Food & NutritionMy dog is overweight. What is the best dog food for weight loss?
Hi there! Let me see if I can help you with Brownie.
I always recommend "The Big 4" as far as brands, as they are the most balanced diets on the market for dogs and cats. They are Purina, Science Diet, Royal Canin, and Eukanuba-Iams. That being said, I always point out that when changing diets we go slowly over a week to ten days' time. You can follow the guide in this link to try to avoid causing any gastrointestinal upset like vomiting or diarrhea:
https://www.hillspet.com/dog-care/nutrition-feeding/how-to-transition-my-dogs-food
I would check the bag and make sure that you measure the food and stick to the recommended calories per day, taking into account any additional calories like treats, table food, or dental chews. We can sometimes be surprised how many calories are in a milkbone even.
You can try a reduced fat or weight loss diet made by one of the brands mentioned above, and see if that helps.
Before starting I always recommend a vet visit. An exam can be very helpful in making the initial weight loss plan. I will often discuss trying cutting out snacks and treats, a reduced fat diet, and monthly weight checks. If there isn't a difference in about 6 weeks, I will recommend checking thyroid levels to see if that is functioning OK. If not, that can slow down metabolism and cause weight gain. And if all is well and we're still having trouble, there are prescription diets that we can try to help reset the metabolism like Hill's metabolic.
I hope you find this answer helpful. Best of luck!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
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