Many dogs now suffer from obesity or carry a little more weight than they should. This may seem harmless, but in the long-term excess weight is shown to cause degenerative disease like arthritis to appear earlier in life. Extra weight also adds extra strain to the body when a dog is suffering from these degenerative conditions, so it’s best to keep our pets in their best shape for as long as we can! Weight loss through diet is a key way to keep your pooch in shape.

What can you do to keep your dog at their ideal weight?

We can look to their food. Your dog’s food should be balanced with the activity which they do. It’s very easy to overfeed dogs. This is especially true if the food chosen is one which is very high in meats, protein or fats – or all three, such as 80:20 style all life stage diets. These kinds of foods contain a lot of energy in a small portion, so your dogs usually only need a very small amount to meet their nutritional requirements. This makes it easy to feed too much.

Light Foods

A way to help your pet lose their excess weight is to feed a light dog food. Light dog food contains less calories and fat, and more fibre, meaning that your dog can feel fuller for longer. Feeding the same size portion of food to your dog, but feeding a light dog food, can hugely reduce the calories which they receive.

What about treats and snacks?

Another element of the diet to focus on is treats and snacks. Dog treats can contain high levels of fat and sugar. This is another big contributor to the calories which your dog eats. Feeding treats and rewards to your dog will always have a place in your dog’s lifestyle, but it is important to be treat-wise. You should check the treat packaging for the feeding guidelines for the treats to fit into a good balanced diet, and not go over this. 

Healthy Treat Alternatives

Making  healthy treat substitutions is fantastic. This way the foods you feed as treats aren’t taking up so much space in your dog’s daily treat allowance! They are also providing beneficial nutrients to keep your pooch healthy. Feeding some of your dog’s main food as treats, or pieces of fruit or vegetables are a great way to give your pooch a treat without overfeeding them.

You might also like our video “What is a weight loss food?”, you can watch it here.