have a waist?
Can you easily feel their ribs?

If youre answering no for all three, theres a good chance your dog needs to lose weight. Now what? Here are some vet-approved tips for helping your dog safely shed excess pounds and keeping them in good condition.

The Food Factor

For dogs, as for humans, losing weight really comes down to two things: food and exercise. And for a dog owner trying to manage or reduce their dogs weight, food is most important by far.

Weight loss begins and ends at the food bowl for dogs and cats, Ernie Ward, DVM, and founder of the Association for Pet Obesity Prevention (APOP), tells us. Weight loss for humans and dogs is 60-70% diet and 30-40% exercise.

For dog owners who have active lifestyles, its easy to overestimate the impact of physical activity on weight maintenance. So even for active dogs, its important to establish clear guidelines for daily caloric intake.

Get Specific With How Much Youre Feeding

Heres where things can go sideways. Humans may or may not choose to count calories as a guide for what theyre eating, with some opting for other methods of keeping to a healthy regime (Do my pants fit? Great!). But when it comes to the long-term management of your dogs weight, its essential to establish a concrete benchmark for how much to feed. This means determining the number of calories your dog needs every day.

Its not a good idea to rely on the feeding guidelines on the average pet food package. There are many factors that will influence your dogs dietary needs, including breed, size, activity level, and whether theyre spayed or neutered. Standard kibble-bag feeding ranges are generally too broad for your dog, and many owners end up over-feeding based on too-generous and too-vague suggested portion sizes, typically measured in cups and scoops.

The feeding guidelines on pet food packages, says Ward, are based on active adult dogs for all life stages. Spaying or neutering, for example, reduces energy requirement by 20 to 30%, he says. So, if your pet is spayed or neutered, and not particularly active, you can already be overfeeding by 20 or 30% or more.

When it comes to determining the ideal caloric intake, its important to consider a number of factors. We take a couple of things into considerationwe look at body condition score, we look at muscle condition score, we look at lifestyle, and any concurrent medical conditions, Dr. Ward says. We start by determining, OK, how many calories should you be feeding?

As a starting place, there are also many tools online to provide rough feeding guidelines based on weight and breed. You might start by consulting the guide published by the Association for Pet Obesity Prevention.

For at-home calculating, you can use the Resting Energy Requirement (RER) formula. Take your dogs weight in kilograms, multiply by 30, and add 70 (or, take their weight in pounds, divide by 2.2, multiply this figure by 30, and add 70). You can then factor in a metabolic energy requirement (MER), depending on things like health and whether theyre spayed or neutered.

Typical MER factors include:

Weight loss1.0 x RER
Neutered/ Spayed Adult1.6 x RER
Intact Adult1.8. x RER

Ask your veterinarian about the MER and calculating and determining how your dog can lose weight safely. Tools like the MER multiplier table on the web provide estimates, but every dogs metabolism is different, so be sure to keep monitoring your pets weight.

You can also sign up for a fresh-food plan (like the ones offered to customers of The Farmers Dog). A plan like this makes it easy to determine the correct total caloric intake and food portions based on your dogs very specific requirements, and also makes it easy to adjust daily calories based on changing weight-management needs.

Food Quality Is Also Key

In addition to calorie counting, another important part of weight maintenance or weight loss is feeding lower-carb, whole, fresh food.

Many ultra-processed dog foods are full of carb-based fillersas Dr. Ward has noted, when you actually break down the ingredients on the label, many of them top out at over 60% or more carbohydrates. Fresh diets provide quality protein, but also the fiber and moisture that can keep your dog satisfied, without carb-y fillers.

Feeding nutrient-dense, bioavailable food will keep your dog healthy as they reduce their overall intake of food.

Treats Count, So Count Them

Another way to help your dog drop some extra weight is by controlling, and possibly reducing, their treat intake. Here, again, quality and quantity matter.

Nobody wants to deny their dog treats, as they are often helpful training aids, and its fun to see the excitement they generate. But its important to keep a close eye on how many treats your dog actually eats in a day and what their caloric impact is. Treats should be factored into, and comprise no more than, 10% of total daily calories.

