To be honest, losing weight is the easiest part as compare to maintaining that ideal weight. When we decided to lose weight, we set a goal and implement the steps needed. And in a matter of months we accomplished what we had planned. But we know that our journey doesn’t end here if we want to stay trim and fit for good. Like us, to help our dogs to maintain their ideal weight is all about lifestyle—choices we make for ourselves and our dog each and every day. One example, if we don’t introduce or encourage bad habits, our dogs will never know what they are “missing”—i.e. giving table scraps whenever you eat.

The methods used in preventing canine obesity and maintaining program are very similar and interchangeable. You’ll also notice a couple of rules similar in the dog weight lose program. So I’ll list what is needed in no particular order. Take whatever you see fit and apply.

How to Prevent Canine Obesity and Keeping the Weight Off

Start Young: Start monitoring your dog’s weight using the Body Condition Scoring method (weighing and observing figure) when he turns one year old until his adult weight. Large and giant breed dogs, will reach their adult weights at about 2 years old.

Sterilized Dogs: Once sterilized, we’ll need to control the calorie intake by feeding the right amount in multiple small meals as advised by your veterinarian. “Lite” or reduced calories diets may also be used. These are also special prescription diets available, which can only be prescribed by a vet (usually very pricey and some are awful tasting, be warned!). Also, you might want to check out Royal Canin’s Neutered series diet specifically for neutered dogs. It’s important that you check with your vet before feeding it to your dog.

Quality Dog Food: Investing in a high quality diet will ensure your dog will live a long and healthy life and still enjoy the benefit of top quality diet. Some recommendations which many of my clients and myself use to feed our dogs are Natural Balance, Taste of the Wild, Newman, Sigma, and Wysong—raw or dry. These are some of the highest quality dog food in the market. Some of these brands come in many varieties—raw, organic, senior, grain-free, vegetarian, weight and allergy control to name a few.

Meals: Ideally, two meals a day. If your schedule doesn’t permit, then feed your dog in the morning so that he can burn those calories during the day when he is active. Avoid feeding him late at night.

Ban Free-feeding: No dog should be free-fed! I know this may sound “cruel” for those who spend long hours at work and on commute; and the thought of your precious companion with empty stomach for 12 hours may make you feel guilty or irresponsible. Trust me, your dog will still have the energy to jump on you at the front door and probably begging you to take him for a walk.

Treats: One or two tiny commercial treats a day won’t do any harm. If you want to give more, choose healthier alternatives like vegetables and fruits (do not overfeed those fruits with high level of sugar content). This goes to table scrap, but this can only be given in certain occasions like Christmas and Halloween.

Daily Exercise: If our dogs have no outlet to burn those calories, overtime those calories will turn to fats. Depend on the breed of your dog, mini and small dogs can get enough exercise just romping around the house. To know what suitable activity and exercise your dog needs is all explained here. The important key here is daily or at least alternate days exercise routine. Weekend exercise warriorlike regime will only put too much stress on your dog’s physique in turn doing more damages than be of any benefit at all.

Regular Vet Visit: I will leave this option open as it may not be feasible for some with very tight budget. However, I came across a few veterinary clinics in some suburban areas that offer free weight management program for pets—service includes weighing, body assessment, graphing the result on a computer but no consultation. It would be great if you can find one veterinary clinic that offers these free services and make it a regular visit.

To give you an ideal of how to track your dog’s progress in maintaining his ideal weight especially after the weight loss program, here is a sample of a daily weight management/maintenance log.

Once you begin to record his daily lifestyle on the log for about a month and managed to keep the weight off for good, you need not do so every month. Because the lifestyle (i.e. eating, exercise) has become a choice decision and in very rare case, you will fall back to old unhealthy habits. The only thing is just keep doing the Body Condition Scoring (BCS) once every month/quarter/semi-annually.

Series Posts on Dog Obesity:

1. Dog Obesity: What Are The Health Risks?
2. Behavioral Consequences Of An Overweight Dog
3. What Causes Obesity In Dogs
4. Dog Obesity Assessment
5. Weight Lose Program For dogs
6. Dog Obesity: Prevention and Maintenance Programs

Probably it’s not wise to rain on your parade before you embark on your dog’s weight management journey but let’s face it, it’s never an easy task to lose weight. To be more specific, implementing the steps needed to lose weight is never easy. Just look at our yearly weight lose resolutions!

