How to get dog to lose weight – Beanietoes Q&A

This post contains affiliate links and Beanietoes.com may earn a commission on any purchases you make through those links.

“How to get dog to lose weight?” – Beanietoes Question and Answer

How to get dog to lose weight?” is a growing search term on the internet. This is probably because over 50% of pets in America are now classified as obese. This is unfortunate, because obesity is often the root cause for many different health conditions which can shorten the life span of your dog. While in many cases this is attributed to the fact that commercial dog foods are full of empty calories and fillers, it’s also because many pet parents don’t actually know how much their dog should be eating! In this article we’ll help you learn about canine nutrition, exercise and what you can do to put your pup on a doggy diet.

How much should you be feeding your dog?

One of the biggest reasons that pets are over weight is that many pet parents just don’t know how much they should be feeding them. Many owners choose to free feed, thinking that their dog will only eat when he’s hungry, but pets are just as likely to eat too much this way as humans are. Especially when they are bored and have little to no mental stimulation. So how much should you be feeding your pup? Check this handy chart to see how much to feed your pooch.

how much should you feed your dog

How do you choose a healthier dog food?

Food is the most important part of the equation here. While exercise is important, if you’re over feeding your dog, then he’ll likely never burn enough calories to make a dent. So, focus on providing a healthy diet first. When choosing a healthy food for your dog, you should attempt to maximize beneficial proteins and limit carbohydrates. It’s also important that you learn to read the ingredients labels on foods to make sure that you’re not feeding your dog something that’s not good for them. Here’s the bullet points for choosing a healthy dog food.

  • High in quality meat proteins
  • Low in carbohydrates
  • No artificial ingredients or by-products

How do you read the ingredients label?

Ingredients labels are made with the most prominent ingredient printed first. That means whatever you see listed in the first 2 or 3 positions is what the food is mostly made out of. Automatically reject any food which features a low quality filler ingredient like corn or wheat in the first spot. This is the equivalent of feeding your dog junk food. It will be filled with empty calories and garbage. Look for foods that features high-quality proteins like beef, lamb, chicken or salmon at the top of the list. It’s also best to avoid foods with grains or too many fillers. Opt for a food that has quality fruits and vegetables like spinach, pumpkin or broccoli instead of grains.

What are some good dog foods for weight loss?

We’ve compiled a list of our favorite tried and true foods for dogs. These entries are high in quality and they offer superior nutrition. Since there are no fillers in these foods, your dog will get his nutrition without needing to load up on empty calories that he doesn’t need. Go here for a more in depth look at choosing a healthy food, or here are our top picks and some bullet points to help you out.

#1 – NomNomNow

best dog food available

NomNomNow is a fresh pet food company that delivers high-quality meals to your door. They provide perfectly portioned meals so that all of the work of helping your pup lose weight is done for you. Everything is made of only the best quality ingredients and cooked fresh every week. It’s the ultimate in doggy nutrition.

  • Pre-portioned, perfect calorie amount for your dog
  • Low in carbs, high in protein
  • Healthiest, human-grade fresh ingredients
  • Customized for your dog

#2 – Halo Dog Food

halo dog food

Halo’s dog foods are high in quality meat proteins, they’re easy to digest, and they have a very low calorie count since they aren’t filled with empty calories. It’s an affordable option to help your pup lose weight, and they also include easy to use feeding guidelines on the bags and cans. Their canned and dry foods are both excellent, and they use no rendered meat meals, only high-quality whole meats. Great option for pet parents on a budget.

  • Only human-grade, whole meat ingredients
  • High in protein, low in carb
  • Low calorie counts
  • Affordable and quality option

#3- Wysong Archetype

digestible cat food

This excellent freeze dried raw diet is composed of nearly 95% protein, making it a particularly palatable option for picky dogs. It focuses on only one high-quality meat like chicken or rabbit, making it great for allergies, and it’s one of the most convenient and affordable ways to feed your dog a raw diet. Carbohydrates are almost non-existent, making it a great choice for dogs needing to be on low carb diets such as diabetic pups. It’s also one of the few starch free dog food options available. Learn more here.

  • 95% high-quality meat
  • Convenient raw diet option
  • Starch free and very low in carbs
  • Particularly flavorful for picky eaters

Exercising your dog

How to get dog to lose weight with exercise?” Americans are busier than ever, and many of them don’t make the time to properly exercise their dogs, leading to an unhappy and overweight pooch. You should try to make time to take your pup out for vigorous exercise at least a couple of times per day. You can get a number of toys like this ball launcher which will encourage your dog to run and burn calories. However, if you have a particularly high energy breed that you can’t seem to keep up with or you just can’t exercise with your dog as often as they’d like, then consider getting a little help.

There are a number of doggy treadmills and doggy exercise wheels on the market. The best thing about these products is that many of them can be used by the dog without your presence. Some even run purely on canine running power with no electricity, and that means your dog can exercise any time. While it can take a little while for your dog to understand the purpose of these devices initially, once it clicks, most dogs love them. You can check out these machines here. Below you can see a video of these neat gadget in action! They’re great for exercising your dog during times of less than ideal weather or if you work more than your dog would like you to. While the video focuses on the version for small dogs and cats, they actually make these large enough for any dog breed!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IOBkSRh9xmI

“how to get dog to lose weight”: summary

The key to weight-loss for your dog involved lifestyle and diet changes just like for humans. Make an effort to monitor your dog’s food in take, and possibly offer them a healthier food option. Try to get them to be more active, but remember that diet will be the biggest part of their weight loss most likely.

Michelle Rei
Michelle Rei
Michelle is a pet parent turned amateur pet product researcher. After adopting a fur baby with digestive issues caused by bad pet food, she's poured hundreds of hours into research to find the best of the best to help him and other pets live happier and healthier lives.
Share this post
Share on facebook
Share on twitter
Share on reddit
Share on email
Share on print
Share on pocket

More From The Beanietoe's Blog

 

Beanietoes.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon or other affiliate networks. If you purchase a product through a link on our site, you’re helping to support our writers and website.