Slimming Down Your Pup: The Ultimate Guide to Choosing the Best Weight Management Dog Food

Did you know that dogs at a healthy weight live up to 2.5 years longer than overweight dogs? And it isn’t just about how long your dog lives. Overweight and obese dogs are also more likely to deal with health problems like cancer, diabetes, respiratory distress, heart disease, arthritis, and more, so dogs at a healthy weight have more QUALITY years, too.

As with humans, a dog’s weight is heavily influenced by their diet. Also like humans, carbohydrates are a much bigger threat to a dog’s weight than fat or calories. Here’s what you need to know about choosing the best weight-management dog food.

The Importance of Healthy Weight Management for Dogs

Just HOW important is it to keep your dog at a healthy weight? According to the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA):

“Keeping your pet at a healthy weight lowers their risk of certain health problems like arthritis, diabetes, high blood pressure, breathing problems, back problems, kidney disease, and some forms of cancer…On the other hand, excess weight can increase your pet’s risk of issues during anesthesia, reduce their life expectancy, and impair their quality of life.”

It’s easy to see how much of an impact your dog’s weight has on the length and quality of their life, which is why you want to feed your dog the best weight management dog food you can find.

How Do I Know if My Dog Is Overweight?

When viewed from above, your dog should have an hourglass shape. When viewed from the side, your dog should have an obvious tuck-up in their belly in front of their back legs. When your dog is standing, you should be able to easily feel your dog’s ribs under a thin layer of fat.

If you can’t feel your dog’s ribs or your pup looks round or barrel-shaped, your dog likely needs to lose weight.

Here’s a handy dog obesity chart to give you a visual idea of how your dog should look. Vets often use charts like these with numbers from 1-5 or 1-9, with 3 or 5 (whichever number is in the middle) being the ideal weight.

The Benefits of the Right Weight-Control Dog Food

The primary benefit of choosing the right weight-control dog food is having more healthy years with your furry pal since dogs of a good weight tend to live longer and have fewer health problems.

Ingredients to Look for in Weight-Management Dog Food

When it comes to weight-management dog food ingredients, quality matters. Protein is the most important part of a dog food for weight management, but it gets even more specific than that. Protein from animal, rather than plant sources, is the most important ingredient in food to help dogs reach a healthy weight.

High-Quality Protein Sources

Did you know that many commercial dog foods boost their protein percentage using protein-rich legumes rather than the animal meat dogs were designed to get their nutrition from? The biggest ingredients to look for in weight control dog food are high-quality protein sources from meat rather than plants.

We Feed Raw is made from high-quality USDA-certified muscle meat, organ meat, and raw meaty bones along with vitamins and minerals. We don’t use any species-inappropriate plant proteins in our food, so your dog gets their nutrients from taurine-rich meat that’s good for both their weight and their heart.

Low Carb Content

Studies have shown that dogs fed a high-protein, low-carbohydrate diet lose more weight than dogs fed the exact same number of calories in a high-carbohydrate diet. This goes against traditional wisdom that weight loss is strictly about calories in versus calories out.

A raw dog food diet—like We Feed Raw—is naturally high in protein and low in carbs, making it the ideal food for weight loss.

What Is the Best Healthy Dog Food for Weight Loss?

When you consider the fact that dogs lose more weight on a high-protein, low-carbohydrate diet, We Feed Raw is the best dog food for weight loss. When you sign up for a meal plan, we ask you several questions about your dog, including whether they need to lose weight, so we can give your dog the perfect daily dose to help them reach and maintain a healthy weight.

Low-Calorie Dog Food for Weight Loss

The best dog food for weight loss actually is NOT low-calorie dog food, but low-carb food. We Feed Raw is naturally low in carbohydrates, making it the ideal dog food for weight loss.

Grain-Free Dog Food for Weight Loss

We Feed Raw is nutritionally complete and balanced without any grains—or other carb-heavy fillers that kibble companies use to make their grain-free formulations. Our food is naturally grain-free and perfect for weight loss.

High Protein Dog Food for Weight Loss

For dog food that’s naturally high in protein and low in carbohydrates, choose We Feed Raw to help your dog lose weight.

How Do I Reduce My Dog's Weight?

Switching your dog from a high-carb kibble to high-protein We Feed Raw is one of the best ways you can reduce your dog’s weight, along with increasing how much exercise you give your dog each day.

How Much Exercise Does My Dog Need to Lose Weight?

Most dogs need at least 20 minutes of exercise twice a day to lose weight, although many dogs require much more exercise than that.

To start with, a good rule of thumb is to gradually increase your dog’s daily exercise from where they are to where you think they should be. A dog that’s used to a single 15-minute walk each day may not adjust well to suddenly being taken for a couple of daily hour-long walks, for example.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What Makes a Dog Food Good for Weight Management?

A high protein content and a low carbohydrate content make a food ideal for weight management. We Feed Raw is naturally high in protein from meat rather than plants and is also naturally low in carbs.

How Do I Determine My Dog’s Ideal Weight?

Since every dog is unique, your vet would be the best person to tell you how much your dog SHOULD weigh, although you can also research your dog’s breed to see typical healthy weights for their breed to get a good general idea.

How Much Should I Feed My Dog to Help Them Lose Weight?

When feeding raw, you should feed your dog about 2-3% of their IDEAL (not current) body weight each day. If you choose We Feed Raw, we do the calculations for you and tell you exactly how much to feed your dog each day for the best results.

Can I Make My Own Dog Food for Weight Loss?

While it is technically possible to make your own dog food for weight loss, it’s extremely difficult to ensure your dog gets all the nutrients they need as well as the perfect portion to help them lose weight at a healthy rate. It’s better to let the experts at We Feed Raw deliver perfectly pre-portioned raw dog food to your door and tell you how much to feed.

What Are the Ingredients to Avoid in Dog Food for Weight Loss?

The main ingredients to avoid in dog food for weight loss are anything high in carbohydrates, including grains, fruits, and vegetables. A meat- and protein-rich diet is ideal for weight loss.

How Many Calories Should a Dog Consume to Lose Weight?

Weight loss isn’t about calories, but carbohydrates. Dogs should have as few carbs as possible to lose weight.

Can I Give My Dog Human Food for Weight Loss?

Fruits and vegetables, in moderation, make excellent snacks when you want your dog to lose weight, but you want to ensure “human food” doesn’t make up too much of your dog’s diet.

Can All Dogs Benefit from Weight Management Dog Food?

Yes! We Feed Raw not only helps dogs lose weight, but it helps them maintain a healthy weight, as well. You can easily adjust your dog’s daily dose of food as they reach their target weight to help them maintain their healthy weight for a lifetime.

How Long Does it Take for My Dog to Lose Weight on Dog Food for Overweight Dogs?

Weight loss takes time and is never a quick process. That said, you should start to notice your dog losing weight within a few weeks of switching to We Feed Raw or another dog food for overweight dogs.