Best Dog Food for Weight Loss: Dealing with Overweight Issues (2024)

Fat dogs are very cute and we can all agree with this. We might see a lot of extremely fat dogs and they look for cuddly, but are they healthy? No. Fat dogs only look cute on the outside, but most of them are suffering from different diseases.

If you think that you are doing the right thing by making your dog fat, you are making a big mistake. Dogs are not supposed to be extremely fat because these animals are very active. It means that they are doing regular exercises. If they are very fat, it means that you are either overfeeding them or they are not eating the right dog food.

Being overweight can lead to a lot of different diseases for your dogs so you need to make sure that you pick the right dog food that would not make your dogs overweight. Here are some of the things that you should know about weight loss for dogs.

Best Dog Food for Overweight Dogs

Most of you don’t have a lot of time to create a meal plan for your dogs and it requires expertise as well. If you don’t want to deal with all these troubles, the best thing to do is to look for dog foods that are made precisely for weight loss. Here are some of the best dog foods that you can give to your dogs for them to lose weight.

1. Wellness Core Natural Dry Dog Food

If you are looking for a high-quality dog food that can help your dogs reduce their weight, Wellness Core Natural Dry Dog Food is your best option.

It has less fat and lower calories compared with the standard dog food formula. It is your best choice if you need a healthy and effective way to reduce the weight of your dogs.

This dog food formula is a great choice for dogs with allergies on grains. It is a grain-free item so the absence of grains can help keep the calories lower.

It has a combination of chicken meal, turkey meal, and turkey so it is filled with protein. Basically, protein can keep your dogs satiated for a long time and they won’t ask for food anytime soon.

It has an all-natural formula so it is free from artificial colorings, flavorings, and other preservatives.

Aside from the meat, fruits, and vegetables, the Wellness Core Reduced Fat Formula found in this dog food is made from different vitamins, minerals, and various fatty acids to help keep your dogs healthy and strong.

If you need an amazing weight-loss food, this is the best choice.

2. Blue Buffalo Life Protection Formula Healthy Weight Dog Food

The Blue Buffalo Life Protection Formula Healthy Weight Dog Food is a popular and high-quality dog food that you can give to your dogs for weight loss purposes.

This is a lot cheaper compared with the Wellness Core brand, but it also enough vitamins and minerals to keep your dog healthy and help them shed more pounds.

This is a healthy chicken and brown rice formula that is made precisely for adult dogs that are too heavy. It has a reduced calorie-to-fat ratio and it can help maintain the weight of your dog.

If your dog is currently overweight and you want him to shed some pounds, this dog food will do the trick. Most people are saying that their dogs love the taste of this dog food so it will surely be a much better choice for you.

The main ingredient is fresh deboned chicken so it is rich in protein along with different fruits, vegetables and whole grains that can provide nutritional value.

There are no fillers so you can expect that every bite would provide the nutrients that your dog needs. It also contains the patented LifeSource Bits of Blue that contains a blend of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants that can help improve the immune system of your dogs.

3. Diamond Naturals Light Real Meat Recipe Premium Dry Dog Food

If you are looking for a budget-friendly dog food that can help with the weight loss of your dogs, Diamond Naturals Light Real Meat Recipe Premium Dry Dog Food is your best bet.

It is the choice of pet parents that are looking for dog foods that are more affordable.

It is cheaper than most products on this list because it is free from artificial colorings, flavorings, and preservatives so it is very safe for consumption.

The taste is also amazing a lot of reviews already indicated that a lot of dogs love its taste.

The first ingredient on this diet dog food formula is pasture-raised lamb protein and it also contains whole grains, vegetables, and fruits.

The manufacturer also added vitamins and minerals and another probiotic formula that would aid with digestion.

Compared with other more expensive weight-loss products, this brand is definitely a great choice. Although it doesn’t have a high protein content compared to others, all of its ingredients are natural and they can be a big help to your dogs in losing weight.

4. Natural Balance Fat Dogs Low-Calorie Dry Dog Food

If you are looking for dry dog food with low calories for your dogs, Natural Balance Fat Dogs Low-Calorie Dry Dog Food is a good option.

Compared with other diet dog foods, this is formulated to help weight loss and maintaining the weight of your dogs. It has low calories so it is one of the best options for weight loss.

It has a balanced protein and fiber formula, which would help keep your dogs full between meals even if it has low calories.

The protein found on this dog food can also guarantee that your dogs will retain their muscle mass while losing weight.