Similarly to canine weight management, there will be times you failed one or more of these suggested steps. The idea is not to give up no matter how many setbacks. Having said, the success rate of your dog’s weight lose program will dramatically increase if you set realistic goals and make it a team effort by engaging family members and friends into helping your dog to lose weight. Also, there are many veterinary clinics that run weight management program for pets which I highly recommend as a great way to start. But if you prefer to work alone here are some tips:

Dog Weight Loss Program

Vet Visit: Your overweight dog should have a veterinary examination and tests performed to rule out endocrine or metabolic disorders first before commencing treatment or a weight loss program that should involve the whole family.

Set Goals: Not only on the weight needed to come off but factor in your dog’s exercise/activity routine, choice of diet, the number of feedings given, weight lose supplements, if any. These things need to be planned out before the program starts not plan as you go along. The latter usually fails. To succeed in your quest, it is best to have a log to keep track on the weight. Download a sample of weight management log here.

Diet: Decide on a dietary regime that your dog will be on. Regular dry, homemade meals, weight loss or prescribed diets. One of the reasons why dogs couldn’t lose weight is that owners keep switching diet back and forth when they don’t see any significant result. Be patient as it can take months for your dog to lose all those pounds gained over the years. See below on how much weight should come off per week.

A Note on Dog Food Weight Loss: There are numerous dog food for weight loss in pet stores. Many contain natural ingredients for effective weight loss, the difference is the taste. Some dogs are finicky eaters, slight alternation of the taste will put them off and need to be coaxed into eating. Wellness CORE Reduced Fat Grain-Free Canine Diet, Innova EVO Reduced Fat Dry Dog Food, and California Natural Reduced Calorie Dry Dog Food seem to be more agreeable for my clients’ overweight dogs.

Ban Free-feeding: No dog should be free-fed. Free-feeding, by itself, is not a “deadly” tool as many pet parents can attest that. The problem is when we try to help our dog to lose weight we aren’t helping them to restrain and control over food even if the portion is calculated. Besides there many physiological and behavioral disadvantages when we allow free feeding and I won’t do this post justice if I ramble on the list. Maybe in a dedicated post in future.

No Access to Trash Can: Self explanatory. Hungry, domesticated, obese dogs will turn into scavenger dogs in a matter of hours or maybe minutes. Make sure your dog have no access to any area where foods are kept. Lock your fridge or oven or dishwasher if you must.

No Treats: All treats and table scraps should be eliminated. Instead, substitute these with healthier alternatives like fruits and vegetables.

Reduce Intake: This isn’t rocket science. Obese dogs need to eat less. Having said, you have to make sure that reduced amount of food given meets the requirement for his daily activities and sufficient enough to help to keep the weight off.

More Small Meals: We will need to control the calorie intake by feeding the right amount in multiple small meals. “Lite” or weight loss diets may also be used. These are also special prescription diets available, which can only be prescribed by a vet (usually very pricey and some are awful tasting, be warned!). Giving small and more frequent meals a day make him feels full during the day so that he is least likely to scavenge.

One Meal Policy: Of course it would be better to provide two to three small meals a day, but if this doesn’t fit into your schedule then it’s a good ideal to feed your dog in the morning so that he can burn off the food during the day when he is more active. Feeding one large meal at nighttime makes the dog more sluggish in turn the food is being stored as fat rather than burning up the energy.

More Fiber: If your dog is on commercial dog food like kibbles, be it lite or regular, what you could do is to add more fiber into his meal. Almost all vegetables are low in calories, so by adding more fiber to the reduced portion it’ll easy fill his stomach and at the same time it fools your dog into thinking that he isn’t deprived of food. Furthermore, eating crunchy vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower, semi-cooked carrot or celery forces your dog to chew his food more in turn slow down his eating time.

Exercise: Exercise is by far the most important key ingredient in any weight loss and prevention program in my opinion. It not only helps to burn excess fat but also encourages bonding between you and your dog. This may involve increasing the frequency or duration of walks, going to a dog run or dog park, jogging, or swimming (a good aerobic workout without her having to bear any weight).

Go Slow: Start slow when it comes to exercising as overexertion can place extra strain on your dog’s already stressed cardiac, respiratory, and musculoskeletal system. As your dog adapts better, the amount and intensity of the exercise can be gradually increased. Remember to exercise your dog daily. Don’t become a weekend exercise warriorlike!

