Is fresh dog food better than kibble for my dog's weight loss?

Specialist weight management diets have been specifically formulated to provide all of the required nutrients in a less calorie dense formula to ensure all needs are met, whilst also promoting weight loss and maintaining healthy muscle mass. Simply restricting the portions of a regular food can potentially result in dietary deficiencies over time but can also lead the brain into not losing weight as the body is under-fed leading to rentention of fat reserves etc. Your vet or vet tech can help prescribe the appropriate amount to be fed in relation to exercise levels, current weight and target weight as well as advising on appropriate adjustments for treats/extras included in the diet

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.

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 submitting your question regarding Kira. She does appear overweight based on your pictures. You want her to have only a thin covering over her ribs. They should be easily felt when you pet her side. Then she should have a defined waist from both the top and side views. I recommend using a weight loss formula from Purina ProPlan or Royal Canin. I would stop feeding the raw meat as it not properly balanced for dogs and carries a high risk spreading disease to dogs and people. I hope this information helps!

It's difficult to know, because it really depends on the calories. Grain free is not necessarily good for weight management and there is no good reason to feed boiled chicken if you have a formulated diet. There are some products in the pet store that are actually formulated for weight loss and these would be the best ones to feed. I know Hills, Purina and Royal Canin all have good products, but don't know of any other. The best thing to check on the bag is the AAFCO statement, which is just below the guaranteed analysis. This will tell if the food has actually demonstrated what it claims. I've included a link to an article below that explains all of this. Make sure you feed the food according to the bag's instructions and cut out all treats and table scraps. If you still want to feed treats, then you should account for that by feeding less food. https://www.petcoach.co/article/what-to-look-for-when-choosing-your-pet-s-food/ The hardest thing for pet owners is that they feel like they are starving their dog. Trust me, you are not starving them, despite how bad they may make you feel. If your dog likes any vegetables like celery, carrots or green beans, then these are great, low calorie options to give as treats that can make you and your dog feel a bit better about the diet. In the end, know that a skinnier dog will be healthier and live longer, so it's well worth it. I hope that helps. https://www.petcoach.co/article/5-ways-to-help-your-dog-lose-weight/

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.

Yes that’s the calories in the can. On dry food it will have the kcal/cup. I usually recommend diet dry food with added vegetables to fill him up rather than wet food. I like dry food with 250kcaks/cup or less, and measure each meal. You can give canned pumpkin, green beans, zucchini, broccoli, cauliflower and carrots. Some dogs prefer the vegetables cooked and mixed in with a little fat free chicken broth. Hills has a metabolic diet that is very effective to use for a diet also. That is heavy for a dachshund so I’m glad you are putting him on a diet. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Oskar.