How can you help a dog lose weight?

Question

We just went to the animal shelter and they had the cutest, but fattest, beagle I've ever seen. She weighs 44 lbs! I want a dog so bad and fell in love with her. How do you help a dog lose weight?

Answer 1

Reduced calorie food (your vet can recommend a nutritionall complete one), lots of exercise and not a lot of cookies and/or other treats (We give our pup baby carrots instead of biscuits).

Answer 2

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Answer 3

Try Natural Choice Weight Management. Or for that matter any weight management food will help. Take the dog to the vet and see what serving sizes are appropriate for your overweight dog.

You can give treats, but instead of a whole biscuit, give 1/2 of one when training, or as a reward.

Make sure the dog gets lots of exercise.

Good Luck and thumbs up for adopting from the pound!

Answer 4

Don't free feed her, first of all. Ask the vet how much food to give her each day so she can loose weight and stick to that schedule. Also, I think that you will help her just by taking her for walks, playing with her, or letting her run around in a dog park. Who knows what her circumstances were before she went to the shelter? She could have just been locked up all day and not been allowed to move for a really long time.

Answer 5

Yes, definitely! My aunt's dog has lost a lot of weight recently. With diet foods, walks, and a little encouragement your dog can lose weight.( sounds like a cheezy commercial! XD) Although some dogs lose weight quicker than others. Hope this helped.

Answer 6

There are dog foods that are formulated for overweight dogs to help them get the nutrition they need but also help them to lose weight. Pay attention to the treats you give to your dog as well as any table scraps. Find out what she has been eating so you can gradually change her diet to avoid having her get sick. Most shelters offer a free Vet exam after adopting your pet where you can take your pet to a variety of Vets from a list, or take her to your Vet to assess her need to lose weight and how much she should lose.

Answer 7

Contrary to popular belief, dogs only need to be fed about once or twice a day (depending on the dog's size and the portion) Dogs will eat all day if the food is available so only refill the bowl once a day. We refill ours every morning for our dachshund mix.

Cut down on treats and cut out table food. If you simply can't help giving her treats break them in half so she eats less. Some dogs love vegetables too, but clear it with the vet before giving her any as it can cause stomach problems for some dogs.

Get her to run around more! Beagles are hunting dogs and were made to run out small game.

Answer 8

Control how much she eats as well as what she eats. Get your family on a routine with the dog. So that the dogs gets a certain amount of exercise each day. Walks in the morning, and in the evening, as well as play time and feeding time (for starters). Depending on how fat she really is, I would talk to your vet about how to start her out with. Just like humans, exercise gets easier for dogs the more they do it. At first she will get tired quickly.

LOL....any doggie dieticians out there? Richard Simmons - got a workout for this one?

Answer 9

Well if she has been in the shelter then chances are she hasnt had any real time outside in an open area to run around. Plus I doubt they walk their dogs very often. Just taking her on a daily walk will shed the pounds.

Answer 10

Less food, more exercise. Buy a high quality food and check the feeding guidelines on the bag. Feed her according to the weight she should be - not what she is. Then adjust accordingling.