31 Responses to “Can you put a dog on a diet?”

1. 

   BTriX
   

   15. Nov, 2011

   It would be a good idea to put him on either Iams low activity (Blue bag, I think) or Eukaneuba Active Maturity dog food. It has less fat and calories than the regular dog foods.

   You might also want to get him out more for walks. Ball chasing is good – if you can get him excited for it enough.
2. 

   tonicoonse16
   

   15. Nov, 2011

   i’m sure you can put your dog on a diet. it’s best to talk to the vet of course.
3. 

   Janice W
   

   15. Nov, 2011

   Yes… you can put your dog on a diet but I would suggest a consultation with your vet.
4. 

   xdingchavezx
   

   15. Nov, 2011

   if your dog is overweight you should take him to your vet. they will put him on a diet with a food schedule
5. 

   wingedgirl
   

   15. Nov, 2011

   You should only feed your dog 1 -2 x a day. Maybe an occiational snack onece a day and some chew toys. There are diet dog food avalible too but speak with your vet about what is the best way to do this. Also giving her some extra excerise will help tool.
6. 

   philly_blunts69
   

   15. Nov, 2011

   yes, good food, talk yet
7. 

   baby_06pimpette06
   

   15. Nov, 2011

   dogs can go on diets, when thier eating too much or not getting enough excerise. even little dogs get fat. u really should try and give her a bit more excerise, bring her to the beach and let her run about.
8. 

   Luc
   

   15. Nov, 2011

   reduce the volume of the amount of food and just feed her in the morning.
9. 

   karla j
   

   15. Nov, 2011

   feeding the dog too much is probably the way that she is this way. i have a dog and if you give it food, it will aet it. changing her diet will make a significant change in the way she acts. she is still young enough to have a healthier life and she can probably live longer.
10. 

    jen
    

    15. Nov, 2011

    Yes she can. You should take the time to walk her at least 30 min a day. Pack the kids up in a stroller put her on the leash and go. It will do you all good. I only feed my 75lb dog 1 time a day.(in the morning) you should not feed her very much like at the most 1 cup of food. And cut out the snack treats.
11. 

    E Sir
    

    15. Nov, 2011

    Don’t feed her too much. Three meals a day. Don’t feed her whatever she wants. Chasing tennis ball around the house is not enough exercise. Changing her eating habits would make a little difference, but big difference if she exercises too.
12. 

    The Weed Fairy
    

    15. Nov, 2011

    you should only feed your dog 2 times a day and only like 2 cups of food for that breed.
    if she is already fat get her some diet formula food.
    stop giving her a lot of treats and you are going to have to exercise with your dog. it is like a child just becuse you got another kid doesnt mean you can abandon your responsibilities to your dog. and now it is unhealthy…good job being a good dog owner

    would you do this to your kid and let them become obese? i hope your parenting skills will improve before your child gets too much older…
13. 

    Anita
    

    15. Nov, 2011

    Yes it would help. My dog is on a diet as well. She eats the Nutro lite dog food. She gets 1 1/2 cups twice a day. She’s 80 lbs though. The dog food bag will tell you how much to feed based on her size. A few throws of the tennis ball is probably not enough exercise, If you can’t get out out with her, maybe you can try to throw the tennis ball more often?
14. 

    timetraveller
    

    15. Nov, 2011

    yes
15. 

    linrod
    

    15. Nov, 2011

    I think so,but you should talk ith your vet first.
16. 

    Pugmaylian
    

    15. Nov, 2011

    Definitely! Consult the package label on her kibble. Feed her only twice a day the amounts indicated on the package. Offer the food to her for only 30 min., after that, pick up the bowl. Until she gets used to this regimen, she will not eat all of the food at once but after she realizes you are going to remove it she will start eating the appropriate amounts. Also, limit snacks. Don’t feed table scraps. I have a pug that weighed 34 lbs 3 months ago, now he is a svelt 25 lbs! and acts like a puppy again!
17. 