Dog owners who feed their dogs healthy food, yet still feed them highly processed, high-carb, high-calorie treats, are potentially missing a big source of weight gain and health issues. And if you feed your dog too many treats (more than 10% of their daily intake of food), you can undo the benefits of the balanced diet youre feeding.

Many vets recommend using single-ingredient treats like fresh veggies and fruit. Baby carrots, celery, broccoli, green beans, cucumbers, blueberries, apples, and bananas all make healthy treats and, unlike mystery-meat treats, can contribute to your dogs health (use apple and banana in smaller amounts due to higher sugar content).

As for peanut butter, make sure its truly a special (rare) treat, and doled out in limited amounts; this dogand humanfavorite has a hefty 100 calories per tablespoon. Also, ensure that the peanut butter youre using doesnt contain Xylitol, which is toxic to dogs. For a lighter, and perhaps better, substitute, try plain canned pumpkin, which weighs in at just five calories per tablespoon.

Its also worth stepping back and considering why youre giving your dog treats. Our bond with our dogs is so special, and every dog owner wants to see the happy excitement a treat brings. But you can get that joyful response with healthy treats, or with smaller portions. I typically tell owners that dogs get the same enjoyment, and you can get the same reaction, from a small piece of a treat as you can from the whole thing or a handful, says Alex Schechter, DVM. There are many ways to show love and bond with your pet. It doesnt have to be all about food.

Safely Increase Exercise

Food is key, but no weight loss plan, or health maintenance plan, is complete without exercise. The most obvious, and important, activity for your dog is walking. Regular walks dont just exercise your dogs body; they provide crucial mental stimulation and that all-important opportunity to sniff. The amount of walking your dog needs, or wants, depends on their breed and general health. But while conventional wisdom says that some dogs need less exercise than others, all dogs need to move.

While the recommended minimum of daily exercise is 20 minutes, twice a day, many dogs will need much more. For many breeds, an hour of exercise a day is a good target. If your dog needs to lose weight, try to increase the amount of exercise they currently do. So, if thats none, or barely any, start with short intervals of walking. If youre already exercising, try lengthening your walk or other activity by 10-20%.

Ask your vet about the best types of activities based on your pets breed, age, gender, and current physical condition. Introduce new activities slowly to avoid injury. And, unless your dog has been trained for or slowly introduced to these kinds of activities, leave the extreme sports to your own weekend hourstoo-vigorous, or repetitive activity can put your dog at risk of joint problems. Also, keep weather conditionslike high sunin mind if your activities are outdoors. The sun creates the potential for heat stroke and burnt paw pads.

Rule Out a Medical Condition

If youve established and are staying within caloric boundaries and youre still not having any luck helping your dog lose weight, a visit to the vet could be in order to rule out a medical condition. Weight gain and lethargy can be symptoms of conditions like hypothyroidism and Cushings syndrome. The latter, also known as hyperadrenocorticism, usually occurs in older dogs, and can also cause frequent urination, hair loss, and weakness.

Weight Loss (and Maintenance) Is a Long Game

If you determine that youre overfeeding, work with your veterinarian to create a weight-loss schedule based on the appropriate calories so that your dog doesnt lose weight too fast, which is unhealthy.

Overall, the best weight management strategy is to develop good habits that are applied, consistently, long-term.

People (humans) want to rush weight loss, says Dr. Ward. Thirty days to bikini season! But this is a long process. Its years of making small decisions that help. When youre deciding on sharing your pizza crust with your Pomeranian, if you do it once, OK. But if you do it once a week for five years, thats a problem.

This article was vetted by a vet. Reviewed by Alex Schechter, DVM, founding veterinarian atBurrwood Veterinary.He was previously founding veterinarian atPure Paws Veterinary Care.

