If you are worried about your dog’s weight, you need to know how to take off those extra pounds safely. Healthy food and treats is the best approach. Here is all the information you need for the best diet food for dogs, including ideas for low calorie treats, to get your dog back to a healthy weight.

Some pet owners assume that their dog will stop eating once they get full. But just like humans, puppies, adult dogs and senior dogs are prone to overeating. One reason is that eating triggers an emotional response with dogs the same way it does in people.

You might not even notice it at first – especially if your dog is still a puppy. People think that puppies are supposed to be round, cuddly balls of fur. But if you compare your puppy’s size to other puppies in the same breed, you’ll see that some of them weigh more than they should.

You want to take care of that early in your dog’s life while he’s still a puppy to prevent health complications for him in the future. The best diet food for dogs is actually healthy food, so it’s also a good idea to start good habits early and get your puppy to eat healthy.

Adult dogs start to slow down just a little from their younger years. They’re not as active, so it’s easier for them to gain weight. Their nutritional needs have changed and they don’t need as many calories as they once did, yet some owners continue to feed them the same amount of food.

Senior dogs gain weight the easiest because when they get old, their joints don’t work as well. They have aches and pains and they just don’t enjoy the high intensity running, jumping and playing they once did.

Should I put my dog on a diet?

When you notice that your dog has put on weight, you need to take steps to get that weight off. You need to start thinking about the best diet food for dogs because these foods are different from what we eat as humans. Losing weight will help your dog feel better and live longer if they maintain a healthy body weight.

Making sure that you feed your dog the correct portion size is important for helping them lose weight. If you have a puppy, make sure that you’re feeding your pet puppy food in portion controlled sizes because his nutritional needs are higher than an adult or senior dog’s.

You can find the correct portion size by following the guidelines on the food or by talking to your veterinarian. With an adult or senior dog, it may be that he’s getting too many treats in addition to his dog food.

What is the best diet food for dogs?

If you’re feeding your dog the correct amount of food and they’re still putting on weight you need to change your approach to weight loss. The best diet food for dogs is not what they’re already eating, not if they’re putting on weight.

First, consider a specially formulated dog food for weight loss. There is low calorie dog food available. You don’t need to keep your dog on a lower calorie diet forever, just for enough time to get him or her back to a normal healthy weight.

A low calorie dog food can still provide good nutrition for your dog. Be sure to buy a reputable brand with all the vitamins and minerals included that your dog needs.

What are the best low calorie treats for dogs?

If your dog is overweight you need to recognize that the problem may be treats. We all love to give our pets treats. They love getting them and it makes us happy to see them happy. But in the long run we may be causing long term damage to our dog’s health if they become overweight.

It is easy to give a dog 4 or 5 treats each time. We hardly even notice how many we give. And of course, there is no way your dog is going to say no to a treat. They’ll just keep taking as many as offered.

You need to cut down on treats for your dog to lose weight. Don’t eliminate treats altogether. There’s no need to be extreme. Just monitor the number of treats each day.

Another way to still give treats while your dog is on a diet is to mostly give low calorie treats. Healthy treats are the best diet food for dogs. This way you can still give quite a few per day and your dog won’t miss out on the fun of receiving treats.

Ideas for low calorie dog treats

• dehydrated slice of sweet potato
• baby carrots
• piece of banana (can also be dehydrated if you prefer a dry treat)
• pieces of apple (no seeds)
• pieces of plain rice cakes
• little florets of broccoli
• a green been (can be dehydrated for crunchy snacks)
• cucumber slices
• zucchini slices
• blueberries
• pieces of kale dehydrated
• dehydrated peppers
• air popped pop corn (no butter or salt)

Just remember that treats should only constitute 5-10% of your dog’s daily calories. The rest of their calories should come from a well-balance healthy dog food containing all the vitamins and nutrients your dog needs.

In summary – the best diet food for dogs

If you’re serving your dog the right amount of food but he or she is still putting on weight then you need to change to a low calorie dog food and cut down on the number of treats. The best diet food for dogs is one that still contains vitamins and nutrients that your dog needs. Keep this in mind when you’re selecting dog food.

To cut out the calories from snacking, give your dog low calorie natural treats like the ones listed above.

Be sure to determine the requirements for your dog’s food intake accurately. When determining what your dog’s calorie needs are, you have to factor in his weight now based on what his weight should be. But you also have to figure in how active he is and his age before you choose the right diet for him. The best place to check on calorie requirements is with your veterinarian.

If you’re doing all of the things you can to help your dog lose weight and it’s still not working, then you should book an appointment with your vet to rule out any other factors. You might also want to check and see whether your dog’s sneaking in a few extra treats from the kids or the neighbors!