My dog is overweight. What are the best ways to help him lose weight?

This is a great question! There are a couple of things you can do to help Henry lose weight. One thing to do is to feed him a premium, high quality dog food. I recommend brands such as Hill's Science Diet, Royal Canin, Purina Pro Plan, or Iams. Diet foods are typically better used in dogs who have a significant amount of weight to lose, and since Henry does not have a relatively large amount of weight he needs to lose, he can eat a regular food. The important thing about this, however, is to feed according to the package instructions and give him no treats or human food at all. On the bag, there will be the daily recommended amount for his weight (use his target weight), and divide it up in to two equal portions, one for breakfast and one for dinner. Do not give him any treats or human food at all, no matter how much he begs for them. This will keep him on a strict caloric intake, which will help him lose weight. Another important thing to do is to exercise him. Henry should be getting about 30 minutes of exercise twice a day. I would take him out for walks in the morning and evening, and try to get his heart rate up by making it a brisk walk. By only feeding him dog food in a specified amount and having him exercise regularly, this will help him lose the weight in a slow and safe manner. I hope this helps, and Henry loses the weight he needs to :-)

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!

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!

You can do a combination of things to help Caesar lose weight. It's just like losing weight in people, increase activity and lower caloric intake. That being said, you can't do it all at one time. Gradually increase activity by going on longer walks, introduce a little jogging from time to time once he's gotten a little more fit, play fetch with him, arrange playtime with other dogs he gets along with, whatever you can do to help him get up and get moving. Also, the best food I've seen for gradual, healthy weight loss is a Science Diet product called Metabolic. Take your dog to your vet and ask them to do measurements and weight for you. If they aren't familiar with the program, everything is explained on the Hill's website. By entering your dog's measurements and weight into the Hill's website, you will get a customized feeding schedule for your dog that tells you exactly how much to feed for him to gradually lose the weight he needs to. Also consider getting him a slow feeder or puzzle feeder to slow him down when he eats and help keep him mentally stimulated as well.

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!

Oh yes. I would highly recommend Hlil's Metaboilc diet because it causes weight loss and can help with weight management. This is a highly successful diet that causes weight loss in over 79% of pets within the first 2 months. Royal Canin low calorie, Hill's R/D are two other options for weight loss. THese are all Rx diets and require a vet visit to get your pet started on the weight loss plan in mind. Also if your pet has any overt signs of hypothyroidism, then checking for a metabolic disease like this is recommended; however this is not common in small breed dogs like the Parson Russell Terrier. And of course it goes without saying that daily regular exercise for 30 minutes is recommended to encourage metaboilc break down of stored fats in the body.

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.