Why is my dog gaining weight despite exercise and proper food?

Veterinarians go by this chart to determine if a dog is overweight https://www.aaha.org/public_documents/professional/guidelines/weightmgmt_bodyconditionscoring.pdf Anything over a 3/5 or 5/9 is overweight. Some dogs don't need as much food as the bag recommends and if Sherlock is getting overweight I would decrease any treats your giving and human food. I then would take him out for more walks. I would also consider gradually transitioning him to a weight loss formula food. This makes it so he can get the same amount of food but for fewer calories. Thank you for using PetCoach.

Hi there. If you think that you're feeding Sophie a normal amount of food for a dog her size, then it's possible that she may have a medical problem such as hypothyroidism or Cushing's disease causing her to gain weight - these problems are more common in middle-aged and older dogs, but can occasionally be seen in younger pets as well. Your veterinarian can do lab work to check for these issues, and get her started on appropriate treatment if a problem is found. If her lab work shows that she's healthy, then this means she's getting more calories every day than she needs. In simple terms, this means you need to feed her less. You could do this by decreasing the amount of her regular food, or switching to a prescription weight loss diet and following the feeding instructions on the packaging based on her target weight.

Hi and thank you for using PetCoach. From the pictures it appears that Hugo has a body condition score of 1-2/9. https://oregonvma.org/files/Purina-Dog-Condition-Chart.pdf This is too thin. Even dogs of slim breeds such as greyhounds or collies should not have their bones this prominent. I recommend having Hugo check by a veterinarian. Some issues such as parasites can cause malnutrition and are fairly easily diagnosed and treated. Some animals may have other congenital conditions or illness that prevents weight gain. And in some cases it may be higher metabolism requiring a specialized diet. The vet will perform an exam on Hugo and discuss his diet and activity at home. They may suggest testing for parasites or doing other diagnostics. I hope Hugo is back on track soon.

You may be feeding Bruno more calories than he can feasibly burn. I would suggest either working with your vet to figure out how many calories your pet should consume daily, or you can use this website link to figure it out yourself. https://vet.osu.edu/vmc/companion/our-services/nutrition-support-service/basic-calorie-calculator Also, at this age Bruno is possibly still growing, so his weight may be in flux until he has reached 2 years of age. You should however be feeding him adult food twice daily. And to answer your other question, yes walking does help keep a pets heart and body healthy. Best wishes in your weight management goals for Bruno moving forward. Take care.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Weight loss is something I discuss multiple times a day. While excercise is helpful, I find diet to be by far the most effective tool. First, if he is free-fed, you’ll want to switch to two measured meals per day. And I do mean use an actual measuring cup every time. For a 100lb dog, start with about 3 cups twice daily. If he is already getting a set amount, decrease that amount by about 25% (ie, go from 6 cups a day to about 4.5 cups per day). Try that for a month. If no weight loss, it’s time to look into a medical reason like hypothyroid or Cushings disease so see your vet for that. Finally, I try a prescription diet like Hills Metabolic diet which actually upregulates genes responsible for metabolism. It is very effective when other diets have failed. Of course, watch out for people food and treats of course. Choose green beans, carrots, or celery. Hope this helps and best of luck to you and Dudley!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Physical activity would definitely help. However, a lot of it comes back to the diet that is fed. It is not necessarily about the amount of cups but it is more about the caloric content in each cup. You can follow the recommended amount of food in the bag (though they tend to recommend a higher amount than needed) or preferably have your veterinarian calculate the needed intake based on the most current weight. I recommend you try the Science Diet metabolic weight management diet which works great for weight loss. Good luck and have a good night!

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! He is adorable! It has been proven that dogs live a longer life when they are lean. I would get him to lose weight to 12 lbs. Cut out the chicken, beef, bread and keep the treats to bare minimum. And try to increase exercise. If he doesn’t lose weight change to a prescription weight loss diet and consider checking his thyroid. Good luck!