My dog is realy overweight. What should i feed her?

Question

my dog weighs over 100 pounds i realy want her healthier
We normaly feed her Beniful dog chow

Answer 1

Beniful is not a very good dog food, to be frank. I would recommend a specialty dog food, like California Natural Weight Control, but I realize that this is not feasible for most people. Iams weight control is a good food, but weight loss has less to do with the food, and more to do with how you feed it. You should be feeding your dog two meals a day, and it should only be as much food as she can eat in five minutes, then you pick it up and don't let her have any more. Go by the bag directions on amounts to get a good idea of how much that should be. Also, usually treats are the downfall of dogs for weight. Cut out people food, and limit to three or so regular dog treats a day. Get her out on a 20 minute walk every day, that's all it takes to make some significant weight loss. She should loose weight just fine provided you make a few changes. If she doesn't, the vet needs to check for hormonal problems and other issues.

Answer 2

You don't mention what breed your dog is, which makes a difference when determining a healthy weight. Does your dog need to lose 5 pounds & build muscle, or need to lose 25 pounds so it can take a walk without collapse?

Food alone is not the best way to drop weight off a dog - just like with people, diet & exercise together will work best. Exercise doesnt mean letting your dog out into a fenced yard & hoping she runs the fenceline - you will need to make time for structured walks, about 20-30 min a day.

As far as diet is concerned, first examine your habits. Are you letting her have any table scraps? Definitely cut those out. Some people give their dogs treats (milkbones, etc) for different things... my mom gives her dog a treat everytime he comes inside from going potty. If you have similar habits, try cutting back the volume and replacing with verbal or physical praise & petting.

For her regular feeding, make sure that you are monitoring how much she eats. If you are free-feeding (food out all day for her to eat as she is hungry), only fill the bowl with so much food each day, even if she finishes it. You will need to cut back the amount of food she is eating. For instance, I feed my dogs Pedigree & they eat between 4 & 6 cups per day, split in 2 feedings. (note: not all dog foods require the same amount of food as Pedigree... some you need to feed more, others much less, to equate the same amount of energy/calories...) When winter comes in, they are less active, & so I adjust down 1/2 to 1 full cup per day so they do not 'pork out' with the same food & less exercise.

The food you are feeding is not always an issue when it comes to gaining/losing weight. However, if you feel that the other changes are not working, or you want an extra boost, look for a food that has a lower fat content & overall calories. Be careful if the protein content increases significantly, as your dog will need increased water supply to process the protein.

If you change foods & stay within the same brand, it will be easier, you can do a change-over in 2-3 days. (split food to 2/3 old 1/3 new, then 1/2 & 1/2, then 1/3 & 2/3) However, if you decide to go into a different brand altogether, & especially if you change the formula (from regular to lamb/rice for example) you need to make the change more gradually, over 5-7 days.

As your dog loses weight, monitor her condition. If she is a short-haired dog, it is easier, but not impossible with long or fuzzy hair. You want to be able to easily feel her ribs, but not see them when she is standing or at rest. Between her rib cage & hind legs (the loin) you should see a 'tuck up' to the belly. There should be nice muscling in the legs (both at the shoulders/chest & in the thighs) and there should not be a pocket of fat over the rear before the tail.

Good luck to you, & please for the health of your dog, let her lose weight gradually... A 100# dog losing 10 pounds should take a few months...

Answer 3

Less, but also worth looking for a higher quality food. Beneful is the "Big Mac" of dog foods. It's chock full of fillers and artificial colors and flavors. Check on the label... meat is about the ninth ingredient on the list! There is more beef tallow (aka beef fat) in Beneful than there is beef!

When you're looking for a better food, look for meat to be the first item in the least, and at least two items in the top 5. Try to skip anything with artificial colors and flavors, and also anything that lists animal parts without telling what kind of animal, like "animal digest" or "poultry meal". It means that the stuff was so low quality that they aren't even sure what it is.

