My senior dog is overweight. How do I safely exercise and feed her?

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.

They make good weight management foods either over the counter or prescription. A good prescription on is Hills metabolic. Her portions should be about 3/4 a cup a day to start... a little less if she gets treats. You can start slow with exercise with just making her go up and down the stairs an extra time or a short walk around the house until she gets better and gradually increase it

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!

Prescription diet for weight loss is the best way (Purina OM or Royal canin Obesity) as well as more exercise, if you can take her running once a day that would be ideal, but don't start with a long distance, start gradually.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Physical activity would definitely help. However, a lot of it comes back to the diet that is fed. It is not necessarily about the amount of cups but it is more about the caloric content in each cup. You can follow the recommended amount of food in the bag (though they tend to recommend a higher amount than needed) or preferably have your veterinarian calculate the needed intake based on the most current weight. I recommend you try the Science Diet metabolic weight management diet which works great for weight loss. Good luck and have a good night!

Dogs rarely lose weight from getting more exercise. It is more about caloric intake. Many studies have shown this. So just cutting back on food/treats should do the trick. Just give her the normal exercise you have been doing. Twenty to thirty minutes a day is good. I think you are doing fine. No worries!

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.