How do I get my 5-year-old obese dog to lose weight? Food & exercise.

You can try science diet senior light formula with small bites as an option or try one of their prescription formulas such as metabolic. Purina also makes a prescription type called OM and has severe reduced calorie over the counter options. You will need to really regulate the amount of food she receives in a day more than anything. You can switch her potty treat to Cheerios--they are small and have few calories to add up. For a 10# dog to lose weight, you are looking at feeding her a little less than 1/2 cup of food a day total. It is not much, so you want to really measure it with a measuring cup. You can try to increase her activity level and play with her and add in walks to also help burn calories

Good for you for trying to help Dyego lose weight! This will definitely help him to stay healthy as he gets older. Ideally, I would recommend a prescription weight loss diet from your veterinarian, such as Purina OM or Royal Canin Calorie Control. These diets are very effective, and have a chart to show how much you should feed each day based on your dog's target weight. These can also be ordered online from Chewy.com or other online pet retailers if you prefer - just let your vet know so that they can approve the prescription :)

I would recommend converting them to a specialist weight loss diet (many 'light' diets are designed to prevent weight gain and maintain a target weight rather than actually shed the excess). My preferred option is the hills metabolic range which provides guidelines for feeding to target weight (for dogs more than 30% overweight) and also on adjusting feed volumes if combining the wet and dry food

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I would highly recommend that you consider Science Diet metabolic weight management diet which can help them lose weight especially if they are not as active. Good luck and have a great day!

Sticking with the current diet, or seeing if there is a weight loss diet from the same brand can help in calorie reduction. You can also speak with your vet about if a prescription weight loss diet is needed at this time. As with any increase in exercise, you will want to start gradually, especially if Angel has any health issues such as arthritis. Starting with a quick walk just around the block, and then gradually increasing over time (to two blocks, or ten minute walks, etc) can help build muscle and strength without overtaxing the body. As with any change in routine or diet, it is always a good idea to schedule a wellness check with your vet first. They can rule out any health issues that may cause problems that you need to watch out for, and can also work with you on tracking weight loss progress over time.

I would recommend doing moderate exercise (brisk walking, chasing ball, etc) for 30 minutes twice daily. I would also recommend a low fat food. The low fat prescription diets are the most effective, such as Hil'ls Metaboilc and Hill's W/D. It is also best to make sure your vet checks Grecia for any underlying metabolic disorder such as Thyroid disease, which can cause weight gain, letharyg and a dry dull haircoat. I hope this helps! Best wishes moving forward with Grecia and her weight loss. Take care!

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.