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Dog on new low-calorie food. How to feed more without weight gain?
Updated on September 23rd, 2025
Pet's info: Dog | Cavalier King Charles Spaniel | Female | spayed | 4 years and 11 months old | 17 lbs
I want to give my dog slightly more food because I've put her on a new brand and it's less calories. Will she gain weight if I do this? She's been eating 2/3 of a cup per day and I wanted to increase that to 3/4 of a cup per day which would be 305-330 calories depending on the flavor. She's 17.5 pounds and a cavalier King Charles spaniel. (Prone to weight gain) I just feel that she may not be getting enough calories at the moment. I however do not want her to gain any weight...
3 Answers
Most Helpful Answer
Answered By Sarah Box, BVSc
Veterinarian
Published on June 6th, 2017
If this is a new brand that you have just started very recently I would recommend continuing with the same measurement/quantity of food as you have previously been giving Chloe and monitor her for weight loss. If she has been on the new food for a little while and you feel she has lost some weight then increasing the amount you feed would certainly be beneficial to help her maintain weight.
As you have stated though, increasing her food consumption could result in potential weight gain which is not a good thing. If you need to increase her intake then do it by only a very small amount, make sure you are carefully measuring her daily allowance of food, and monitor her weight carefully with weekly 'weigh ins' at your regular vet clinic.
2Pet Parents found this answer helpfulRelated Answers from Veterinarians
Answered By Lauren Jones VMD
Veterinarian
Yes, increasing Chloe's total amount of calories is likely to cause her to gain weight. You can try offering cooked green beans (fresh or frozen) to her diet to add a good bit of fiber and overall volume of food, but relatively few additional calories.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Answered By Dr. Strydom, DVM
Veterinarian
Published on May 26th, 2019
Chloe's caloric requirement to keep her at 17 pounds would be 570 calories per day. If the food is 339 calories per cup then she could, in theory, eat up to 1.7 cups per day. Now, that being said, just like in people, that is just a guideline. If she is eating 1-1/4 cups per day and is maintaining then don't change it. If you increase it she will gain the weight back. Remember, you also have to factor in the calories of any treats she takes in per day so if you are feeding treats you need to be careful.
If she seems very hungry with only eating 1-1/4 cups per day you could switch her to a lower calorie food and then she would be able to eat more.
I hope I answered your question. If not, you are welcome to post again however, I think you should opt for a consult where we can chat back and forth to be sure you get all your questions answered. Best wishes.1Pet Parents found this answer helpful