Frankly, we feed raw diet, and I'll never feed kibble again. I've tried every expensive dog food out there, and I can tell you that there is a humongous difference between the good stuff and the Science Diet and grocery store stuff, but I gave away whole bags full of very expensive kibble after a wake-up call that dogs are built to eat meat, not processed grains. In seven years, I've had now two dogs with awful health that magically got better when I stopped feeding kibble, and I finally got the message. Lucky them!

Answer 4

how many times a day do you feed your dog and what kind of a dog is it? if is a big dog (ex. saint Bernard), it is either underweight or mixed with a smaller dog, if it is a medium dogs (ex. German Shepard, chow-chow), it is about at an average weight, if it is a smaller dog (dachshund), it is seriously over weight. Try the food Natural Choice Ultra Weight Management. (website is below).

Exercise Ideas!!

- firstly, if you live in a house that has a fenced in backyard, do not consider it to be a "good place for a dog to excersize"

- a good long walk through a dog friendly park and a 30-60 minute game of fetch will give your dog excesise while enteraing the dog as well.

- Healthy treats such as Grreat Choice Healthy Treats (website listed below) will be tasty and will encouage your dog.

- consider buying a second dog. they will play together and will be excercing in the process.

- NEVER EVER EVER forget to take your dog out of the house for a walk!!! (30-40 minutes) as long as you keep the routine, your dog will lose weight

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Answer 5

Beneful Weight Loss Management is a good start. Both of my dogs (black labs) were approx. 40 lbs overweight EACH. Both are now down to their normal weight. Just follow the feeding instructions on the bag. Don't give too many treats or people food either. Good Luck!

Answer 6

Make sure she's not getting people food as it's way too rich for animals. Get her more exercise, that's a biggie! Dogs can get health problems from being overweight too, so the more exercise she gets, combined with a low fat dog food, and a measured amount each day (and yes, she will act hungry), she should get healthier.

Answer 7

Get your dog the heck off of dog food. I did quite a bit of research on dog food after I purchased the latest addition to our family a little over a year ago and most people don't realize how absolutely horrible most store bought dog food is. It is generally loaded with preservatives not fit for human consumption and have you ever seen a dog in a corn or wheat field grazing? which is what most of your dog food is made out of and dogs are by nature meat eaters.

My dog gets (and I have a little dog so you will have to adjust)

Breakfast

1. One boneless/skinless chicken tender
2. 1/2 cup Iams dry food


Dinner

1. One boneless/skinless chicken tender
2. 1/2 cup Iams dry food

I will occassionally scramble him an egg for breakfast or buy him chicken/turkey deli meat from the local grocery store. My vet is absolutely amazed at how healthy and happy he is and I must say his potty habits are more regular (twice a day) than I ever could have imagined and in over a year of doing this routine he has not had one runny stool. I am not a vet or an expert and did most of my research online and I can only speak from experience with my dogs. I wish you the best of luck!!!

Answer 8

TRY FOR A WELL BALANCED AND TRY FEEDING YOUR DOG LESS AS WELL INCLUDING AND THIS HAPPENS A LOT CUTTING BACK ON HIS /HER BEGGING WHILE YOU EAT I KNOW THIS WILL MAKE YOU FEEL GUILTY BUT DOING THIS AND TAKING YOUR DOG OUT FOR WALKS AND A DOG PARK INSTEAD OF JUST HAVING HIM SIT AROUND THE YARD CAN HELP HIM LEAD A HAPPIER AND HEALTHIER LIFE TO MANY PEOPLE DON'T SPEND NEAR ENOUGH TIME WITH THEIR PETS AND WONDER WHY THAT PETR MISBEHAVES OR JUST PLAIN DOESN'T LIKE THEM

Answer 9

Feed your dog a high quality food, and something that is made for over weight dogs!

Answer 10

Less. And don't forget the exercise. Same basic formula as for humans, in fact.