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Every owner wants to show their pet lots of love and it can sometimes be hard to resist those puppy dog eyes, but being overweight can have long-term effects on your canine pal's health. From respiratory troubles and sore joints to diabetes and heart disease, letting your dog overeat is linked to multiple health issues. In order to help your dog reach a suitable weight and live waggly ever after, a healthy, nourishing diet is key!
We understand that selecting dog food for weight loss can be tricky as there is such a huge range of options, so our buying guide makes your decision much simpler. Our top 10 ranking includes products for every breed from Amazon, all rated according to their health benefits, quality, and price. Whether your pooch prefers their food wet or dry, or you're considering grain-free options that won't exacerbate allergies, we have the low-down!
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The moisture content of wet food bulks up the volume, meaning your dog can eat more while consuming fewer calories. This will help your pooch feel full and satisfied, without unnecessary carbs or fats. Wet food also has an appealing aroma that will let your dog know for sure that it's dinner time, helping them to follow a more regimented meal schedule.
However, many vets recommend dry food for weight loss. With dry food, you have the option of hand-feeding - a popular technique that allows for portion control, behavioural training, and a great bonding experience. Furthermore, large volumes of dry food are cheaper overall and can be stored for long periods of time.
Why not consider a raised dog bowl to help improve digestion?
Grain-free dog food, which is prepared without any cereals like wheat, barley, oats, rice, or millet, is gaining popularity in the UK. Certain cereals may cause allergic reactions in a small percentage of dogs, so giving your pet a grain-free diet can help to avoid the risk of stomach upsets and vomiting.
If your overweight pet has never shown any signs of being allergic to grains, a grain-free product is probably not necessary. In fact, dog foods without grains are usually bulked up with other carbohydrates that can actually lead to weight gain, especially in older dogs.
What you should be looking for in a diet dog food is high protein content combined with a relatively low percentage of fat. Protein encourages muscle growth and the glucose in fat helps your pooch produce energy, but the latter needs to be kept nice and low so that they can burn off their existing fat stores. The best way to do this is with plenty of movement - meaning more than just a casual amble around the park!
An effective portion of dog food for weight loss should have a protein content of at least 20%, with 25-30% being even better for larger breeds. The fat content should be no more than 12%, but for older or weaker pooches who struggle to do lots of weight-shedding workouts, we'd recommend a product with less than 10% fat - this will enable them to drop pounds without too much effort.
If you're spending more time at the park to help your pup lose weight, pick up a travel dog bowl for when you're out and about!
Make sure you keep your pet's size in mind when shopping for food - larger dogs will naturally need more energy, while smaller canines can struggle with moving around if they're overweight. Diet dog foods will usually specify which breed they're aimed at, although many are suitable for all shapes and sizes.
Owners of mature pets should consider the age of their pooch too. Diet foods that specifically say "senior" on the packaging will take into account the slower rate of calorie-burning in older dogs, so they will be more effective for weight loss than a regular diet formula.
For most dogs, dinner time is all about the flavours they get to experience. Just because your pooch is on a diet, that doesn't mean they don't deserve something delicious! So, why not treat them to a healthy feast that's tasty too?
From sachets of succulent salmon and chunky chicken bites to moreish mixed meat meals, doggy diet foods come in all kinds of appetising flavours that mutts won't be able to resist! You could even buy a bag of each type if you want to provide your pup with some variety throughout the week.
Products | Image | Click to purchase | Price | Key features | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Purina Pro Plan Veterinary Diets Obesity Management | £27.74 Mid | A Low-Calorie Option That Curbs Your Dog's Weight | ||
2 | Royal Canin Satiety Support | £59.64 High Mid | Contains Plenty of Protein to Keep Pups Full | ||
3 | Hills Prescription Diet Metabolic Dog Food | £67.95 High Mid | Recommended by Vets and Suitable for Diabetic Dogs | ||
4 | Wellness Core Small Breed Adult Low-Fat Food | £10.49 Low Mid | Ideal for Small, Sensitive Breeds | ||
5 | Pooch & Mutt Slim & Slender Complete Dry Food | £11.00 Low Mid | Grain-Free Food Made With Pea Protein | ||
6 | Eukanaba Dry Weight Control Dog Food | £37.49 Mid | Tasty Weight-Loss Munch for Bigger Breeds | ||
7 | Barking Heads Fat Dog Slim | £53.99 High Mid | Natural, Organic Meals With Added Seaweed | ||
8 | Burns Weight Control Dry Dog Food | £9.42 Low Mid | High-Fibre Dry Food That's Suitable for Older Hounds | ||
9 | Bob and Lush Light & Tasty Slow Cooked Salmon Without Gravy | £25.99 Mid | Perfect for Pets With Delicate Tums | ||
10 | Iams Light in Fat Adult Dog Food | £26.49 Mid | A Great Value, Low-Fat Food With Added Vitamins |
Topping our list is Purina's Pro Plan Obesity Management dog food. It's highly rated by online consumers who say that their pets are able to eat hearty portions and adapt quickly to a more regulated diet, begging less often between meals. The high protein content (29%) allows dogs to drop fat while becoming leaner and more muscular.
This food is light on calories, has a low glycaemic index, and is suitable for medium to large breeds - from poodles to pinschers! It's packed with meaty flavour as well as iron and vitamin E. Being a dry formula, it's long-lasting, convenient to store, and can even be incorporated into a hand-feeding routine if you're considering trying that for portion control. The perfect pick for any pooch!
