Vet reveals her top tips on how to help your dog lose weight

Does YOUR dog need to lose weight? Vet reveals how to help your pet shed the pounds – and why they need calories counted just like humans

• Cat, based in the UK, gave her tips on how to help your dog shed some weight 
• READ MORE: I’m a vet – here’s what you should do if your dog eats chocolate

 A vet has revealed how to help your dog overcome obesity and shed some pounds. 

Cat, a vet who is based in the UK, took to her TikTok to share her tips with her 325,000 followers.  

She said: ‘The first thing I think it’s really important to do is to calculate how many calories your dog needs in a day. 

‘And what we are aiming for is the calorie requirement for the weight we want them to be, not the weight that they actually are.

‘If you head over to the pet Nutrition Alliance website and google calorie calculator, you will find this calorie calculator you can use by yourself.

Cat, a vet who is based in the UK, took to TikTok to share her tips with her 325,000 followers

‘Or if you give your local vets a call, they’ve often got veterinary nurses who are specially trained to be able to figure it out for you.

‘Then of course we have to figure out how many calories there actually are in their food. 

‘Now some brands will write this on the packet, but some companies you will need to ring up. 

‘Of course most good companies will have feeding guides on the back of the packet.’

Cat says to be very accurate about weight loss for your furry friend – calorie counting is the way forward. 

She then reveals that you should weigh your dog’s daily food to see if they are getting the right amount. 

She said: ‘Using cups or using eye is just not accurate enough and everybody errs on the side of generosity. 

Cat said: ‘Anything that makes meal times a little bit more interesting, expends a bit of energy, gets their minds going and takes a little bit longer to eat is absolutely perfect’

The vet says that snuffle mats can help engage your dog and make feeding time more interesting 

‘So get some cheap digital weighing scales, they’re not very expensive, it doesn’t take very long and you can be really accurate about how much your pet is actually eating.

Cat then says that there an issue with cutting back on calories – you will also reduce their nutrition.

She says that this is especially a problem if your dog is particularly overweight – which is classed as a seven of nine body score. 

‘That is where these specialist weight loss diets come in. They are designed to be lower in calories but still give your dog the nutrition they need to live and thrive,’ the vet said.

She then put some dog food brands on screen which offer this specialist type of food. 

Cat said: ‘If you head over to the pet Nutrition Alliance website and google calorie calculator, you will find this calorie calculator you can use by yourself’

Cat also put some images of brands which offer specialised weight loss diet food products 

‘Almost as important as what we feed them, is how we feed them,’ Cat continued. 

‘Using puzzle balls like this  or snuffle mats like this or simply taking their kibble and scattering it over the kitchen floor or the garden.

‘Anything that makes meal times a little bit more interesting, expends a bit of energy, gets their minds going and takes a little bit longer to eat is absolutely perfect.’

Cat then says that her other top tip is to split up your dog’s meals, so they have smaller portions throughout the day.

She said: ‘It keep them interested, it keeps their metabolic rates as well.’

In terms of treats, the vet said ‘often this is where the excessive calories really do come in.

‘It’s really important to keep any treats that you give to less than ten per cent of that daily calorie ration.

Cat then says that her other top tip is to split up your dog’s meals, so they have smaller portions throughout the day

‘And you can consider cutting out those biscuits for something much lower in calories like green vegetables.

‘Dogs will often really love to eat it, or watermelon is another brilliant, tasty snack that can seem like they are getting something super special, but actually there’s virtually no calories in it at all. 

‘And we are all guilty of giving treats when actually what our dogs want is our love and our attention.

‘So taking five minutes out to have a quick play will really make a difference, both in them not getting any calories and burning some at the same time.’

Users took to the comments section to discuss their thoughts and also shared their own tips.

One user wrote: ‘I had spaniels for over 10 year and their food gets weighed out each day, morning and night!’

Users took to the comments section to discuss their thoughts and also shared their own tips

Another said: ‘I free feed and my dog maintains perfect weight. always worked for me. when you schedule, they eat everything. Free feed, they eat what they need.’

A third penned: ‘Our 14 year old border collie was placed on science diet metabolic. We wanted her lean to help with arthritis.’

A fourth commented: ‘My cat is a chunk but has to be on urinary food so I have to ration them.’

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