How much Diamond Naturals kibble for my overweight English Bulldog?

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Kira. She does appear overweight based on your pictures. You want her to have only a thin covering over her ribs. They should be easily felt when you pet her side. Then she should have a defined waist from both the top and side views. I recommend using a weight loss formula from Purina ProPlan or Royal Canin. I would stop feeding the raw meat as it not properly balanced for dogs and carries a high risk spreading disease to dogs and people. I hope this information helps!

Hello. Thank you for using PetCoach. Great question! I don't know what this "man's" background is but I don't suggest you take advice from someone who likely knows nothing about nutrition in dogs. This includes many pet stores employees, breeders and people that do internet research from sources with no factual background. Dry food is just fine for dogs and you don't have to use an expensive food. Just don't use a super cheap food (like Ol' Roy). If you are looking for a good dry food that is reasonably priced then I would use Purina One. I would use a weight control diet (it is fine to feed that to both dogs) and be sure you are feeding the correct amount based on their IDEAL weight (not the current weight). You really need to get some weight off the big dog. Minimize treats and it is suggested you not feed any people food when trying to get a dog to lose weight. This is going to be very bad for his joints as he gets older. ( https://www.purinaone.com/dogs/products/dry-dog-food/smartblend-healthy-weight ) Hope this helps. Best wishes.

Hello. This is a great question! She should be eating about 500 -550 calories PER DAY which includes all food and treats. She can eat any food as long as she stays inside that calorie window. If you feed her a lower calorie diet then she will get to eat more food and be less hungry. Purina ProPlan Weight Management Dry Food is 337 calories per cup so if you feed her this food she can eat 1.5 cups per day with a little left over for a treat or two. http://www.petsmart.com/dog/food/dry-food/purina-pro-plan-weight-management-formula-adult-dog-food-5148013.html?gclid=CKrvp4aRkdQCFZBgfgodPccMzA If you don't like this food you can use any diet. Just check the bag, it will tell you how many calories per cup. Take the 525 (using the middle of her calorie range) and divide it by the number of calories in each cup of food and that will tell you how many cups of that food she can have PER DAY. Example as above 525 / 337 = 1.55 cups I hope this helps. Best wishes. Dr. Amber

HI, good for you for adopting an older dog! She does not look very overweight but can stand to lose a few pounds. You should be feeding her a high quality dry food like Science Diet and look for the weight loss food. Make sure you feed her what it advises you to feed on the back of the bag. treats should be low fat like baby carrots or ice cubes. Based on the picture I would say get her down to about 30kgs and see how she looks. there is no need for wet food if she likes the dry. You should be able to feel her ribs easily but not see them. She should have a tucked in waist as well. Keeping her slim will keep her healthier. Start out with short walks and gradually go on longer ones. Exercise is vey helpful in losing weight. If she feels hungry, you can give her pieces of kibble as treats or stuff a rubber Kong toy with some weight loss canned food as well. Good luck, i hope this helps!

It's good that you are concerned about her getting overweight, because she does appear to be somewhat chunky. In order to get started with a weight loss plan it's good to score her current body condition. Below is a link that will help you do this. Riley is likely around a BCS of 7/9, but I would have to physically examine her to be sure. https://www.wsava.org/sites/default/files/Body%20condition%20score%20chart%20dogs.pdf After that, you can use the healthy weight calculator at the following link: https://www.petcoach.co/healthy-weight-calculator/ There are some products in the pet store that are actually formulated for weight loss and these would be the best ones to feed. I know Hills, Purina and Royal Canin all have good products, but don't know of any other. The best thing to check on the bag is the AAFCO statement, which is just below the guaranteed analysis. This will tell if the food has actually demonstrated what it claims. I've included a link to an article below that explains all of this. Make sure you feed the food according to the bag's instructions and try to cut out all treats and table scraps. I understand that this may be impossible with young children, so in this case you should account for the table scraps by feeding even less food than is recommended. https://www.petcoach.co/article/what-to-look-for-when-choosing-your-pet-s-food/ The hardest thing for pet owners is that they feel like they are starving their dog. Trust me, you are not starving them, despite how bad they may make you feel. If your dog likes any vegetables like celery, carrots or green beans, then these are great, low calorie options to give as treats that can make you and your dog feel a bit better about the diet. In the end, know that a skinnier dog will be healthier and live longer, so it's well worth it. I hope that helps and you are able to get a good plan going for Riley. I've given one more link to an article with additional information below. https://www.petcoach.co/article/5-ways-to-help-your-dog-lose-weight/

First of all i would not recommend soaking any dog food in water. if she is just slightly overweight you can put her on an over the counter reduced calorie dry food, you can chose the same brand you are using at the moment or any other brand that you find in your pet shop. if she is more than a little bit overweight then she will need a prescription low calorie food from your vet. for each food the quantity will be different but it will be written on the food label with clear instructions.

Many pets like Brees suffer from being overweight. If you are looking for an over the counter product, try Royal Canin or Hill Science Diet (both brand carry 'light' diets). In my opinion, the prescription food made by Royal Canin called Satiety Support is a great option because the portions are large (which most dogs like) but they still lose weight. The other things that could be contributing to his weight problem could be a condition called Hypothyroidism. This commonly makes dogs heavy and have problems losing weight. A doctor can determine Brees' thyroid status with a simple blood test. Medication is needed to regain normal metabolism.