Weight Loss Dog Food
Ingredients:
Yield
This recipe will yield approximately 2 1/2 cups of food. Equating to 703 calories (Kcals) Approximately enough servings of food for one day for an 25 lb dog to maintain weight.
This Best Homemade Dog Food recipe is grain free, easy on digestion and designed for weight loss. This three ingredient recipe combines chicken, potatoes and Azestfor Homemade Dog Food Vitamins to create a meal that will help with weight reduction to manage obesity and is a great diet for large and giant breed dogs, as it helps to prevent rapid growth which can lead to orthopedic problems later in life.
7 Weight Loss Tips for Dogs
- Make Homemade Dog Food
- Reduce portion size
- Smaller Sized Treats
- Replace Treats with Praise & Petting
- Add vegetables to the dogs diet
- Feed dogs separately
- Get moving
Homemade Dog Food – Fresh whole food ingredients free of fillers, made from human grade ingredients will give you confidence that you know exactly what your dog is eating. Just like with your body what you eat effects how you feel the same is with your dog.
Reduce Portion Size – replace the current scoop in the dog food with a smaller one. It is human instinct to give a scoop. Help your unconscious mind, which will be working on auto pilot give the dog the right sized portion. Having the correct sized scoop will help you, help your dog eat less.
Smaller Treat - Dogs love being rewarded with a tasty treat. It is a very effective way to mark a behavior if you are training a dog. You only need to deliver a treat that is large enough that they can taste it. We recommend Azestfor beef treats made from one ingredient.
Praise and Petting - If you just feel like showing your dog some love give them a pat and praise them. Even with giving dogs food rewards you will get better recall meaning the dog comes when called if you only pay the dog with a food reward 75% of the time. This is because the dog is more motivated to come see if it is going to get paid than is it is guaranteed.
Vegetables – When you want to give your dog a snack give them some vegetables full of fiber.
Feed dogs separately that live in multiple pet households as one dog may be stealing another pet’s food.
If your dog is not moving and is overweight they will likely develop mobility issues. This detrimentally impacts a dog’s quality of life. To help manage the inflammation of dog’s joints we recommend Azestfor Anti-inflammatory.
How to Determine How Much To Feed My Dog
As a rule of thumb as a dog ages it should be fed less food. If a dog is young it will require approximately 20% more food than a dog aged between two and seven years of age. Dogs over seven years of age will need twenty percent (20%) less calories than what they previously did. Some dogs of different breeds require less calories than others. The goal is to be observant and to alter the amount of calories given to your dog as per your dog’s requirements in the current stage of their life.
If your dog is obese and needs to lose weight than cut the recommended feeding amount in half.
To illustrate how much food to feed an obese dog, this recipe Chicken and potato recommends feeding a normal healthy dog that weighs 50 lbs four (4) cups (26 oz) per day to maintain weight. For an obese dog you would cut that amount of food in half and feed the obese dog only two (2) cups of food total for the day.
Review the daily caloric requirements for adult dogs click here.
How to Control Weight Gain in Dogs
To help make the dog feel fuller add extra fiber to the dogs diet.
- Ground Flax Seed
- Vegetables high in Cellulose
- Wheat Bran
- Pumpkin
Ground Flax Seed – Make sure the flax seed is ground – otherwise whole flax seed will pass straight through the dog undigested. The oils in flax seed can go rancid so only purchase small quantities and store them in the refrigerator to preserve them.
Recommended dosage of ground flax seed to add to food twice a day.
- Teacup size, 10 lb i.e. Pomeranian 1/8 to 1/4 of a teaspoon total per day.
- Small dogs, 15 lb i.e. Boston Terrier 1/2 teaspoon to 1 full teaspoon total per day.
- Medium-sized 35 lb dogs i.e. Husky 1 1/2 teaspoons to 2 full teaspoons total per day.
- Large dogs, 60 lb i.e. Weimaraner 2 1/2 teaspoons to 1 full tablespoon total per day.
- Giant breeds, 100 lb + i.e. Newfoundland, 1 1/2 to 2 full tablespoons total per day.
Vegetables high in Cellulose – vegetables can be added to the dogs diet to help satisfy appetite. No need to count the calories in veggies as they are low in calories.
Wheat Bran – you can give up to two tablespoons of fiber per day. Follow the suggested dosage amounts for ground flax seed above.
Pumpkin-Canned is available in the baking section of supermarkets. Choose the canned pumpkin without spices and sugar added. Most dogs love the taste. It is also good at helping bind loose stools when a dog has an upset stomach.