    Stormy Knight
    

    15. Nov, 2011

    You will probably have to resort to portioning out her food. It will give recommendations on the bag as to how much according to the size and weight of your dog. It’s kind of a pain to do because you have to remember to feed her regularly but if she needs to lose weight then this is the best way. Stop giving table scraps too if you do that now. You should set time aside every day to take her out to play. Inside play won’t get her cardio vascular system going as wwell as a wide open space like a back yard. Running will help her burn calories and fat.
    I have a cat (Rosina) that’s the same way– she’s a bit of a hoarder. My other cat (Figaro) never had a weight problem but he is skinny. I got in the habit of leaving food out for him and when I got Rosina, she just ate and ate and ate. I may have to resort to portioning myself but she’d eat all the food and leave none for poor little Figaro.
    Good luck and have a great day!!!
18. 

    MadMaxx
    

    15. Nov, 2011

    Try reading the back of the dog food bag! And no… that’s not enough excercise for her. Be a parent to your pup as you would to your human child. Take some time out of your day to play with her… she deserves better than that!
19. 

    auntb93
    

    15. Nov, 2011

    Regular meals, especially of the right sort of food, and no filling the bowl to let her “graze.” She will graze too much. Some people feed dogs only once a day, but I think that’s extreme. Twice a day, about 12 hours apart, is good. A small portion at breakfast, and a small portion at dinner, and no lunch. The dog will beg, because she’s used to having more, but just ignore her. And exercise her! Let the dog and the toddler play outside while you and the newborn watch.
20. 

    pammie
    

    15. Nov, 2011

    My moms Boston got way to fat. She carried him to the vet & left him a week. They put him on a diet(SCIENCE DIET FOOD)& when they reached the weight needed, my mom picked him up. She had to stay on the speical food to keep his weight off. ALL treats & table food was stopped. At 5 years old, feed once daily is plenty.
    Then there is the greenbean diet for dogs. Alot of show breeders use it.
21. 

    forever_loveable_angel
    

    15. Nov, 2011

    My puggle used to be overweight. My vet said to feed her Eukenuba Large Breed Reduced Fat food. Even though she isnt a large dog, it has some stuff in there that will help her. She has lost 6 pounds already after i started her on that food and i’m not even through the first bag. I feed my dog 1/3 of a cup in the morning, around 8am and then 1/3 of a cup in the evening about 6:30pm. She is fine with this amount of food and the times its given to her. I know my dog would eat all the food in one sitting if I left food down for her, she just doenst know when to stop eating. I work 2 jobs and go to school part time as well so I dont have much time to get her out like I would like to.
22. 

    Cathy N
    

    15. Nov, 2011

    I agree with Anita…our dog was also overweight. It was a simple case of too much food, the exercise wasn’t as big a deal.

    Follow the directions on the bag (based on how big she should be) & only feed her that…no table scraps either.

    Btw…it doesn’t have to be a special diet, keep her on her regular dog food or if you do change it…do it a little at a time to avoid making her ill.
23. 

    tractor girl
    

    15. Nov, 2011

    Most vets can recommend a feeding schedule for her. Definitely don’t leave food out for her all of the time. I would recommend only feeding her once a day and using the reduced diet food.
24. 

    thedothanbelle
    

    15. Nov, 2011

    Changing her eating habits would definitely make a difference. I would suggest one feeding in the evening around 6pm. I would also suggest taking her to the vet and make sure there is nothing medically wrong with her. Dogs can be diabetic and also have thyroid problems as well…both can cause weight problems in dogs just as they do humans. If you read the back of the dog food bag it should tell you how much to feed her….you also want to make sure she is not getting bloat from overeating and being allowed to graze. Only feed her once a day…unless the vet tells you otherwise!

