Low calorie foods

[Monica & Quincy & Charmin too]

Are there any good low calorie foods out there?  Quincy needs to lose 10 pounds.  He only gets 3 cups of Barking at the moon or Fromm Beef Frittata.  As snacks he'll get a few baby carrots or green beans. I know we have to increase his energy levels but it's hard in the winter months. Also, he is VERY laid back in nature.  Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

How old is Quincy and what does he weigh?

[Monica & Quincy & Charmin too]

Quincy is 2 years and 8 months.  The Dr. really doesn't want him over 65 lbs and he currently is 75.  You can't feel his rib bones.  Any suggestions on a good quality low fat food?  thanks so much.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

It's not really the fat content in the food that causes weight gain or loss, it's the calorie intake. Taking in more calories than you use will cause weight gain, whether those calories come from fat, protein, or carbohydrates. The reverse is also true. So if we want Quincy to lose weight, we need to either reduce the number of calories he takes in, or increase the number of calories he burns, which means increasing exercise.

Right now, Quincy is getting 1224 calories per day on three cups of the Fromm formula, and 1395 calories per day on three cups of the Solid Gold food. Obviously, the Fromm food is a better choice for weight loss than the Solid Gold. In order to reduce the number of calories he takes in, you can either switch to a lower calorie food, or you can stay with the Fromm but feed less. In order to keep the dog satisfied with less food, the best way to do that is to replace a small portion of his daily kibble with a larger portion of green beans. That way the dog gets more food in terms of bulk, so he feels full, but he is taking in fewer calories. We call this the "green bean diet", lol, and it's worked well for many people.

Here's an example: A half cup of the Fromm formula contains 204 calories. A full cup of cooked green beans contains 40 calories. So if you fed Quincy 2.5 cups of Fromm and one full cup of green beans per day, his total calorie intake for the day would be 1060 calories instead of the 1224 he is getting with three cups of Fromm. Yet he would be getting a half cup more food, (mostly fiber) so he would not feel hungry. if you reduced the Fromm to 2.25 cups, you'd reduce the calorie content by another 102 calories per day. 

If you want to try the green bean diet, use low-sodium (the label usually read "no sodium added") canned green beans and warm them before adding them to the dog's food. Many of us want to use fresh or frozen green beans because they seem so much more appealing to us, but lots of experience has shown me that most  dogs really do prefer the canned beans. Adding a bit of the 'juice" from the can also seems to appeal to many of them. If you do use frozen or fresh beans, be sure to cook them thoroughly. 

I really think this is a better way to go than to start searching for another brand or formula of food that has a lower calorie content, if he likes the current foods and is doing well on them. To get a food with a significantly lower calorie content, you're also going to alter the macronutrient profile (overall percentages of protein, fat, etc) which usually results in a higher carb, lower protein diet. But we can explore that option if you'd prefer.

[Monica & Quincy & Charmin too]

Karen, 

Thank you so much.  You have a plethora of knowledge on dog foods and I truly appreciate it.  I know some people say doodles are so hyper but Quincy truly is a slug.  He'll play with the chuck it a few times and then wants to come in the house.  We're thinking of adding a second dog (hopefully not a hyper one) that will help keep him active.

I guess the 2 legged family members need to be more active too. lol

Thanks again for all the info.  Quincy will eat anything so I'm sure the green beans will appeal to him. Can we give a few baby carrots as treats?  With all the recalls lately I only give hime treats that we would eat.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Dogs can't digest raw carrots, so they aren't adding much in the way of calories to his diet, just fiber.

Monica, we do have a list of recommended treat brands here; all have been researched, are sourced and made in North America, and are reliable. Fromm's treats are wonderful and very reasonably priced, too. The chicken & peas biscuits are one of the few treats JD can have. Of course, treats of any kind will add calories, so it's probably best to stick with the carrots; but you might want to keep the treat brands list in mind for down the road. 

[F, Calla & Luca]

Calla weighs 65 pounds and she is not very active. She gets two cups of Acana , a few treats and whatever she can steal. We try to limit the latter.

[Monica & Quincy & Charmin too]

I understand the stealing part.  Quincy just watches us eat and gives the "look" like aren't you going to give me some.  We say we should have named him Mooch as he is always trying to mooch food from us. lol