Why Your Dog's Weight Matters: How to Help Them Live a Longer, Healthier Life
If you’re wondering how to help a dog lose weight, you’ve come to the right place for information—and you’re not alone. 73% of dog owners report having tried to help their pup lose weight, and 59% of dogs in the United States are currently overweight or obese.
Carrying extra weight causes many of the same life-shortening health conditions in dogs as it does in people, so knowing how to get a dog to lose weight is crucial to their health and happiness.
Here’s everything you need to know about the dangers of dog obesity, how to tell if your dog is overweight, several different causes of dog obesity, how to help a dog lose weight, and so much more.
Overweight Dog Health Risks: Understanding the Importance of Reducing Dog Obesity
Did you know that being overweight or obese could shorten your dog’s life by as much as 2.5 years? Additionally, being overweight puts dogs at an increased risk for a variety of health problems, including:
•Breathing difficulties
•Skin infections
•Kidney disease
•Cancer
•Heart disease
•Arthritis
•Diabetes
•High blood pressure
•Increased likelihood of joint injuries
To help your dog live the longest, healthiest, and happiest life possible, you need to keep them at an ideal weight.
Understanding Healthy Weight for Dogs
Is your dog a healthy weight already? Are you SURE? More than a third (36%) of owners with overweight or obese dogs classified their pet as “normal, ideal, or thin” when asked by their vet.
So, how can you tell if a dog is overweight?
When viewed from above, your standing dog should have an hourglass figure, and when viewed from the side, they should have an obvious tuck-up between their chest and their back legs (some dog breeds will have a more obvious tuck-up than others, but most breeds should have at least a bit of a tuck-up). You should be able to easily feel your dog’s ribs and perhaps see your pup’s final rib.
Healthy Dog Weight: Setting Realistic Weight Goals for Your Dog
Just as your dog didn’t gain weight overnight, they won’t (and shouldn’t) lose weight overnight, either. In general, you should aim for your dog to lose about 3-5% of their body weight each month until they reach their goal weight. If you aren’t sure what your dog’s ideal weight is, you can check the breed standard or talk to your veterinarian.
How to Help a Dog Lose Weight: Causes of Canine Obesity
To better get a dog to lose weight, you should understand what caused your pup to gain excess weight in the first place. Many things can contribute to obesity, and some of those things (like a genetic predisposition) can’t be changed. However, some causes of obesity (like overfeeding or giving your pup too many treats) can and should be addressed when you want to help your dog lose weight.
Overfeeding
While it’s often unintentional, overfeeding is one of the most common causes of dog obesity. Kibble bags give a wide range of feeding suggestions, and a huge number of factors go into determining how many calories a dog actually needs per day. That means you could be following the food’s feeding directions exactly and still overfeeding your dog.
Your vet can tell you exactly how many calories you should feed your dog each day, but if you would like a general idea, you can calculate their Resting Energy Requirement (RER) using this formula:
30 x (body weight in kilograms) + 70
To determine your pup’s weight in kilograms, simply divide their weight in pounds by 2.2.
(body weight in pounds) ÷ 2.2 = body weight in kilograms
Generally, a neutered adult dog requires 1.6 X RER calories to maintain their weight. To achieve weight loss, an adult dog should eat 1.0 X RER for their IDEAL weight rather than their current weight.
Confused? Let’s try an example.
A spayed adult female German Shepherd should weigh approximately 60 pounds. Let’s say your spayed adult female German Shepherd weighs 70 pounds and is obese.
The RER for that pup’s ideal weight = 30 X (60 pounds ÷ 2.2 = 27.27) = 818 + 70 = 888 calories per day to lose weight.
Once your dog reaches their goal weight (60 pounds, in this instance) you can increase the amount of food you feed them slightly.
Too Many Treats
Whether you love training your pup, keeping them busy with long-lasting chews while you’re working, or just spoiling them with bites of your own food, the treats in calories can add up quickly and contribute to obesity. Treats should make up no more than 10% of your dog’s daily calorie intake, so be sure to factor in treats when deciding how much food to give your dog each day.
Lack of Exercise
Whether your dog is a natural couch potato or you simply don’t have enough time to take them for long walks, many dogs don’t get enough exercise, which can contribute to weight gain. Even when you do walk your dog, it may be more of a leisurely stroll with frequent sniff breaks rather than a brisk walk that engages their cardiovascular system.
Genetic Predisposition
Some breeds—like Labrador Retrievers and Newfoundlands—are genetically predisposed to weight gain since having a layer of fat helped keep them warm in Canada’s cold waters. Other breeds, like sighthounds, tend to be more predisposed to maintaining a lean body condition.
