# Best "Light" dog food For Weight Loss?



## Abbylynn (Jul 7, 2011)

I am looking for a good health food for a diet. Just back from the vets ..... Abbylynn is on a diet ... per vet. She now weighs 73.9 pounds!!!! Her I deal wight should be 63 pounds. :/

Abbylynn has a rotating knee! She has to lose weight .........

:help:


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## Emmett (Feb 9, 2013)

I'm not stalking, I swear but...

Otis also had to lose weight after being diagnosed with a luxating patella. He weighed 74 lbs at the time and now weighs 64 lbs so we were at almost an identical place as you guys.

I did not put him on any "light" foods. From all my research they're more gimmicky than effective. I just cut back on his regular food. He had been eating 3 cups a day and now he only needs 2 cups. In the beginning the drastic reduction did leave him feeling ravenous so I bought Costco bags of frozen veggies and gave him a half cup of those to make him feel more full on his new ration size. 

If you are really wanting to go with a "light" food, I have heard others recommend the CORE Reduced Fat version. Plus, don't forget the exercise component to weight loss!


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## taquitos (Oct 18, 2012)

I agree with Emmett in that most weight loss foods are gimmicky. I would start slowly cutting back her food until you are feeding her at her ideal weight instead of her current weight


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## Abbylynn (Jul 7, 2011)

Emmett said:


> I'm not stalking I swear but...Otis also had to lose weight after being diagnosed with a luxating patella. He weighed 74 pounds at the time and now weighs 64 lbs so we were at almost identical places to you guys.
> 
> I did to not put him on any "light" foods. From all my research they're more gimmicky than effective. I just cut back on his regular food. He had been eating 3 cups a day and now he only needs 2 cups. In the beginning the drastic reduction did leave him feeling ravenous so I bought Costco bags of frozen veggies and gave him a half cup of those to make him feel more full on his new ration side.
> 
> If you are really wanting to go with a "light" food, I have heard others recommend the CORE Reduced Fat version. Plus, don't forget the exercise component to weight loss!


Yes ... we are almost book ends! Lol! I would rather not use the light foods if not necessary. I am going to feed less and ad the veggies for bulk for sure. I just ordered Fromm Gold Adult. I will have to look at the calories. The odd thing is I already cut back to 2 cups per day on the Chicken Soup For The Dog Lovers Soul ... and she got heavier! :/

I have hired a 17 year old Niece to walk all the dogs this summer for me. Teenagers always need extra money!  I will have to show her how to walk Abbylynn.


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## sassafras (Jun 22, 2010)

My preference is Wellness Core Reduced Fat.


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## InkedMarie (Mar 11, 2009)

sassafras said:


> My preference is Wellness Core Reduced Fat.


I generally don't like "diet" olds but I like the ingredients and guaranteed analysis. I used the amount of food that my dog * should* have weighed.


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## MonicaBH (Jul 5, 2008)

StiXxX was a few pounds heavy at his last vet visit. His vet formulated a plan using reduced amounts of his current food with some carrots and green beans as snacks.


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## Jacksons Mom (Mar 12, 2010)

FWIW, Jackson got a bit 'chubbier' to me on Fromm. And he's very active.

Check out Annamaet Lean or Wellness Core Reduced Fat.


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## Emmett (Feb 9, 2013)

Abbylynn said:


> Yes ... we are almost book ends! Lol! I would rather not use the light foods if not necessary. I am going to feed less and ad the veggies for bulk for sure. I just ordered Fromm Gold Adult. I will have to look at the calories. The odd thing is I already cut back to 2 cups per day on the Chicken Soup For The Dog Lovers Soul ... and she got heavier! :/
> 
> I have hired a 17 year old Niece to walk all the dogs this summer for me. Teenagers always need extra money!  I will have to show her how to walk Abbylynn.


I feed a varied rotational diet that includes kibbles like Orijen, NV, EVO, Wellness, Merrick, etc (I won't go below 34% protein...it works best for us.) so we're talking quite a bit more caloric intake per cup than Fromm and CS4DLS, *BUT* Otis is also very active. He gets an average of 3 hours of *hard* exercise every single day. We off leash hike, swim and play our own little game I've dubbed "wretch", which is basically Otis fetching the Chuck-it ball and Freya high-speed wrestling him the entire way there and back. I feel comfortable saying he is more active than the majority of dogs out there, so it makes sense that what keeps him lean might very well be too much for many other dogs. 

If Abbylynn were mine I would probably start her out on a scant 2 cups of the Fromm and increase her exercise, check her weight in two weeks and determine action from there. This has got to be a long term strategy. It took us 4 months to shed 10 lbs. We could have done it much more rapidly, but we were trying to build muscle at the same time so I really had to work at the balance of what was needed to fuel muscle building, but also lose excess weight. 

Now the following is just my experience and I have zero scientific facts to back it up nor do I claim that it would work for everybody. If you give the Fromm and exercise regimen a try and aren't satisfied with the results, you might look into food with a little higher protein and go GF. Quite a few of my dog park friends have switched to GF and usually gotten a food that is more calorically dense then they were eating and, despite feeding the same amount, have actually lost weight with no real effort on their owner's part. It's just food for thought and I definitely think you're on the right track with all the great advice you're getting here and in your other thread.


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## Abbylynn (Jul 7, 2011)

Thank you so very much everyone! All the great advice is much appreciated and well taken ... and will be put to good use!  Abbylynn has to lose 10 pounds ... especially with that leg!


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## taquitos (Oct 18, 2012)

A thought also occurs: If you cut back too quickly then couldn't your dog go into "starvation mode" like people, where they try to conserve as much energy as possible, therefore gaining weight, instead of losing weight? Maybe you cut back on Abbylynn's food too quickly?


