Overweight Dachshund: Best small bite food for weight loss & daily amount?

1 common reason is selecting an adult food when your pet is technically a senior dog. Make sure Chaos is eating mature/senior version of the brand food you are buying. Also I would try to start feeding your pets in 2 separate bowls if not done so already, and taking a little extra effort to keep their food bowls separate until they get used to the transition. I would only put down about 1/3-1/2 cup food twice daily so maybe a hair less than what you are currently doing. Splitting up the food into 2 meals is ideal for weight loss and maintenance, instead of 1 large meal. Also the begging strips are likely a large source of the fat content. I would limit these to 2-3 times a week and perhaps only 1/2 of the beggin strip. Other less fattening treats are milk ones or dental chews (Virbac dental chews). I hope this helps and just try to actually walk Chaos around the block or neighborhood 2-3 times a week and I am confident you will see a reduction in his weight. Best wishes and take care!

I recommend switching to a lower calorie dry food. The calorie content is printed on the bag. There are many good low calorie foods for weight loss. Then I would continue to measure the food and eliminate any treats and people food. If she’s still not losing weight I reduce the amount of the dry food by 25% and give green beans, canned pumpkin or other vegetables to fill her up. You are doing a good job with the walking. She probably can’t go much further until she loses some weight and increases her endurance. If needed don’t feed her then take her meal with you and give her the kibbles in her meal along the way to keep her going, just don’t increase the amount of food. Gradual weight loss of a quarter of a pound a week is what you should strive for. We use walking in an underwater treadmill at my rehab practice for dogs like this so they can exercise without carrying their full weight on their joints. Check to see if there is a dog rehab facility near you. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Athena.

Many pets like Brees suffer from being overweight. If you are looking for an over the counter product, try Royal Canin or Hill Science Diet (both brand carry 'light' diets). In my opinion, the prescription food made by Royal Canin called Satiety Support is a great option because the portions are large (which most dogs like) but they still lose weight. The other things that could be contributing to his weight problem could be a condition called Hypothyroidism. This commonly makes dogs heavy and have problems losing weight. A doctor can determine Brees' thyroid status with a simple blood test. Medication is needed to regain normal metabolism.

It's awesome that you want to be proactive about Maggie's health! Switching to An all canned diet can help with weight loss. I'd aim to feed Maggie for her ideal body weight. So if she should weigh 15 lbs, look at the suggested feeding amount (on the can of food) for 15 lbs and feed about 25% less for weight loss. Weruva makes a lower calorie canned food that may help. Slowly increasing Maggie's walks so she gets low impact exercise will also help. And eliminating any treats or table scraps she eats is also a good idea. Finally, if Maggie doesn't start to lose weight you may need to see your veterinarian to discuss thyroid testing and prescription weight loss diets like Hill's Metabolic. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

Great question! Walking Buddy every day is a good idea, and I would see if you can walk him twice a day for at least 30 minutes a time to help him lose weight. One tip is to cut out all treats. No human food, no scraps from dinner, and no dog treats. These can really add up over time and cause a dog to gain weight. You can try cutting back a bit on his dry food and adding some wet food instead with the dry food. Canned dog food has fewer calories because it has a higher moisture content, so adding some into his dry food while removing dry food to compensate can help him lose weight. Finally, you can speak to your vet to see if they feel a weight loss food would be appropriate for him. I hope this helps!

Good for you for trying to help Dyego lose weight! This will definitely help him to stay healthy as he gets older. Ideally, I would recommend a prescription weight loss diet from your veterinarian, such as Purina OM or Royal Canin Calorie Control. These diets are very effective, and have a chart to show how much you should feed each day based on your dog's target weight. These can also be ordered online from Chewy.com or other online pet retailers if you prefer - just let your vet know so that they can approve the prescription :)

Yes that’s the calories in the can. On dry food it will have the kcal/cup. I usually recommend diet dry food with added vegetables to fill him up rather than wet food. I like dry food with 250kcaks/cup or less, and measure each meal. You can give canned pumpkin, green beans, zucchini, broccoli, cauliflower and carrots. Some dogs prefer the vegetables cooked and mixed in with a little fat free chicken broth. Hills has a metabolic diet that is very effective to use for a diet also. That is heavy for a dachshund so I’m glad you are putting him on a diet. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Oskar.