The protein content of the dog food comes from chicken and salmon meals, garbanzo beans and many more. It also contains other ingredients like pea fiber, oats, barley as well as egg.

There are also added vitamins and minerals like Omega 3 and 6 fatty acids that would help with the overall health of your dogs.

It only means that this dog food formula is more than just a weight loss dog food. It is a complete dog food that would provide all of the nutrients that your dog needs while helping them reduce or maintain their weight.

5. Nutro Ultra Adult Weight Management Dog Food

The list won’t be completed without weight management wet dog food.

The Nutro Ultra Adult Weight Management Dog Food is definitely your best option as it is currently the best weight loss wet dog food that you can find on the web.

If you want your dogs to have a taste of wet dog food, this is the best option that you have.

It has all-natural ingredients that can also provide complete and balanced nutrition for the dogs and it can support their weight loss as well.

It was extremely flavorful due to its fresh ingredients like salmon, turkey, lamb, and chicken. There are also added extras like rice, pumpkin, and carrots that would provide balance to the protein of the wet dog food.

It also contains a wide range of vitamins and minerals that would make your dog healthy and strong. It has no artificial flavors and preservatives so it is extremely safe for consumption.

This product is very affordable and you won’t have to spend a lot of money on it. If you are on a tight budget or you have a lot of dogs to feed, this is definitely your best option.

Weight Loss Tips for your Dogs

Arthritis, diabetes, kidney, and heart diseases are only some of the ailments that your dogs might suffer if they are overweight. All these problems can be very serious and some can even cause death so you need to be very careful with the weight of your dogs. It’s great that they are eating well, but you should never feed them too much.

We will give you a few simple tips on how you can make changes to the diet of your dogs and prevent them from being overweight.

1. Check their Calorie Intake

The first thing that you need to know is to calculate the number of calories that your pet needs. You have to remember that the required calories of your pet would depend on different factors so make sure that you check them out.

Do not simply rely on the bag of dog food that you bought and the feeding guidelines that they provided. These feeding guidelines are very specific so if your dog is not exactly what the feeding guide is talking about, then there are only two things that can happen: your dog won’t have the right nutrients or they will become overweight.

You should visit your veterinarian and ask them to calculate the calories that your pet needs every day. You can also divide the weight of your pet by 2.2 and then multiply the figure to 30. Add 70 and you will have an idea of the calories that you need for your dogs.

2. Measure the Meals

The best way to deal with overweight dogs is to use a measuring cup for their meals. Most pet owners only make a guess when putting food on the bowl. This is a wrong move because adding too much might cause your pets to get even fatter.

There are also pet owners that always keep the bowl full throughout the day. The dogs will keep on going back to the bowl as long as they see food in it. Using a measuring cup is not a bad idea and you can always give more if you think that the food that you placed is too little.

3. Add Vegetables

Dogs need protein, but too much can lead to being overweight. If you think that your dogs are already getting the protein that their body requires and they still want to eat more, you can use vegetables as an alternative.

Instead of buying treats and feeding them to your dogs, you can give them baby carrots, celery, green beans, cucumbers, sliced apples, and bananas. These nutritious bites can be a healthy option for your dogs and they will surely love it. However, for fruits, you should only give a single slice and you can’t feed them the whole thing as it has high sugar content.

4. Cut the Carbohydrates

Dogs don’t need a high-carbohydrate diet. It means that you don’t need a lot of carbohydrates in dog food because they will only add to the weight of the dogs. All they need is a lot of protein so adding in carbohydrates may not be a good idea for their weight.

Most diet contains 60 percent carbohydrates and even more when you check the level. You should look for dog food with a balanced protein and carbohydrates. It is better if you can look for dog food with higher protein and lower carbohydrate if you want your dogs to lose weight.

Conclusion

A lot of dogs are already overweight right now and this is something that is very hard to prevent. The only thing you can do is to deal with the problem once it happens. However, if you already know how to choose the right food for your dogs, this overweight issue won’t be a big deal for you.

There are a lot of different dog foods available, but most of them are filled with calories. Although dogs need calories, they don’t need too much. Eating too many calories will only lead to weight gain and weight gain can lead to a lot of different health problems for your dogs.

The list mentioned above can help you choose the right dog food for your dogs and it would be a great help in maintaining their weight as well. Don’t ignore the weight of your dog and don’t let them eat as much as they want as it can have a negative impact on their health.