How to Reduce Your Dog's Weight

These are the steps to calculate the caloric requirement for weight loss and to estimate the rate of loss in an obese dog.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Dog's desired body weight
• a calculator

1. Convert desired body weight to kilograms (kg). Remember that 1 lb is 0.453 kilograms. Example: 22 lbs x 0.453 = 10 kg

2. Calculate the estimated caloric requirement at the desired weight. This is done by raising the body weight in kg to 0.75 power and multiplying by 132. Example: 132 x (10)^0.75 = 742 kcal (kilocalories)

3. Determine the number of calories to feed for weightloss (60 or 70 % of the value returned in step 2). Example: 742 x 0.60 = 445 kcal/day.

4. Reduce the dog's intake to the level calculated in step 3. Once the desired weight has been achieved, gradually increase the number of calories to the amound calculated in step 2.

Tips & Warnings

• To calculate the estimated rate of weight loss, subtract the step 3 value from the step 2 value. Take this result and divide 3500 by this value to determine the number of days to lose 1 pound. Example: 3500/(742 - 445) = 11.8 days
• Increasing your dog's level of exercise may help speed the process.
• Always consult your Vet prior to starting your dog on any diet.