Dog Weight Loss Supplements: There are many “diet pills” for obese dogs these days, however, not many scientific studies are done to look into the safety and effectiveness of natural weight loss supplements, so you have to be cautious when purchasing such products. It is best to consult a vet when in doubt. If you decided to go this route once your vet gives you green light, stick with the above regime otherwise the weight will not come off easily. A few safe and effective recommendations are: SlenderPet, Vermont K-9 Slim Down & Slim Down Plus, and Bio Zyme (not exactly diet pills per se).

How Soon Will You See Result?

For very obese dogs, you will notice significant result within a matter of days. Keep in mind, your initial goal is to keep your dog’s weight off on a consistent basic. You won’t want your dog on a yo-yo dieting program. The general rule in weight reduction for dogs is between 2 – 2.5% of his current weight per week. For older dogs, no more than 2%. For example, a small adult dog weighing 15lbs, he should lose about 0.3 – 0.375 pounds for that week. Doesn’t look impressive, but this is the healthiest and safest way for dogs to lose those extra pounds.

How Long Does It Take To Lose All Those Weight?

As to how long or fast you will see the final result, you will have to use the above guideline and count back the time frame needed to attain his ideal weight. Suppose your dog need to lose 6lbs to regain his original weight of 10lbs, the calculation would look like this:

• 1st week: 16 x 2.5% = 0.4
• 2nd week: 15.6 x 2.5% = 0.39
• 3rd week: 15.21 x 2.5% = 0.38
• 4th week: 14.83 x 2.5%= 0.37

Average weight lost per week is about 0.385, so roughly that would take about 13 to 15 weeks to lose that 6lbs. Realistic goal and easily attainable, huh?

The basic of weight reduction involves reducing the calorie intake and exercise. The rest of the steps mentioned above is to make the weight lost program more effective and easier.

Series Posts on Dog Obesity:

1. Dog Obesity: What Are The Health Risks?
2. Behavioral Consequences Of An Overweight Dog
3. What Causes Obesity In Dogs
4. Dog Obesity Assessment
5. Weight Lose Program For dogs
6. Dog Obesity: Prevention and Maintenance Programs

Assessing slightly overweight dog base on look, however, can be very tricky especially breeds with furry coats like Bichon Frise, Collies, or Pekingese as their luscious coat may conceal their excess fresh underneath it.

Two Methods of Recognizing Canine Obesity

The first step in effectively managing obesity is to recognize and acknowledge the problem. There are two ways of assessing your dog weight. One is by weighing your dog using a bathroom scale. Unlike small breeds that can stand on the bathroom scale, for larger dogs you’ll have to subtract your weight from the combined weight figure to determine your dog’s weigh. If yours is a purebred dog, the breed standards can give a clear indication of what is considered to be the ideal weight. For mixed or designer breeds, you still be able to gain an approximate idea by comparing his weight with that of a purebred dog of similar size and height. The second method is to do a physical examination—the look and feel method.

Look and Feel Obesity Assessment

A healthy dog body should look as if it is in proportion. The normal distribution of fat on a dog’s body includes a thin layer under the skin, other layers between the muscles of abdominal wall, and some deposits in the abdomen.

Ask Yourself These Questions:

Top View

• Does my dog have a visible indention (waist) behind his ribs?
• How easy is it to feel my dog’s ribs and spine?
• Does my dog’s tail look and feel thick?

Side View

• Does my dog have a slight tuck-up-belly between the ribcage and hindquarters?
• Does my dog have a large or wobbly belly?

If your dog does not have a discernible waist, has a large rounded belly, tail looks and feel thick, and you are unable to feel its ribs or spine, your dog is probably obese! Keep in mind that some fit, smooth-coated breeds you probably won’t notice the ribs but nevertheless they should be easily felt; a fat layer of more than 0.5cm over the ribs suggest the start of obesity.

The best way to detect obesity in your dog is to weigh your dog and observe his figure. This method is refer as Body Condition Scoring (BSC).

Preventing obesity is the single most crucial thing you can do to prolong the life of your dog.

If your dog is not overweight but want to know how fit he is, here (coming soon) is the dog fitness assessment chart.

Series Posts on Dog Obesity:

1. Dog Obesity: What Are The Health Risks?
2. Behavioral Consequences Of An Overweight Dog
3. What Causes Obesity In Dogs
4. Dog Obesity Assessment
5. Weight Lose Program For dogs
6. Dog Obesity: Prevention and Maintenance Programs