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Discover how to choose the right dog food based on your dog’s breed and size to support their unique nutritional needs and health.
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Learn how to care for your dog, recommended diet and training. Find the right food, supplies and equipment at your neighborhood Petco.
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HI there. I would recommend using a true weight loss diet and not a "weight management" or "healthy weight". You should use the weight loss diet until he is his ideal weight then you can transition to a management diet. These diets are expensive but they are not meant to be a long term solution so keep that in mind. If you feed the correct amount it shouldn't be too horribly expensive. You must feed him to his "ideal weight" and not the weight he is currently. So read the instructions on the bag of food carefully. Feed him this diet only - no treats or bones or people food. I would suggest Puirna OM or Hill's w/d. These are prescription diets and should be prescribed by your vet but I have recently come to find out you can buy them on Amazon without an Rx. They should not make his coat or skin poor. If that is a recurring theme then he may have an underlying condition like hypothyroidism causing that (could also be why he is heavy) so you may want to consider having his thyroid levels checked. These links are from Chewy.com. I don't know if they require a Rx but you can check Amazon too or just ask your vet for a prescription. https://www.chewy.com/purina-pro-plan-veterinary-diets-om/dp/50028 https://www.chewy.com/hills-prescription-diet-wd/dp/54717 Hope this helps. Best wishes!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
I personally like Royal Canin, Hill's Science diet, Purina ProPlan, and Iams. I have fed Royal Canin and Iams to my pets (cats and dogs), and have found them to be excellent food for them. They will all have a giant breed formula. Acana and Orijen are good brands, but they are quite expensive.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I have had excellent luck with Royal Canin so I can definitely support giving that a try. In general for giant breed dogs, feed according to the bag. Being 7 months, Bear is probably past the biggest of the growth spurts but we probably still don’t want to free feed. However, it the giant breed formulas, it is safer to feed larger quantities while still keeping bone growth at a proper rate. As for the beard, I have a schnauzer so I can relate a little. My best advice is just to wash the beard with a puppy shampoo once a week. Rinse and dry thoroughly. Finally, for the skin. Adding about 2000 mg per day of Fish oil can sometimes help with the skin however, I recommend talking to your vet. If Bear is already this itchy, food or environmental allergies could be to blame. Bet wishes to you and Bear!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Hello and welcome to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Firstly, good for you to get on top of Sydney's weight, once you get the weight under control Sydney will feel so much better! There are a few different products made for weight management, some of the best/most effective ones are the prescription diets. I personally like Hill's weight management diet, because the animals feel full but are getting less calories, and it also has joint support products in the food as well. You can try any company weight management food however, as any will work as long as you don't over-feed it. The best trick for this is to get a measuring up that is the amount you need to feed when it is FULL. Therefore you won't be tempted to 'just give a tiny bit more'. Measure the food out, and make sure everyone knows that Sydney is on a diet and doesn't get any treats! Remember, exercise is also important, to protect the knees in the start, try swimming with Sydney, it is great for the muscles and easy on the joints. Regular (every 2 weeks) weigh-ins with the vet will help you keep on track as well. Best of luck with Sydney and your weight loss journey!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Before changing food I would actually recommend going to the veterinary visit you have scheduled. I would recommend getting some blood work done to make sure there is nothing systemically causing the weight loss. Once we determine there is nothing else going on with him then I would discuss what type of food he is currently on and seeing if a change in diet is ideal. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.
Updated on September 24th, 2025