    Take her to the vet to be safe…no one here has proof that they are a licensed vet and can give you a vet’s perspective.
25. 

    babygirl
    

    16. Nov, 2011

    you need to exercise your dog more. feed her twice a day,and if there is food left in her dish,throw it out.don’t let your dog overeat!! and don’t give her any people food!!!
26. 

    onewikkedwoman
    

    16. Nov, 2011

    Your dog definitely needs an adjustment to its diet! Obesity works the same way with dogs as humans, it can cause multiple health problems. From personal experience I can tell you that putting her on a diet will be tough, but it will be well worth it when she drops a few lbs and starts to feel better. Talk to your vet – they will prescribe the right food to meet your dog’s nutritional needs and come up with a feeding schedule that is convenient for you and less stressful for your pup to adjust to. Good luck!
27. 

    drbee
    

    16. Nov, 2011

    No its not enough exercise for her. Obesity is a matter of calories in to calories out. So you can up the exercise (more calories out) or feed her less (less calories in). I suggest you do both. Schnauzers are very prone to diabetes, and obesity predisposes them to it. Also they get hyperlipidemia from overeating.
    Most dogs cannot be free fed- lets look to nature. In the wild canids hunt, bring prey down, eat it all until their stomachs are bulging, fighting with each other to get more. Then they lay down and rest for several days until the stomachs are empty again to hunt again. So a dog will by nature eat too much if its always available to them. Limit her intake to the lowest end of the feeding guideline and thats it!!
    If like many dogs she is not getting the exercise she needs, even following the lowest end of the feeding guidelines will overfeed her- the levels are based on dogs getting exercise. In this case you need to go to a low calorie food. Look for a diet that has “light” in the name- by law only diets labled “light” have to be actually lower in calories. Don’t be fooled by “less active”, “lower fat”, or other names- look for LIGHT. Feed by the lowest level of the feeding guide, measure it out in a measuring cup (not a big gulp or a coffee cup) and feed it to her in several small meals. And step uo the fetch games. Throw the ball while you are watching TV.
    Please do something to help your dog lose weight- obesity is the fourth leading cause of non-accidental death in dogs. And you don’t want to have to give your dog shots of insulin every day.
    I recommend Science Diet Light- you can get it at Petsmart. or speak with your veterinarian about using Prescription Diet r/d.
28. 

    Clucky
    

    16. Nov, 2011

    First you have to talk to a vet. Your dog sounds really overweight and thats not good for a dog. You should stop having food down for him all the time and stick to giving him 3 cups a day , 1 for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Slowly you should take him of the lunch meal and only give him 2 meals per day. He also needs more exercise. Just because he’s a little dog doesn’t mean he doesn’t need as much exercise as a big dog. If you’re really cut for time, maybe you could hire a dog walker.
29. 

    lori09031028
    

    16. Nov, 2011

    Your dog can and should be put on a diet. The best thing to do is check with your vet for suggestions. Otherwise, put your dog on a good, high-quality diet food. Check the package for how much food to feed your dog. I would suggest feeding your dog twice a day. Don’t give your dog “people” food and limit snacks. Try and get your dog more exercise. I agree with the previous poster who suggested getting your stroller out. Otherwise, keep throwing that tennis ball.

    I know your dog is small, but I must say that I disagree with people on this list who have large dogs and feed their dog once a day. Feeding your dog once a day increases your dogs risk for bloat. Dogs shouldn’t exercise vigorously one hour before or after eating either.
30. 

    frog outcast
    

    16. Nov, 2011

    When I last owned a dog, we fed him one cup of food in the morning and once in the evening. He stayed at a healthy weight.
    However my neighbor’s dog was hugh and her vet put her dog on a diet. The vet uses IAMS dog food for her dogs diet.
31. 

    tlctreecare
    

    16. Nov, 2011

    If you follow this plan I promise it will work but you must follow it to the letter and not give in or the dog will continue to gain weight.
    You do not need to change foods if you are happy with what you are feeding.
    You will feed the dog twice per day and only feed her a measured amount of food.
    Read your dog food bag and see what the minium amount of food to be feed for her weight and get a little lower than that.
    If it says she needs two cups cut her back to one and one half cups per day. Split it up into two feedings and do not give her anything else.
    If you are giving dog treats change those to green beans or carrot slices and NOTHING else.
    She will loose weight even with little exercise but a walk per day would be really good for her and you too.