Number two on our list is the Satiety Support weight management food from Royal Canin. It has lots of nutrients including vitamin A, vitamin E, iodine, iron, and copper, plus omega 3 from added fish oil. This nutritional goodness aims to keep dogs satisfied between feeding times. Moreover, the protein content of 30% allows pets to maintain muscle as they drop fat.
Not only does this dog food help your hound to reduce their weight properly, but it also prevents them from putting the pounds back on. As your pet becomes used to stricter meal times and more satisfying meals, they will begin to beg less and be happier eating a healthier amount at allotted times.
Now we come to our top three products! This one has been ranked highly because of its ultra-high protein and low-fat content. Hills Prescription Diet is a brand that's regularly recommended by vets to owners of overweight pooches because it encourages metabolism and is full of important vitamins too.
This food is clinically proven to result in a loss of 28% body fat in two months in conjunction with healthy exercise. It's satisfyingly high in fibre, controlling the appetite of hungry pups and keeping their gastrointestinal system balanced. It can also help to maintain blood sugar levels, making it a fantastic choice for dogs with diabetes.
This yummy pet food is entirely grain-free, low in fat, and contains a whopping 33% protein - the highest out of all our top 10 product choices! It's aimed at small breeds, whose organs and joints suffer particularly badly when they're overweight.
The dry, kibble-style formula will coax even the fussiest eaters over to their food bowl, and your pet will enjoy tucking in thanks to the tantalising turkey flavour. What's more, this highly effective weight loss food also contains zinc, vitamin A, D and E, as well as calcium and iron. Nutritious and delicious!
This is another option for pets who display bad digestive reactions to cereals and grains, from a small, award-winning, and ethically accredited dog food company. Pooch & Mutt's slimming formula features 25% lean chicken and just 12% fat.
Pea protein is believed to curb hunger in dogs, so you should hopefully be able to avoid those tragic puppy dog eyes that will beg for food throughout the day. This dry mix is also enriched with minerals and vitamins, including zinc, copper, iodine, and vitamins A, D, and E!
This product is ideal if you have a large pooch such as a German shepherd, Rottweiler, golden retriever, or Labrador. It's a dry formula, so you can carefully control portions and may even want to consider hand-feeding in order to make mealtimes more regulated and deepen your bond with your dog.
The fat content is nice and low at just 9%, while the 21% protein makes muscle growth a priority. Plus, it has added Omega 3 and 6, as well as calcium for strong bones and teeth. It also contains yucca leaf, which is believed to improve the smell of your dog's poop... worth a shot, surely?
Barking Heads is a popular brand with dog parents everywhere who like to know exactly what goes into their pet's food. This bulky wet dog food will keep hungry pooches feeling fuller for longer, as it's packed with chicken, trout, brown rice, veg, and added seaweed for vital minerals.
This particular product has been created with weight loss as its number one priority, so it has 9% fat and 20% protein. This means that your favourite four-legged friend can enjoy a decent-sized bowl, no matter their breed size, and will - with the help of regular games of fetch - gradually get back into shape. A slightly costly option, but reviews suggest that dogs love it!
Here's another product that's bursting with vitamins - A, D, and E are all in there, along with copper, iodine, manganese, selenium, and zinc, sourced from fibre-rich oats and superfood seaweed. The fat content comes in at under 10% and the amount of protein is 18.5% - this is decent for the price but it could be higher!
Based on chicken meal and chicken oil, this low-fat dog food is nourishing without piling on needless calories. Plus, the blend of ingredients is aimed to regulate dogs' blood sugar levels, making it ideal for chunky older hounds needing to slim down safely.
If you know that your pet has an allergy to certain grains and tends to have tummy troubles every time you feed them, try this grain-free option from Bob and Lush that's designed especially for sensitive stomachs.
Delicious salmon, nutritious lentils, and fibre-packed sweet potato will really appeal to your pet - just make sure you pair these meals with daily exercise to ensure that all of that carb-based energy is being burned! This product is fairly low on our list, due to the protein content being only 7% per bag, but it's a brilliant buy for pups with allergies.
Iams is a pet food brand with decades of experience, so you're in good hands if you pick this dry formula. It's enriched with Vitamins A, D, and E - all of which have superb canine health benefits such as supporting the immune system, improving calcium retention, and encouraging growth.
Other nutritious additions to this low-fat dry food include potassium, iron, and zinc, which support muscle growth and repair, promote a healthy circulatory system, and balance hormones. While the protein in this pack is a little lower than most of the other products on our list, the overall nutrient content is excellent.
Wet food can indeed be a better option for weight loss than dry food, but this is dependent on the reasons why your dog is overweight. If it is because of a large appetite and overeating, wet food designed for weight loss can help curb that overeating by filling up your dog quicker.
Replacing a portion of your dog's diet with green beans is a great way of bulking up an overweight pup's meal with a low calorie, high fibre ingredient. Just be aware of the fact that green beans do not contain the required nutrition for a dog on their own so only use it in conjunction with other foods.
No. 1: Purina|Pro Plan Veterinary Diets Obesity Management
No. 2: Royal Canin|Satiety Support
No. 3: Hills Prescription Diet|Metabolic Dog Food
No. 4: Wellness Core|Small Breed Adult Low-Fat Food
No. 5: Pooch & Mutt|Slim & Slender Complete Dry Food
View Full RankingThe descriptions of each product are referenced from content available on manufacturer, brand, and e-commerce sites.
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