[Newell Z]

I have a 9 year old mixed breed, small dog that is overweight. We take him for a walk twice a day. He is getting slower and I am afraid that he will not be able to exercise when summer gets here because of his weight. I started making his food from ground meat, carrots and cottage cheese. I don’t know if this has helped since he looks bigger than ever. Also, I am not sure if he is getting enough vitamins with homemade food. I give him l/4 cup in a.m. and 3/4 cup at night. A total of 1 cup per day.
I don’t know if I should keep feeding him the homemade diet or switch to a low fat dry food. I used Halo’s diet food and he seemed to like it, but again didn’t loose any weight.
HELP! What should I do?

[aimee]

Hi Newzell Z,

Good for you for recognizing and addressing your dog’s weight. Your concern that he is not getting a balanced diet is spot on based on the ingredients you shared.

Using a commercial diet formulated for weight loss or a homemade diet for weight loss formulated by a veterinary nutritionist would be the way to go.

Determine the number of calories he is currently eating. Cut back by 20% (assuming no health concerns) and weigh the food for each meal to ensure proper calorie intake. Weigh him every week to monitor weight loss. If he isn’t losing, you’ll need to cut back calories more. If you get to a point where you are feeding less than the recommended serving consult your vet. Consider using a weight loss food formulated by Purina, Royal Canin, Iams/Eukaneuba or Hill’s Pet nutrition.

[Author]

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