How do I help my dog lose weight

[nerfworthy]

I recommend putting down a set portion of food every day and that's it. There's a great chart here for appropriate servings per weight of the dog. Good luck.

https://www.petmd.com/blogs/nutriti...y/are-you-feeding-your-dog-right-amount-32905

 

[chickenmama109]

Sorry I forgot to mention that she is spayed I do free feed but not on purpose I just don’t know how long to give them to eat before I take the bowls and there will usually only be a little bit of food in the bowl but how long do I give them to eat each meal before I take it up and also would a home made diet be good for her to lose weight I don’t want to feed the raw diet but thanks every one so much for the info I really appreciate it

 

[coach723]

Whatever you feed, figure out the calories she should be getting. Measure the correct amount to reach the calories allowed into the dish and let her eat it. It's not time, it's amount. You may have to experiment a bit if you've no idea how much she's been eating up to now. Obviously too much. Reduce the amount you are giving and if the weight loss is too fast, increase it a little so she's losing slowly. Accurate measuring of amount is the easiest way to stay consistent.

 

[sawilliams]

Sorry I forgot to mention that she is spayed I do free feed but not on purpose I just don’t know how long to give them to eat before I take the bowls and there will usually only be a little bit of food in the bowl but how long do I give them to eat each meal before I take it up and also would a home made diet be good for her to lose weight I don’t want to feed the raw diet but thanks every one so much for the info I really appreciate it

If there is food left over she is likely already over eating. Lessen the amount down to the recommend day serving first. This will be most important. Some dogs are slower eaters but labs usually aren't

 

[chickenmama109]

Thanks so much everyone for your help it’s really appreciated

 

[Leigti]

Home made cooked diet is a royal pain in the butt. And difficult to get right. I would suggest to feed a very good quality grain free kibble or canned. Two meals a day. Feed the dogs separately if you have to. Put the ball down for 15 minutes then pick it up. They’ll figure out quick enough that they better eat it while it’s there.
Don’t give any treats. And remember that dogs are omnivores they eat meat and some vegetation. No grains.

 

[dainerra]

Some lines of labs tend to have a bulky body shape so the number on the scale and the look of the dog in a picture can make it hard to judge precisely if a dog is slightly overweight. They often don't have the body structure that shows a distinct tuck behind the rib cage, making them even harder to judge in photos than other breeds. A "field bred" lab from a breeder that focuses on titling in hunting vs conformation will have a leaner body structure while a conformation bred lab will be stockier with a thicker body and shorter legs. "pet bred" dogs can be anywhere on the scale when it comes to structure. your girl is pretty obvious, not just overweight but obese. The hand test works for pretty much all breeds and is an easy tool that you always have with you. Of course, if the human has pudgy hands, that can make it a bit less accurate lol
5 lbs excess weight on a dog is roughly equivalent to 20 excess pounds on a human frame.

the amounts listed on the bag are a starting point. Start with that portion, divided into 2 meals if possible. If you are already feeding her substantially above that, adding a bit of no-salt green beans as suggested above can help keep her from feeling so hungry with the sudden reduction in bulk. Making sure that you are feeding a good food with quality ingredients will also help. Diets high in corn can really add weight unless you have an active working dog. Most dogs don't need a grain-free food, excepting those with a grain allergy, but the grain shouldn't be at the top at the top of the list. If it contains corn, you want it 3 spaces down at a minimum. Avoid food that list simply "chicken" "lamb" etc as the first ingredient. It's a marketing tactic to make the ingredient list look better. Once prepared for processing, the meat will drop at least 1-2 spaces on the list, leaving item #2 as the first ingredient. You want "chicken meal" "lamb meal" etc as the first ingredient - that means that the ingredient is weighed after water is removed and it is prepped for processing.

Up her exercise. Since she is significantly overweight, if you have a spot that she can swim that would decrease the stress on her joints until her weight is down. If not, walks with a slowly increasing distance as she loses weight. Walking in areas with a slight up-hill grade help burn energy. Walking in areas of sand or in shallow water are even better - easier on joints than hard ground and burns more calories because of the extra effort.

Once you have a starting point of her new food and exercise regime, don't worry about checking her daily. Once a week to 10 days, do the hand test. If she isn't showing signs of losing weight, decrease a bit more. Labs are known as "easy keepers" meaning that they tend to not need a lot of calories to keep weight on. You might even consider a weight management formula if you don't see a noticeable difference in a month.

ith labs, you usually don't have to worry about how long to leave the food down. You simply give a set amount and they eat it. Once her weight is where it needs to be, you can put her food down and leave it all day if you prefer. Simply put the amount that she needs into a bowl. But first you'll have to find the correct amount for her. When doing meals, put it down and walk away. The time limit is more for picky eaters - give 20 mins (approx) and remove the food if the dog isn't eating at the time. If she eats some and then walks away, give a couple minutes to see if she comes back to finish and then remove the bowl until the next meal time. It can take a couple days for a previously free-fed dog to realize that dinner now comes on a schedule.

 

[chickenmama109]

Thanks my dog is allergic to gluten so I all ready get grain free what I’m feeding right know is blue dry dog food thanks every one so much for your help

 

[dainerra]

Different breed but a comparison between a healthy weight dog and one that is overweight. The second photo is one I found a few years ago in an article about obesity. Any resemblance to someones actual pet is unintentional.

 

[dainerra]

sadly, blue has had a lot of recalls both for food quality as well as lawsuits and judgments against them for deceptive marketing.