Help-I need some diet ideas for my dog

[snowball22]

Yikes, I just got back from the vet and she said my yellow lab is obese. He is big boned and weighs 111 pounds. We feed him Pedigree Adult with two cups for breakfast and two cups for dinner. He does get a big milk bone each day from our newspaper deliverer and sometimes we slip him table scraps. We are going to cut out the milk bones and the table scraps. I need to find a new diet dog food. I would love any suggestions on a good diet dog food that any of you may have had success with. Also, if any of you have any ideas for healthy snacks for the dog, it would be appreciated. Thanks!

 

[disykat]

Does you vet want you to change dogfoods? When our dog starts to gain a bit, we just give her slightly less of the same food.

 

[snowball22]

She wants him to be on a "diet" dog food but there are so many out there. I just want to make sure that I pick one that has good results.

 

[WDWguru]

We put our pug on Science Diet canine r/d when we first got her. She was 7 years old and weighed 30 pounds! Three years later she is steady at 25 pounds and doing great. She lost the weight pretty quickly - over about the first six months. The food is high in fiber, so it makes her VERY regular - lol! But she does free feed and we are guilty of giving her table scraps. Even so, she enjoys the food and still keeps the weight down. It's a bit pricey and it is prescription so you have to get it from the vet, but it's the best thing we've done for her.

 

[PlutoPony]

Don't have any diet doggie food, but another option is to add roughage to the diet that isn't loaded with calories and fills the stomach - like carrotts and green beans. Most dogs (especially labs ) love food like that and it does help make them feel more "full"..... As for dog food, you can compare labels, much like you do with people food. Ask the vet specifics but the 2 major components of dog food I think are fat and protein - I assume you'd want less rather than more of each. Maybe look at some food for "geriatric" dogs and see what those %'s are? HTH - we'll be in the same boat down the road with our lab. Right now we're just adding carrotts, which he LOVES

 

[bekkiz]

He may not get enough excercise. One thing that helped my mom's very pudgy pup was a day a week at doggy day care. He was getting walks etc, but that full day of constant running around really helped (she also cut back on his food intake by about 25%)

 

[Aimeedyan]

You need to switch his food but not necessarily to a diet formula - Pedigree is one of the worst foods on the market =( Change him to a higher quality food and do the green bean diet. There is really no need for a low cal diet if you do this. Lo cal foods are usually a rip off and more expensive. It's MUCH cheaper to substitute part of the dry food with green beans. Green beans make the dog feel full but don't add any extra calories. You can use fresh or canned - if you go canned, go with low/no sodium to reduce the salt amount.

 

[luvsmickeymouse]

I wouldn't change the dog food, just cut down about 25%. Maybe just one milk bone a day and less table scraps. Increase exercise. When my dog seems like she is gaining i just simply cut down her regular food by 25%. She only gets one milk bone a day. And I am guilty of table scraps for her also.

 

[luvwinnie]

Science Diet diet food worked for my MIL's pug. It DOES make them poop more though. I can suggest Wellness brand also.

 

[TinkerKim]

Cut back on the food and add some green beans. Filling and lower calories.

 

[doxdogy]

I was going to suggest the green bean diet. It worked with one overweight doxie that we use to own. When she went to live with my hubby's ex MIL, she wouldn't touch a green bean.

Cut back on the food and add some green beans. Filling and lower calories.

 

[alliecats]

I would switch to canned foods rather than one of those dry "lite" formulas that are low in calories but loaded with carbs. I would find a high quality canned food without a lot of corn or rice in it.

 

[DVC Sadie]

We had to give our labs Science Diet R/D to lose weight and it worked great. After they lost the weight we kept them both on it and they still eat it to this day. Our dogs also get a little more excercise now.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

I am not familiar with the low cal dog food options, but I'd say just cutting back a bit on both food and table scraps, along with stepping up the exercise (if he is able) should go a long way toward helping the dog lose weight. Stay with it. Just like with people, extra calories can really add up. FWIW, I would not cut out the dog biscuit either, I'm sure it's a special part of his day.

 

[kdibattista]

Tie a pork chop on the treadmill