Dry Dog Food for Weight Management | Which Food is Best for My Dog?

Controlling your dog’s weight can be a difficult process to navigate, especially when you still need to provide them with essential nutrients and vitamins. When portioned correctly, certain dry dog food brands can be a great source of nutrition, and can be mixed with wet and raw food for a mixture of texture for your pooch. If your dog needs to lose or gain weight, or simply needs to build their muscles, the right dry food diet can help.

In our comprehensive guide, we will explain how dry dog food can be provided for weight loss and gain, as well as muscle building for working and active dogs. We will also highlight how to control your dog’s food portions to ensure they enjoy a healthy diet for their breed, size and specific health issues.

Dry Dog Food for Weight Gain

There are some dog food brands that are specifically tailored to helping dogs gain weight, but they can often be expensive and often subjective to each dog. The best way to control your dog’s weight and help them gain some pounds is by switching up their diet and portion sizes. When looking for new dog food for weight gain, consider:

• Protein and fat content: dog food with a high protein content can help your dog build muscle, which in turn will help them gain weight. Nourish Rite’s chicken option contains 55% chicken as well as 14% crude oil and fats, making it the perfect choice for weight gain in dogs.
• Palatability: sometimes, dogs will lose wight because they don’t like their food and are therefore less inclined to eat it. Try looking for food with different, tastier flavours that your dog might enjoy.
• Digestion: your dog may be having a hard time digesting their food, so consider food such as DARF cold pressed dog food, which is pallet shaped and much easier to digest than regular dry dog food.
• Calorie intake: whether this is through their food or little treats, a high calorie intake can lead to weight gain in dogs. Consider a lower calorie diet, and possibly cutting down on treats for a while.

How much you feed your dog depends on various factors, such as their age, breed and size. It is often advised that underweight dogs should be given between 10 and 20% more than their regular diet until they reach the desired weight. To put on weight, dogs need a balanced diet of protein, vegetables, vitamins and minerals to stay healthy.

Dry dog food can be a great choice, not just for your dog’s weight gain but for you as an owner. It is much easier to portion control dry dog food, and it has a much longer shelf life when compared to wet and raw food. Certain brands such as Canagan come with dental benefits, ideal for dogs with health issues.

You can find out more about dry dog food for weight gain in our previous guide here.

Muscle Building with Dry Dog Food

Certain dogs, such as border collies and German shepherds, are often working dogs and will need more protein than most breeds to do their jobs well. Therefore, a protein-heavy diet is adopted to help build their muscles effectively. However, protein isn’t the only ingredient dogs need to be happy and healthy.

Brands such as Nourish Rite, Sana and Canagan are protein-heavy dry food brands that we stock at Fetch, perfect for helping your dog build muscle mass. Each product has 50% or more meat, an important figure to look out for when choosing balanced dog food. These particular foods also contain relevant vitamins, minerals and fatty acids to provide your dog with a balanced diet.

Like weight gain and weight loss, how much you feed your dog depends on multiple factors such as their age, size and breed. As well as feeding your dog appropriate amounts, daily walks, runs, swimming and cross training can help your dog build muscles.

To find out more about muscle building with dry dog food, you can read our previous guide here.

How Your Dog Can Lose Weight with Dry Dog Food

Although dry dog food can help dogs gain weight, it can also help them shed a few pounds when controlled. All dry dog food can be good for weight loss in moderation; according to recent studies, there are even various dietary supplementations containing probiotics that promote weight loss by reshaping the gut microbiome and energy metabolism in dogs.

Brands such as Nourish Rite and DARF contain high levels of protein, vegetables and vitamins to give your dog a healthy, balanced diet. Grain free dog food is a good choice for weight loss due to its lack of filler ingredients such as rice. They contain a high lean protein content, which can help promote muscle mass whilst keeping fat to a minimum. Feeding grain free dry dog food on its own, however, won’t help your dog lose weight. There are various other steps you can take to help your dog get into shape, such as frequent walks and exercise. All dog food products come with feeding guidelines, so consider altering your dog’s diet based on these recommendations to help your dog lose weight.

To find out more about dry dog food for weight loss, read our previous guide here.

Controlling Portions with Dry Dog Food

Controlling how much food your dog gets per day is one of the most effective ways to get your dog to lose or gain weight. Portion control is incredibly important, as it can prevent health problems, ensure nutritional balance in your dog’s diet, improve energy levels and reduce vet costs through less frequent visits.

You can calculate how much you should give your dog based on their weight. However, there are various factors that can influence how much dog food you should give your furry friend. You can use our table in our previous guide to help you make decisions for your dog’s health.

All dry dog food brand stocked here at Fetch can help your dog lose or gain weight in moderation, from high protein sources to vitamin and mineral heavy options. You can try mixing dry food with wet food to help your dog lose or gain weight, but you should introduce the mix gradually to avoid stomach upset.

To find out more about dry dog food portion control, you can read our previous guide here.