A healthy weight starts with healthy habits

The ROYAL CANIN Weight Management Referral Clinic at the University of Liverpool is an internationally renowned referral service for the management of overweight and obese pets.The team is a world leader in the field of companion animal obesity biology, and the clinic was the first of its kind in the world. As well as helping patients lose weight, they raise awareness about the growing health concern arising from companion animal obesity, both in the veterinary community and amongst pet owners. They are innovators in the field, constantly striving to increase understanding of this complex disease, and to improve methods of treatment.They are the only clinic in Europe that offers cutting edge technology, such as dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry DEXA to measure the body fat of patients, and then use this information to provide tailored individual therapy by using the latest purpose-formulated diets and exercise plans. Successful management is all about encouraging pet owners to make positive lifelong changes to how they feed and interact with their pets.

5 tips for creating a healthy meal plan for your dog

When creating a healthy meal plan for your dog, consider the nutrients your dog needs based on its age and activity level.

Creating a healthy meal plan for your dog can seem daunting, but it doesnt have to be. By following a few simple tips, you can ensure that your furry friend gets all the nutrients she needs to stay happy and healthy.

Lets take a look at some of the best ways to create a canine-friendly diet:

Why healthy dog food is essential for your dog

As a dog owner, you want whats best for your furry friend. A big part of that is ensuring your pup eats a healthy diet full of the nutrients she needs to thrive. A nutritious diet can help your dog in many ways, including:

Maintaining a healthy weight
Having more energy
Reducing the risk of health problems

Healthy dog foods are especially crucial for puppies and seniors since puppies need plenty of nutrients to help them grow, and seniors need nutritional support as they age.

But a healthy diet is essential for dogs of all ages, so finding a good dog food brand should be a high priority for owners. Farmers Dog is a top-rated service with meal plans for dogs of various ages and nutritional needs.

What to include in a dogs diet

When youre creating a healthy meal plan for your dog, there are a few things youll need to take into account. First, lets look at the different types of nutrients that your dog needs:

Protein

Protein is essential for dogs of all ages. It helps build and repair muscles, skin, and bones. Protein can also help keep your pup feeling energetic and strong. When choosing a protein for your dog, look for lean options like chicken, turkey, fish, or tofu.

Fats

Fats are another essential nutrient for dogs. They provide energy and help the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins, including A, D, E, and K. Fats will also help keep your dogs skin and coat healthy. When selecting fats for your dogs diet, choose healthy options such as olive oil, fish oil, or avocado.

Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates are a primary source of energy for dogs. They can be found in grains, fruits, and vegetables. While carbs are not necessarily essential for dogs, they can help to add variety to your dogs diet.

Vitamins and minerals

Vitamins and minerals are essential for many different bodily functions, including immunity, metabolism, and reproduction. Dogs can get the vitamins and minerals they need from food and supplements. When choosing foods for your dog, look for those rich in vitamins A, C, and E, as well as calcium and iron.

How much to feed your dog

To create a healthy meal plan, understand the key nutrients including protein, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, and minerals your dog needs.

Now that you know what to include in your dogs diet, its time to start thinking about how much to feed them. The amount of food your dog needs depends on its age, activity level, and weight.

Puppies

Puppies need more calories per pound of body weight than adult dogs. They also need to eat more frequently typically three to four times per day. As puppies grow, youll need to adjust their food intake accordingly.

Adult dogs

Adult dogs typically need two meals per day. The exact amount will depend on their activity level and weight. A good rule of thumb is to feed them about 30 percent of their daily caloric needs at each meal.

Senior dogs

Older dogs may need less food than they did when they were younger. Older dogs tend to be less active and have a slower metabolism. Talk to your veterinarian if youre not sure how much to feed your senior dog.

Tips for creating your dogs healthy meal plan

Now that you know what to include in your dogs diet and how much to feed them, its time to start putting together a dog meal plan.

Here are a few tips to get you started:

Talk to your veterinarian

They can help you create a customized diet plan for your dog based on individual needs.

Do your research

There are plenty of resources available online and in pet stores that can help you choose the right foods for your dog. Just be sure to rely on credible sources with input from veterinarians.