My dog gained weight. Can I safely cut her food and add veggies?

Before cutting down on her food, I would try limiting her treats. They are loaded with fat and have relatively few nutrients. From this photo, it is apparent that she has a "waistline." which is good. If when you run your hands down her sides you can't feel her ribs, she is too heavy. (If you can see her ribs, she is too thin.) Calories are not the only factors in a dog's weight gain or loss. Remember fat, too! Spayed females may be less active and more prone to weight gain, but it doesn't have to be this way. How about throwing a ball or Frisbee for her to chase? Finding another dog for her to play with? Perhaps a dog park (well-supervised!)? Good luck with trimming Chloe down a bit!

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Chloe is super cute! From your pictures she doesn't look overweight but I understand your concerns. I would recommend 315 calories total per day, which is about what you are giving her (~311). You can increase activity, cut back a bit on treats or change to a low calorie formula with in the brand you are currently feeding. I hope this helps!

You are correct that it is difficult to find a good quality weight loss diet. Good quality meats and fats are high in calories. At the end of the day, weight loss is about calories. So, a weight loss food is beneficial because they can eat the same amount of food. But you can achieve the same decrease in calories by feeding less of the Acana that you are currently feeding. A 10-20% decrease in daily calories is exactly what I recommend for weight loss, so you could simply decrease from a level 2/3 cup to heaping 1/2 cup for a month. If Chloe is losing weight, then continue at that amount. If she is not losing weight, then decrease to a level 1/2 cup. Since she is a small dog, it should take her a number of months to lose the weight, so don't be discouraged if she only loses a few ounces in that first month. Good luck! I hope that was helpful. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

I think cutting the food in half may be a bit drastic at first. You don't want the weight loss to happen too quickly. I suggest you start by cutting the food by 25%. So, give her 3/4 cup twice a day and then weigh her after 4-6 weeks to see if you are making any progress. Keep in mind that any treats will increase her caloric intake so be careful and don't give her too much (if any). This is where I would start. Hope this helps. Best wishes!

Without knowing her breed of dog, I can't say if 17 pounds is a good weight or not for her. Some dogs do need to eat less based on their activity level, as they may be less active than others. With on a 17 pound dog, 2/3 cup of food per day is fine, especially if it's within her daily caloric range. I feed my Chow, who is 50.6 pounds, 1.5 cups of food per day, and she's a healthy weight. If she needs to lose weight, it sounds like you are doing it in a healthy and safe way, and I would keep going. Typically, dogs are affected by hypothyroidism, so if there was a problem with her thyroid, she would be gaining weight, not losing it.

Hello. This is a great question! She should be eating about 500 -550 calories PER DAY which includes all food and treats. She can eat any food as long as she stays inside that calorie window. If you feed her a lower calorie diet then she will get to eat more food and be less hungry. Purina ProPlan Weight Management Dry Food is 337 calories per cup so if you feed her this food she can eat 1.5 cups per day with a little left over for a treat or two. http://www.petsmart.com/dog/food/dry-food/purina-pro-plan-weight-management-formula-adult-dog-food-5148013.html?gclid=CKrvp4aRkdQCFZBgfgodPccMzA If you don't like this food you can use any diet. Just check the bag, it will tell you how many calories per cup. Take the 525 (using the middle of her calorie range) and divide it by the number of calories in each cup of food and that will tell you how many cups of that food she can have PER DAY. Example as above 525 / 337 = 1.55 cups I hope this helps. Best wishes. Dr. Amber

If you are adding 1/2 cup of food to her diet then that counts towards her diet. Treats should only be less than 10% of the dogs diet b/c they are generally higher in calories. Also considering Chloe's age, I would recommend getting her on a senior diet if not done so already. I hope that this helps answer your question. Best of luck with your pet Chloe moving forward. Take care.