How The Right Food Can Help Your Dog Lose Weight

Amy Tokic
by Amy Tokic

The pet obesity epidemic is rightfully named so – according to Association for Pet Obesity Prevention, an estimated 60% of cats and 56% of dogs in the United States are overweight or obese, and the numbers are only growing each year.

These are alarming rates, considering that obesity is directly linked with a number of serious health issues, including cardiac disease, diabetes, and cancer, and has been associated with a shorter lifespan in dogs through scientific studies. Needless to say, making sure your pet is at a healthy weight should be one of your primary concerns as a responsible pet parent, as it can help majorly improve your pet’s quality (and longevity) of life, as well as help prevent many serious illnesses. But how do you make sure that your pet maintains a lean figure? One way is to try a pet food specifically formulated to do just that. And right now, you can get Hill’s Science Diet featured products for up to 15% off.


What You Can Do to Help Your Pet Lose Weight in a Healthy Way

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Unlike us, dogs can’t just hit the gym after binging on junk food. While beneficial and necessary for their overall health, exercise can't entirely compensate for a healthy diet. Dogs need to have a good balance of daily movement and a healthy diet; that combination is the best way to help them get to and maintain a healthy weight. Take your pet on daily walks, play fetch or Frisbee, let them run around your backyard, or explore nature on hikes together. It will help them stay fit and healthy, for sure – not to mention be quite fun for them – but on its own, it may not help shed off all of those extra pounds. Combining exercise with a healthy diet is the best way to get the results you want.


Get 15%-off Select bags of Hill's Science Diet Specialty Foods at PetSmart.com! Valid 5/1 - 5/31




Image by evrymmnt/Shutterstock.com


Unlike us, dogs can’t just hit the gym after binging on junk food. While beneficial and necessary for their overall health, exercise can't entirely compensate for a healthy diet. Dogs need to have a good balance of daily movement and a healthy diet; that combination is the best way to help them get to and maintain a healthy weight. Take your pet on daily walks, play fetch or Frisbee, let them run around your backyard, or explore nature on hikes together. It will help them stay fit and healthy, for sure – not to mention be quite fun for them – but on its own, it may not help shed off all of those extra pounds. Combining exercise with a healthy diet is the best way to get the results you want.


Get 15%-off Select bags of Hill's Science Diet Specialty Foods at PetSmart.com! Valid 5/1 - 5/31

One great example of a high-quality weight management food for dogs is Hill's® Science Diet® Perfect Weight Adult Dog Food. Made with natural ingredients and packed with protein, it puts an emphasis on lean muscle maintenance, while also providing optimal ingredients for weight management. High in protein and high in fiber, this dog food includes L-carnitine and coconut oil to support your pet’s metabolism and encourage healthy weight loss. In fact, the effects and the efficiency of this formula have been clinically proven to work wonders for obese and overweight dogs: over the course of 10 weeks, over 70% of dogs who were fed Hill's® Science Diet® Perfect Weight Adult Dog Food lost weight. That’s quite impressive considering that this is not an unhealthy diet for quick fat loss, but a nourishing, sustainable diet that can be fed exclusively to maintain ideal weight throughout your dog’s life.

Image by Poltavets Anastasiia/Shutterstock.com


Combined with physical activity your pet is comfortable with, be it a short walk around the block to start with, or hour-long play sessions in the dog park, an optimized weight management food formula such as this one by Hill’s can help you put your dog back on track with their health and quality of life. Losing weight may help improve their joint health and mobility, reduce the risk of cardiac disease, diabetes, and cancer, and increase their chances of living long, happy lives by your side.


Get 15%-off Select bags of Hill's Science Diet Specialty Foods at PetSmart.com! Valid 5/1 - 5/31



Feature Image by studio37th/Shutterstock.com

Amy Tokic
Amy Tokic

Amy Tokic, Editor of PetGuide.com, is a passionate animal lover and proud pet parent of Oscar, a Shih Tzu/Chihuahua cross, and Zed, a Japanese Chin. Her love of animals began in kindergarten, when she brought her stuffed dog Snoopy into class with her every day. Now, she writes about her adventures in pet ownership and tirelessly researches products, news and health related issues she can share with other animal enthusiasts. In her free time, Amy loves perusing used book and record stores, obsessing over the latest pet products available and chasing squirrels with wild abandon (a habit attributed to spending too much time with her pooches).

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