Putting your dog on a diet can seem like an easy task, but many dog owners find it difficult to stop overfilling their dog’s bowls, and to stop providing numerous dog treats and leftovers. However if your dog is overweight it will be in their best interests to reduce the amount of body fat they have to carry around. Severely overweight dogs can be susceptible to numerous health problems.
However whilst putting your dog on a diet, it is important to supply them with food which is nourishing, provides all the essential vitamins and minerals, as well as the right levels of protein. It is often suggested that a diet containing at least 25% protein is required in order to help maintain a lean body and help support a dog’s immune system. It has been shown that lean muscle burns more calories than fat does. Therefore helping to maintain your dogs muscle tissue, is vital when trying to help them lose weight. When a dog looses significant amount of muscle mass, then their metabolic rate can be altered, which in turn means that they a expending less calories. It is said that over half of a dog’s dry matter is made up of protein.
There are a variety of different light dog foods on the market from brands such as Iams, Eukanuba, James wellbeloved, Royal Canin and more besides.
It is important to remember that diet or light dog food products are usually designed for normal adult dogs that are overweight. There are not designed for puppies or pregnant dogs.
