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Worried that your small-breed dog is packing on the pounds? Run your hands along his backbone. You should be able to feel (but not see) his ribs. You also should see a clearly defined waist behind the ribs. If you can’t, follow these seven tips from Debra Eldredge, a veterinarian and co-author of “Dog Owner's Home Veterinary Handbook,” published by Howell Book House.
Before you put your overweight dog on a diet, schedule an appointment with the vet to make sure an underlying health problem isn’t causing the numbers on the scale to creep up.
Snacks and table scraps might account for your overweight dog’s bulging belly, Eldredge says. If curtailing in-between meals doesn’t make a difference, consider continuing with the same amount of food but switching to a different formula. Your vet can give you guidance.
Thawed frozen green beans, canned pumpkin (which is fiber-rich and filling) and cut-up carrots make satisfying, low-calorie snacks for your pet.
A study showed that dogs can count up to six or seven, Eldredge says. If he is accustomed to getting two small biscuits as a treat, break one biscuit into two pieces. By his count, he’s still getting two treats!
As much as your overweight dog loves treats, he also loves taking walks, playing and spending time with you. You also can replace biscuits with a couple of pieces of the kibble he would get during mealtime.
Is your bichon staring up at you with those beautiful eyes as you nibble on peanuts? He’s probably not hungry. As you have your snack, offer him a piece of kibble. If he turns it down, he’s not really hungry — he just wants your peanuts!
If your overweight dog has just a couple of pounds to lose, it can be hard to gauge whether he is making progress. Ask your clinic if it’s OK if you stop in once a week so he can step onto the doctor’s scale.
IAMS research has shown that some dog-food products are best formulated using a combination of carbohydrate sources. All IAMS dog foods are formulated precisely to meet the nutritional needs of your dog in his life stage. Such a combination offers optimal digestibility and helps maintain energy levels.
Our dog foods contain a variety of carbohydrate ingredients:
Barley: IAMS uses ground whole-grain barley that's cooked at high temperatures and finely ground in our dry dog-food formulas as part of our patented carbohydrate blend.
Corn: IAMS uses high-quality corn kernels that have been finely ground to break up the outside covering of each kernel, and then cooked at high temperatures to increase digestibility.
Grain sorghum: Also called milo, it is cracked, finely ground, and cooked before it is added to our dry dog foods. It is another carbohydrate source in our patented carbohydrate blend.
Rice flour: Our foods contain small kernels of white rice that have been separated from the larger kernels of milled rice, ground, and cooked at high temperatures to optimize digestibility.
Wheat: This is another high-quality carbohydrate source. In our biscuits, the wheat is an excellent, palatable carbohydrate source and adds a firm texture to the biscuit during the baking process.
Highly digestible diets are an important factor in the well-being of your dog. They deliver more essential nutrients more efficiently, so there is less waste.
Innovative and patented research by IAMS scientists has found that when the complex-carbohydrate sources grain sorghum and barley are used in a dog's diet, their breakdown is enhanced at another level.
These carbohydrate sources are all highly digestible, meaning your dog's body will still metabolize a high percentage of each for energy. What's unique about these grains is that they break down slowly and evenly, providing a stable source of energy.
The slow, even breakdown of grain sorghum, corn, and barley results in moderate, stable blood glucose levels after a meal. By minimizing swings in blood glucose, diets containing such a blend supply sustained energy. IAMS holds a patent on using grain sorghum and barley in a blend for dogs.