A side effect of adding fiber will result in an increase in the volume of the dogs stool. If the fiber supplements are not helping curb the dogs appetite than stop.
How to Help an Underweight Dog Gain Weight
The flip side to a dog losing weight is to have a dog gain weight. We want our dogs to be their ideal weight. So they have enough calories to be active and lead a healthy life.
Foods that help a dog gain weight and can be added to the dog’s diet to supplement their calorie intake are whey protein powder, eggs and peanut butter.
Whey Protein Powder- Choose a protein powder that is free of any additives including flavoring. Essential that you avoid Xylitol which is highly toxic to dogs.
Eggs – You can add eggs to your dog’s diet in a multitude of way. Add a raw egg as a topper to the dog’s meal. Mix in powdered eggs.
Peanut Butter - You can put the peanut butter in a kong chew toy and have the dog lick it out. Make sure the peanut butter is all natural and does not contain the ingredient xylitol which is an artificial sweetener toxic to dogs.
How Much Should I feed My Dog?
Weigh Dog
Put the dog on a scale and weigh it. You can weigh yourself than hold the dog and step on the scale again the difference will be the weight of the dog. Estimate the weight the dog should be. Keep a log of the progress the dog is making in weight loss.
Feed 60% of Food for the Desired Weight
If the dog is 50 lbs and should weigh 40 lbs feed the dog 60% of the food suggested for the ideal weight of the dog 40 lbs. If the dog is obese feed it 50% of the recommended amount.
Measure and Prepackage Meals
To help keep the dog on a diet determine the correct amount of each serving and prepackage it.
Yield
This recipe will yield approximately 7 lbs of food. Equating to 4,921 calories (Kcals) Approximately enough servings of food for one week for an 25 lb dog to maintain weight.
Preparation
Step 1
Cook the chicken by boiling it in a little water. It is important that all bones are removed from the cooked chicken. Let the chicken cool than dice the chicken into bit size chunks. Shredding it is also fine. The chicken is cooked when the juices inside run clear. You can use white or dark meat or ground chicken.
Step 2
Cook the potatoes by boiling them in water. OK to leave the skins on. Remove any green or dark discoloration and sprouts. They can be mashed or cubed into bite size – depending on the preference of your dog. Begin checking the potatoes after around 5 minutes of boiling; most potatoes will be done in 10 to 20 minutes. Potatoes are done when tender: The potatoes are done when they are tender all the way through. You can test this by poking the potato with a fork, paring knife, or skewer. Potatoes need to be completely cooked to increase digestibility.
Step 3
When the meat and potatoes are cool to touch you can add the Azestfor nutritional supplements. Heat destroys the potency of vitamins.
Storage
The recipe can be prepared in large batches and frozen. It will keep for up to a year in the freezer, or one week in the fridge. Freezing vitamins preserves their potency. I would recommend portioning the food into meal size servings before freezing it.
To defrost a frozen meal – put it in the fridge overnight.
Best homemade dog food recipe for weight loss, growing large and giant breeds and should be considered for dogs with heart disease who need a low sodium diet or dogs who are allergic to grains. If your dog has underlying health issues consult with a holistic veterinarian who is trained in nutrition to ensure a new diet is appropriate for your dog.
Feeding Guidelines
We suggest dividing the daily amount into two servings, one in the morning and one in the evening. Every dog’s nutritional requirements are a little bit different due to age & amount of exercise. If your dog is losing weight, increase food by 1/4 cup a day, if they are gaining weight reduce accordingly.
Weight of Dog
- 5 lbs to maintain weight 3/4 cup (4.6 oz) per day
- 10 lbs to maintain weight 1 cup (7.84 oz) per day
- 15 lbs to maintain weight 1 1/2 cups (10.5 oz) per day
- 20 lbs to maintain weight 2 cups (13 oz) per day
- 30 lbs to maintain weight 2 3/4 cups (18 oz) per day
- 40 lbs to maintain weight 3 1/2 cups (22 oz) per day
- 50 lbs to maintain weight 4 cups (26 oz) per day
- 60 lbs to maintain weight 4 1/2 cups (30 oz) per day
- 70 lbs to maintain weight 5 1/4 cups (34 oz) per day
- 80 lbs to maintain weight 5 3/4 cups (37 oz) per day
- 90 lbs to maintain weight 6 1/3 cups (41 oz) per day
Shopping Checklist
- Chicken
- Potatoes
- Azestfor Homemade Dog Food Vitamins
- Freezer bags or other storage containers