Age or Sex
Dogs tend to have an easier time gaining weight and a harder time losing weight as they age, and female dogs are more prone to obesity than males. Additionally, spayed and neutered dogs use less energy than intact pups, so be sure to factor that into consideration when deciding how much to feed your dog.
Certain Health Conditions
Some health conditions, like hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid) or hyperadrenocorticism (Cushing's disease), may cause or contribute to a dog’s weight gain, so it’s especially important to take your dog to the vet if their weight gain is recent or unexpected. Your vet will run blood tests to rule out health conditions and help you come up with a plan to help your dog lose weight.
Carb-rich Diet
Studies have shown that dogs lose more weight on a protein-rich diet than a carbohydrate-rich diet, so it follows that carb-rich diets (including kibble, which averages about 60% carbs) contribute to obesity more than protein-rich diets, such as a naturally carb-free raw diet like We Feed Raw.
How to Help My Dog Lose Weight: Practical Tips for Weight Loss Success
The best way to help a dog lose weight is to increase the amount of exercise they get, decrease the percentage of carbohydrates in their diet, and feed fewer calories. Let’s dig a little deeper into diet and exercise for dogs as well as some other tips to help your pup lose weight.
Best Weight Loss Food for Dogs: How to Choose the Right Diet for Your Dog
Since protein-rich diets are shown to help dogs lose weight better than carb-rich diets with an identical number of calories, you should feed your dog as much protein-rich raw dog food as you can afford. Even if you can’t feed a fully raw diet, replacing some of your dog’s high-carb kibble with naturally carb-free raw food can help them lose weight.
Learn more about We Feed Raw here.
How to Get a Dog to Lose Weight: Creating a Dog Exercise Routine to Lose Weight
One of the best ways to help your dog get more exercise and lose weight is to extend the length, increase the frequency, and pick up the pace of your daily walks. The average walk with a dog is typically a slow stroll while letting your dog sniff and do their business. After your dog has peed and pooped, try picking up the pace and walking fast enough for you both to work a little harder at breathing.
In addition to more frequent, longer, and more-intense walks, you can play with your dog more to increase the amount of exercise they get. Tug, fetch, chase, and other games can help both of you burn calories while also having fun and bonding.
Weight Loss Tips for Dogs: Lifestyle Changes for a Healthier Dog
While increasing how much exercise your dog gets, increasing the amount of protein in their diet, reducing the number of treats you give them, and decreasing their overall calorie intake are great ways to help your dog lose weight, here are some other tips and tricks to help dogs lose weight:
•Use puzzle feeders to slow your dog down at mealtime and help them feel more full. We Feed Raw stuffed into a Toppl or Kong or spread on a lick mat and then frozen can help mealtime last an extra long time.
•Move the food downstairs or upstairs, forcing your dog to expend more calories than usual to eat their meals.
•Reward with fun rather than food. While small treats have their place in training, sometimes you can reward your dog’s good behavior with pets, a game of fetch, or another fun reward rather than high-calorie treats.
•Add fiber. This could be a spoonful of pumpkin puree added to each meal or green beans given as treats rather than high-calorie options. Either way, the goal is the same: keeping your pup feeling full for longer.
•Keep the water bowl full. Sometimes all you need to help you feel fuller between meals is a nice drink of water, and the same goes for dogs (especially if you feed them dry kibble).
The Role of Veterinary Care
Discuss the importance of consulting with a veterinarian when helping dogs lose weight, and highlight the value of veterinary-approved weight loss programs.
Generally, dogs on a weight loss program should be weighed about once a month to check their progress. Your veterinarian may alter your pup’s weight loss program if they don’t lose at least 3-5% of their starting weight in the first month.
How to Get My Dog to Lose Weight When They Constantly Beg for More Food
If your dog deserves an Academy Award for “Best Canine Actor in a Starving Dog Role,” these tips may help:
•Feed small meals more often. Rather than feeding your dog their entire daily dose of food in one or two meals, try splitting the same amount of food into several smaller meals throughout the day. This works well in conjunction with puzzle feeders, so each meal takes longer to consume.
•Pet, walk, or play with your dog when they beg. Affection or exercise may replace excessive food or treats with time.
•Avoid self-feeders, unless they have a timer, to better ensure your dog is getting the precise amount of food each day to help them lose weight.
•Replace high-calorie treats with vegetables like carrots, asparagus, green beans, celery, or broccoli.
