Low calorie dry dog food ???

berniepixie

Hi all.

I have very small (and fat) 8 y/o jack Russell.
She is needs to lose about a stone to get to an ideal weight, I have been feeding her "pedigree chum small dog" dry food all her life,
Does anyone know of a good quality dry dog food that can help her to lose weight.

Thanks in advance

Nody

Portion control & excercise are your best bet combined with a grain free kibble (taste of the wild, Markus Muhle Angus, Lukullus etc.); for example make him work for his food by having to get the kibble out of a kong and similar.

DBB

A stone? Are you sure your dog is that overweight? That'd almost double the weight of an average jrt!
Whilst I know Nody has recommended really good quality foods there, they do tend to be pretty high in fat. If you want an overweight dog to lose weight on it, the portions need to ve very small. This can lead to a hungry dog who begs for more food, and this can really test the owner's resolve.
I'd suggest you go for good quality but low fat foods. The two best foods that I've found to fulfil these criteria are Barking Heads Fat Dog Slim, or the James Wellbeloved cereal-free range. Indeed, I think getting overweight dogs off cereals is a good move, as I feel that cereals can tend to make dogs appear soft and bloated.
These foods can be fed in portions that help keep the dog satiated, but do be ultra careful with your portion control: don't use a measuring cup... Weigh the portion every day to make sure you're accurate (measuring cups can cause a daily disparity of up to 20% in daily portions).
You could also give her some mashed, cooked root veg to bulk out her meals. Stop giving proprietary chew treats like dentastix or jumbones, they are full of fat and calories, and avoid pork products such as pig's ears and noses. For treats, give raw carrot, or low fat dried meat treats such as tripe sticks.
As well as lowering the fat intake, as Nody suggests, get your dog feeding actively by feeding her from Kong toys or putting the food into plastic bottles or small cardboard boxes (such as milk cartons) for her to open/rip apart, scatter the food around the floor or garden, and do increase the amount of exercise your dog gets, but as with humans, do so gradually.
Finally, is there someone in the house sneak-feeding the dog, maybe from the table or when nobody's looking? This is a hugely common cause of "unexplained" weight gain or failure to lose weight, so do be aware of it!

Tranceypoo

I had great success with Barking Heads Fat Dog Slim (well my dog did!) My dog lost about 4/5 kilos over about a year (he doesn't do anything quickly)

aonb

I used the cereal free James Wellbeloved kibble to get my fatty down in weight a bit. He was food obsessed, but hated kibble (had been fed home cooked always) but would eat the James Wellbeloved with relish. I would give him a few bits of kibble for breakfast, a few bits for lunch and the remainder of his allowance for evening (because otherwise he might have died of hunger, being food obsessed! :rolleyes:)

You are the only one who can get the weight off him - owners are the ones responsible for their overweight dogs - Im a 'feeder' - I know it and I have had to curb it when it comes to our many pets! JRTs can be very good 'converters' - they need to be exercised too.

While my fatty was on his diet, I would sit on the floor, and throw a piece of kibble down our very long corridor, and he would fly after it - up and down and up and down until he was knackered, and his kibble was used up!! I would throw his ball on fine days (so boring!) up and down the garden. I also started taking him for a second, fast walk a day. While he was not as overweight as your dog, he soon lost the excess. Good luck - its hard not to feed your beloved little fatty!

berniepixie

DBB wrote: »

A stone? Are you sure your dog is that overweight? That'd almost double the weight of an average jrt!
Whilst I know Nody has recommended really good quality foods there, they do tend to be pretty high in fat. If you want an overweight dog to lose weight on it, the portions need to ve very small. This can lead to a hungry dog who begs for more food, and this can really test the owner's resolve.

Yes I am afraid she is a stone over weight, she hurt her back as a puppy, and I was told by the vet to watch her going down stairs, getting off beds, light exercise etc. I am ashamed to admit but I over done it as I was afraid she would slip the disc in her back again.

She has been killed with kindness all these years, under exercised and over fed. I am now not working and have plenty of time to look after her weight problem, thank you all for the advice , I will definitely be taking it on board

Taxuser1

berniepixie wrote: »

Hi all.

I have very small (and fat) 8 y/o jack Russell.
She is needs to lose about a stone to get to an ideal weight, I have been feeding her "pedigree chum small dog" dry food all her life,
Does anyone know of a good quality dry dog food that can help her to lose weight.

Thanks in advance

Royal Canin Light (Small Dog)

although I prefer dogs to get a more animal based diet than grains, I had an overweight Westie (about 11kgs). He got the very best protein based foods but this stuff brought him back to about 8.5kgs over 2 months. Loves his food and is always hungry so the poor fella has every rubbish bag decimated for scraps if left alone! So be warned!

berniepixie

Taxuser1 wrote: »

Royal Canin Light (Small Dog)

although I prefer dogs to get a more animal based diet than grains, I had an overweight Westie (about 11kgs). He got the very best protein based foods but this stuff brought him back to about 8.5kgs over 2 months. Loves his food and is always hungry so the poor fella has every rubbish bag decimated for scraps if left alone! So be warned!

Thanks very much I will get it tomorrow and mix some of her present food (pedigree small dog) with it, and bit by bit over, the next few days just phase the pedigree out completely .

I will also be freezing all food scraps till bin day, that should keep her out of the bin. This
Royal Canin Light (Small Dog) sounds familiar and i know exactly where to get it.

Thanks again.