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Weight Loss

Dog food for weight loss

It’s hard to over-state the importance of keeping our dogs trim.  So many medical conditions are caused, or made substantially worse, by being over-weight so it’s important to tackle it as soon as you can no longer feel their ribs when you stroke them. 

Ideally, you’ll feel the outline of their ribs with a thin layer of fat over them, they’ll have a ‘waist’ when viewed from above & a noticeable tuck up from their chest to their groin area.

Weight loss never comes easy - particularly if you have a dog that loves their chow! Food is also the way many of us show our love to our dogs, so the thought of curtailing this can be hard to accept.  However, it doesn’t have to be permanent, and often our dogs really don’t care what or how much we treat them – they tend to only care about the frequency – so switching to smaller (with small dogs the treats should be tiny!), lower calorie treat alternatives can be easier than we think.

There seems to be two schools of thought on the best diet for a dog that needs to lose weight:

1) low fat (around 8% or less), low calorie, higher carb diets

2) or higher fat, low carb, high protein (33%+) diets. 

In our experience the method that works best seems to vary from dog to dog, so if you’ve been struggling on one type of diet for a while with little progress then trying the alternative method might bring better results.

Either way, for successful weight loss it’s important that you measure the food carefully using the feeding guides – feed according to their ideal weight, not their current weight & then reduce this amount by about 10%. Adding cooked vegetables or water to their bowl can help a hungry dog feel fuller.

It can be helpful to know how many calories your dog needs – here’s a simple formula:

Resting energy requirement = 30 x your dog’s ideal body weight in kilograms plus 70.

So, a 5kg (ideal weight) dog would need 220 kcal per day for weight loss.  A 20kg dog needs 670 calories.

To put this in perspective, a Bonio or a pig’s ear has over 75 calories, a small dental stick has at least 50 calories & a sneaky digestive biscuit has around 80. A baby carrot, by contrast, has 3 calories!.

In view of this it’s important to feed treats & chews that have a fat content of 5% or less and that categorically state that they contain no added sugar.   Cooked or raw carrots are a popular choice, as are pieces of unsweetened rice cakes, cabbage or banana.

If you’re still getting nowhere then a l-carnitine supplement may help as may a good multi-strain probiotic & if all that fails, then it’s worth discussing things with your vet in case there’s something else at play.

The foods listed here tend to follow the more traditional approach of low fat/low calorie/higher carb diets except for the Mighty Meaty recipe which is a low-carb diet.  Be sure to feed Mighty Meaty following the ‘Weight Control’ section on the feeding guide.

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Image of Happy Go Lightly Fish low calorie, low fat, hypoallergenic dog food

Happy Go Lightly (Fish & Rice)

  • * Wheat free, gentle, hypoallergenic formula with strong Omega 3 content
  • * Ideal for low-moderately active dogs
  • * Protein: 20%, Fat: 9%, Fibre: 3%, Calories: c. 353k/cal per 100g
  • * 1.5kg & 10kg bags (40kg Bulk Deal Also Available)
£0.00
Image of Happy Go Lightly Lamb low calorie, low fat hypoallergenic dog food

Happy Go Lightly (Lamb & Rice)

  • Wheat free, gentle, low fat dog food with strong Omega 3 content
  • Ideal for low-moderately active dogs
  • Protein: 21%, Fat: 10%, Fibre: 3%, Calories: c. 348k/cal per 100g
  • 1.5kg & 10kg bags (40kg Bulk Deal Also Available)
£0.00
Image of Happy Go Lightly low calorie, low fat hypoallergenic dog food

Happy Go Lightly (Turkey & Rice)

  • Wheat & Gluten free, hypoallergenic low fat dog food that's gentle on kidneys & tums
  • Ideal for low-moderately active dogs. Only 8% fat & 0.8% phosphorus
  • Protein: 23%, Fat: 8%, Fibre: 3.5%, Calories: c. 346k/cal per 100g
  • 1.5kg & 10kg bags (40kg Bulk Deal Also Available)
£0.00
Image of Happy Go Lightly Turkey low calorie, low fat, hypoallergenic dog food for small dogs

Happy Go Lightly Small Bite (Turkey & Rice)

  • Wheat & Gluten free, gentle, low fat dog food with added joint support
  • Ideal for low-moderately active dogs. Only 8% fat & 0.8% phosphorus
  • Protein: 23%, Fat: 8%, Fibre: 3.5%, Calories: c. 346k/cal per 100g
  • 1.5kg & 10kg bags (40kg Bulk Deal Also Available)
£0.00
Image of Mighty Meaty high protein dog food - 80 20 dog food

Mighty Meaty (original) Poultry & Fish

  • Based around the principles of raw feeding, 80% meat/fish + 20% grain free veg etc.
  • With added Joint Support, Omega 3 & healthful herbs & botanicals. Suitable for puppies too!
  • Protein: 37%, Fat: 15%, Fibre: 3%, Calories: c. 374k/cal per 100g
  • 1.5kg & 13.5kg bags (54kg Bulk Deal Also Available)
£0.00
Image of  Return To Slender natural low calorie hypoallergenic dog food

Return to Slender (Fish & Rice)

  • Wheat free, hypoallergenic dog food, with added joint support & only 8% fat
  • Ideal for dogs prone to weight gain. Added l-carnitine & only 0.6% phosphorus
  • Protein: 21%, Fat: 8%, Fibre: 4%, Calories: c. 341k/cal per 100g
  • 2kg & 12kg bags (48kg Bulk Deal Also Available)
£0.00
Image of Tender Tums natural, low fat, hypoallergenic chicken & rice dog food

Tender Tums (Chicken & Rice)

  • Wheat free, hypoallergenic dog food with only 8% fat
  • Ideal for less active dogs & may be helpful for those prone to acid reflux
  • Protein: 24%, Fat: 8%, Fibre: 3.5%, Calories: c. 348k/cal per 100g
  • 2kg & 12kg bags (48kg Bulk Deal Also Available)
£0.00
Image of Tickety Boo Senior low fat Sensitive dog food with Turkey, sweet potato & cranberry for senior dogs

Tickety Boo Senior/Light (Turkey, Sweet Potato & Cranberry)

  • Grain Free, super-gentle hypoallergenic recipe for optimum support for senior or overweight dogs.
  • Added Omega 3, l-carnitine & Joint Support & only 9% fat.
  • Protein: 27%, Fat: 9%, Fibre: 3.5%, Calories: c. 343k/cal per 100g
  • 2kg & 13.5kg bags (54kg Bulk Deal Also Available)
£0.00
Image of Tickety Boo Senior low fat Sensitive dog food with Salmon, trout, sweet potato & asparagus for senior dogs

Tickety Senior/Light (Trout, Salmon, Sweet Potato & Asparagus)

  • Grain Free, super-gentle, hypoallergenic recipe that's packed with 50% fish.
  • Optimal low-fat support for senior/overweight dogs. Added joint support, l-carnitine & Omega 3
  • Protein: 25%, Fat: 8%, Fibre: 3.5%, Calories: c. 340k/cal per 100g
  • 2kg & 13.5kg bags (54kg Bulk Deal Also Available)
£0.00
Beef gullet chews for moderate chewers

Beef Gullet Rolls

  • * Tasty, not-too-hard chews made from 100% beef gullet
  • * 100% natural, low in fat & made in EU
  • * Grain free with no added salt or sugar
  • * Protein 87%, Oils & Fats 3.5%, Ash 2%
£6.99