•Make sure everybody in the family is on the same page. Find a way to ensure that others aren’t giving your pup additional meals after they’ve already been fed.
•Offer fresh water rather than food. A drink of nice, cool, clean water may reduce your dog’s craving for more food or treats.
Reducing Dog Obesity: Strategies for Long-Term Weight Management
When your dog reaches their goal weight, that doesn’t mean you can go back to feeding them the way that led them to gain weight in the first place. You should continue any exercise routines you started with your dog and gradually increase the amount of food you feed them until you find an amount that allows them to maintain a healthy weight.
As a side note, 90% of owners surveyed said their dogs maintained a healthy weight on We Feed Raw. We make it easy to adjust your dog’s daily dose before each delivery, so you can continue to feed your pup the PERFECT amount of food.
Healthy Diet for Dogs: What to Feed Your Dog for Optimal Health
70% of pet owners “agree or somewhat agree” that obesity is caused by poor feeding choices. So, what’s the best diet to help a dog lose weight?
A naturally carb-free, species-appropriate, complete and balanced raw dog food like We Feed Raw is the best way to help your dog lose weight and then maintain their new healthy weight. Our food contains all the nutrients your dog requires, without any fillers, preservatives, or artificial colors or flavors.
Take our quiz now to see how much it would cost to switch your dog to easy-to-feed We Feed Raw.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
How much should I feed my dog to help them lose weight?
Your veterinarian can help you determine how many calories your dog should eat each day to lose weight. Or, you can switch your dog to We Feed Raw. When you take our quiz, we ask a bunch of questions about your dog, including whether they need to lose weight and how active they are, then we tell you how many ounces to feed your dog per day.
What are the best weight-loss foods for dogs?
The best weight-loss foods for dogs are diets that are rich in protein and low in carbs. Most kibble averages about 60% carbohydrates. On the other hand, We Feed Raw is naturally carb-free, making it an excellent weight-loss food for dogs.
What are the most common causes of obesity in dogs?
The most common causes of obesity in dogs include:
•Overfeeding
•Too many treats
•Lack of exercise
•Genetic predisposition
•Age or sex
•Certain health conditions
•Carb-rich diet
Can dogs become addicted to food like humans?
Some dogs are much more interested in food than others, and some foods (including human food and many kibble brands) are so delicious that they can cause cravings in your dog, but it’s difficult to say that dogs can “become addicted to food.”
How much exercise does a dog need to lose weight?
The more exercise you can give your dog, the better! However, you shouldn’t suddenly take your dog on a long, difficult hike if they’re used to a short mosey around the block. As with humans, dogs need time to gradually get used to a new exercise routine, so you should slowly increase the length, intensity, and frequency of your walks or playtime to get your dog more exercise.
The ultimate goal should be for your dog to get at least 30-60 minutes of exercise each day.
What are the health risks associated with obesity in dogs?
Some of the health risks associated with obesity in dogs include:
•Breathing difficulties
•Skin infections
•Kidney disease
•Cancer
•Heart disease
•Arthritis
•Diabetes
•High blood pressure
•Increased likelihood of joint injuries
How can a veterinarian help me create a dog weight-loss program?
A veterinarian would be the best person to tell you how many calories your dog should eat each day, what their goal weight should be, and how much and what kind of exercise they think your dog could tolerate at their current weight and fitness level, ensuring you don’t accidentally cause your dog to suffer from malnutrition or an exercise-induced injury.
What are some common mistakes dog owners make when trying to help their dogs lose weight?
Some common mistakes people make when trying to help their dogs lose weight include:
•Not properly measuring each meal
•Not taking treats or table scraps into account
•Accidentally causing malnutrition by restricting food too severely
•Not having the whole family on board
How long does it take for a dog to lose weight?
Depending on how much weight a dog needs to lose, most dogs reach their goal weight within about 6 to 8 months. Dogs that need to lose more weight may need longer to reach their goal weight, while dogs that are only slightly overweight may reach their goal quicker.
Can certain breeds of dogs be more prone to becoming overweight or obese?
Yes. Some breeds that are more prone to obesity than average include:
•Labrador Retrievers
•Cocker Spaniels
•Golden Retrievers
•Pugs
•Beagles
•Basset Hounds
•Dachshunds
How long will my dog need to be on a diet?
Your dog should reach their ideal weight within 6-8 months. However, that doesn’t mean you can go back to feeding your dog the way you were when they were overweight. You can gradually increase how much food you give your dog until their weight stabilizes and they are neither losing nor gaining weight.
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