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## Abbylynn (Jul 7, 2011)

taquitos said:


> A thought also occurs: If you cut back too quickly then couldn't your dog go into "starvation mode" like people, where they try to conserve as much energy as possible, therefore gaining weight, instead of losing weight? Maybe you cut back on Abbylynn's food too quickly?


This is a good point! 

I do not know about dogs with this .... but I will cut back slowly. I went from 2 and 1/2 cups to 2 cups per day about a month ago. Must not be enough. The food must be too rich or calorie dense. Plus I always add the extra meats. Poor Dad needs to lose 30 pounds from my cooking! Lol! I am skinny! I am 5 foot 5 inches and weigh 119 pounds right now. I lost 30 pounds from September last year until January this year from being sick. It takes me forever to gain weight! I have only put 12 pounds back on.  Wish the dogs and Dad were like this! Lol!

I think I feed my dogs too well. :/ I am going to cut back slowly but add the veggies to make her feel full. Also cut out some of the extra treats.


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## georgiapeach (Mar 17, 2012)

sassafras said:


> My preference is Wellness Core Reduced Fat.


I had GREAT success with this kibble for my MIL's cockapoo. She was 28.2 lb., and the vet wanted her at 14-15 lb.! It took us 7 months to slowly slim her down. Her stamina definitely improved as she shed the weight, and she enjoyed longer and longer walks and playing fetch as she started slimming down.

Just remember to feed the amount for what the dog SHOULD weigh, not what he weighs now, or you won't have much success.


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## meggels (Mar 8, 2010)

I second the suggestion of Annamaet Lean or Wellness Core Reduced Fat.

Fromm has a pretty good amount of carbs, which if you want the dog to lose weight, is not going to help.


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## Abbylynn (Jul 7, 2011)

meggels said:


> I second the suggestion of Annamaet Lean or Wellness Core Reduced Fat.
> 
> Fromm has a pretty good amount of carbs, which if you want the dog to lose weight, is not going to help.


Thank you!


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## NicoleIsStoked (Aug 31, 2012)

I agree with what everyone else said. I wouldn't use a light food. Just feeding a good quality food sparingly and tons of exercise. I don't know what she's allowed to do because of her knee but it should be noted that walking a dog doesn't not really qualify as exercise for them. You need to get their heart rate up and get them RUNNING. This could mean you taking them for a run, teaching them to run beside a bike or playing intense games of long range fetch but they NEED to run. This will not only help to slim her down but also to speed up her metabolism.


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## Abbylynn (Jul 7, 2011)

NicoleIsStoked said:


> I agree with what everyone else said. I wouldn't use a light food. Just feeding a good quality food sparingly and tons of exercise. I don't know what she's allowed to do because of her knee but it should be noted that walking a dog doesn't not really qualify as exercise for them. You need to get their heart rate up and get them RUNNING. This could mean you taking them for a run, teaching them to run beside a bike or playing intense games of long range fetch but they NEED to run. This will not only help to slim her down but also to speed up her metabolism.


Thank you! Note well taken .... I cannot run because of my copd .... but the dog walker can!


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## Zilla (May 11, 2013)

Second everything else said. Most "weight loss" diets are contradicting because they cut off the protein and add more fillers making it higher carbs. The protein and the fat in foods arnt necessarily the problem. It's the carbs that are key. For example if I was needing my dog to lose weight something like this is probably the only "weight loss" diet I would choose. Look here at the weight reduction one: http://www.premiumedgepetfood.com/products/dogs/dry_food

High protein low carbohydrates it is. Even lower than the Wellness and Annamaet.... It's about 30 percent carbs and low fat..... Wellness and Annamaet are over 40 percent carbs.... Maybe something else to look at?? Also adding a canned meal would be another option too. Cans have WAY less carbs than kibble because of their water content. Any of Merricks cans have nice profiles and are very low carb.... Good luck! I hope her knee gets better!


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## Abbylynn (Jul 7, 2011)

Zilla said:


> Second everything else said. Most "weight loss" diets are contradicting because they cut off the protein and add more fillers making it higher carbs. The protein and the fat in foods arnt necessarily the problem. It's the carbs that are key. For example if I was needing my dog to lose weight something like this is probably the only "weight loss" diet I would choose. Look here at the weight reduction one: http://www.premiumedgepetfood.com/products/dogs/dry_food
> 
> High protein low carbohydrates it is. Even lower than the Wellness and Annamaet.... It's about 30 percent carbs and low fat..... Wellness and Annamaet are over 40 percent carbs.... Maybe something else to look at?? Also adding a canned meal would be another option too. Cans have WAY less carbs than kibble because of their water content. Any of Merricks cans have nice profiles and are very low carb.... Good luck! I hope her knee gets better!
> 
> ...


Thank you!  I also like the idea of a canned meal a couple days a week. Abbylynn would enjoy it also for sure!


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## Benjismom (May 19, 2013)

I was just on there site. (Premiumedgepetfood.com) One thing I did not understand, the weight loss for dogs is higher in calories then the maintaining dog food. I am going to try a dog food as well, dry kibble for my tiny overweight bichon. I have been home feeding him but want to go back to a kibble/mix for vitamins/minerals and balance etc. Trying to find a good one. I have been between interested in wellness healthy weight but this one looks very good. Thanks Zilla.


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## Zilla (May 11, 2013)

The whole calories thing is kind of confusing. But I don't really even look at calories when I look at food. Just like a human a dog has to have a certain number of calories for energy right? You just adjust the portion sizes depending on the calories.... Carbs is the danger for overweight dogs not calories. It's a bit confusing I know... 


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