My Cavalier King Charles is gaining weight. Should I reduce her food?

Without seeing her in person, I can't say for sure if she weighs too much, but at 17.7 pounds, she is on the high end of the range of normal weight for her breed. I would not be giving her treats every day. Treats should only be given occasionally, no more than two to three times a week. I would have her seen by a vet to confirm if she is overweight for her size and frame, and the vet can discuss weight loss methods, such as increased exercise.

Yes, provided that Chloe is at a healthy body weight, 18% fat on a dry matter basis is fairly average for most dog foods and should be perfectly fine. I can't comment as to the volume of food that she is being fed because the caloric density of foods can vary widely. However, if you have further questions about feeding Chloe an appropriate amount, feel free to request a consultation or post additional questions.

This is a good question! Many pet parents would not be aware of a change in caloric density depending on brand and type of food. 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.

Weight loss will definitely help with back trouble - sounds like you're already on the right track. I think that a prescription diet sounds like a great idea - talk to your veterinarian about options available through them. Hill's makes a Metabolic diet for weight loss that might be a good option. The other option might be to decrease the amount of food you are offering and eliminating all treats, chews and table foods. You could talk to your veterinarian about what R's estimated ideal weight would be, and formulate a diet plan based on how many calories are in her current diet.

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!

I don't tend to judge their body condition on weight as every dog is different even within a breed. I look at their body instead. They should nip in behind the ribs with a definite waist, you should be able to feel but not see the ribs, and there should not be a fat rolls at the tail. From your photo I can see Chloe has a nice waist. What you feed her sounds fine and you are well aware of what she eats.

Hi, thanks for using Petcoach! I think this all depends on if Chloe is overweight or not. I've attached a body condition scoring chart, review it an let us know if she is overweight. Overweight dogs need less calories compared to an underweight dog or one of ideal body conditions. Also the calories you indicated are they per cup? https://oregonvma.org/files/Purina-Dog-Condition-Chart.pdf Let me know!