What's better for my overweight dog: I/D Low Fat or Natural Balance?

Hill's i/d is an intestinal diet that is easy for a dog to digest. There are other intestinal diets that might be less expensive, like Science Diet sensitive stomach. Ask your vet for his/her recommendation for a more affordable diet before deciding to change. Also, ask your vet if you could just add extra fiber to your dogs diet, like some canned pumpkin.

I am so glad to help you! In my opinion, the best choice is a commercial kibble like Royal Canin. Royal Canin does have veterinary nutritionists on staff. I'd also recommend Hill's Science Diet, Purina Pro Plan, and Iams. They also have veterinary nutritionists. I personally feed my dog Iams.

Hi there! Let me see if I can help you with Brownie. I always recommend "The Big 4" as far as brands, as they are the most balanced diets on the market for dogs and cats. They are Purina, Science Diet, Royal Canin, and Eukanuba-Iams. That being said, I always point out that when changing diets we go slowly over a week to ten days' time. You can follow the guide in this link to try to avoid causing any gastrointestinal upset like vomiting or diarrhea: https://www.hillspet.com/dog-care/nutrition-feeding/how-to-transition-my-dogs-food I would check the bag and make sure that you measure the food and stick to the recommended calories per day, taking into account any additional calories like treats, table food, or dental chews. We can sometimes be surprised how many calories are in a milkbone even. You can try a reduced fat or weight loss diet made by one of the brands mentioned above, and see if that helps. Before starting I always recommend a vet visit. An exam can be very helpful in making the initial weight loss plan. I will often discuss trying cutting out snacks and treats, a reduced fat diet, and monthly weight checks. If there isn't a difference in about 6 weeks, I will recommend checking thyroid levels to see if that is functioning OK. If not, that can slow down metabolism and cause weight gain. And if all is well and we're still having trouble, there are prescription diets that we can try to help reset the metabolism like Hill's metabolic. I hope you find this answer helpful. Best of luck!

Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor Cosita! There are several diets available that do not require a prescription. Most of these are labeled “light” or “lite”. I recommend Hill’s Science Diet I/D food. You can also consider giving dog-friendly probiotics. If Cosita does not eat, you can offer her some plain boiled chicken and white rice (no bones, skin, or spices) which should be gentle enough on her intestinal tract and low in fat. I hope this helps and that all is well!

Iams is a great brand of food, and it's not as expensive as Hill's. I also like Purina ProPlan, and Purina One. All of these are healthy, and cheaper than Hill's. I recommend trying Layla on one of those foods. You will have to transition her slowly to prevent GI upset. Mix together the new and old food, and over the course of two weeks, gradually increase the amount of new food and decrease the amount of old food until she is eating the new food only. Good luck, I hope this helps!

I think therapeutic diets work best: Hill's Metabolic or Royal Canin Satiety are the two I most frequently recommend. They have increased protein and vitamins/minerals but are much lower in calories. You could also try sticking with your current food but cutting back on how much you give (I usually recommend cutting back about 25%) and increasing exercise as well as minimizing treats or replacing them with lower calorie options like frozen green beans. While there are over the counter foods that are designed for weight loss they can still have very different calorie contents and some weight loss foods even have more calories than regular foods.

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.