Dog Weight Loss Plan

Charlie and Pongo, sweet baby girls.

Several people have asked about the weight loss plan we have the girls on, so here it is. This is the plan that we are following, with reduced calories, reduced fat, increased fiber, and lots of nutrition. This food is not designed to be a replacement for kibble, because it doesn’t contain the amounts of calcium and vitamin C that dogs require in their diet. It is only meant to be used as an additive to a kibble, to add bulk while decreasing calories.
 
First of all, you need to determine your dog’s goal weight. This will allow you to calculate how many calories per day he needs. The table below will show you how many calories per day he needs for that goal weight. (Credit to Dogslim.com and it comes from a Vet)

Next, you need to calculate how many calories per cup are in the high quality food that you are feeding. Unless you are feeding a low quality food with fillers and dyes, the best plan is to continue the same food you are feeding, but just to scale back while adding fiber and bulk to their food so they don’t feel like they are starving.
 

Now, for the diet calculation.
 
Based on what your dog’s size is, and his caloric intake should be, you can use the following calculation based on the kibble he is eating and the dog food supplement to see how much he should be getting per day. This example is based on a 60 pound goal weight.

My dogs are actually loving this variety in their foods. Which is good, because a food that they don’t like won’t help them.
 
WARNING: Always consult your vet before making any sudden changes to your dog’s diet. And it is recommended that the beginning of weight loss should be 90% calorie reduction, and 10% exercise. So don’t risk your obese dog’s health with a lot of exercise, because they are not ready for that yet. Just like people, they didn’t get this way quickly, so they won’t lose it quickly. It needs to be slow, and healthy. Good luck!

Twisted Branch Dog Food Supplement for Weight Loss

INSTANT POT DIRECTIONS!

Ingredients, all at Walmart
2 chicken leg quarters
4 chicken breasts
1 60-ounce bag Birds Eye Normandy Blend vegetables, thawed
4 12-ounce bags frozen Cut Green Beans, thawed
2 12-ounce bags frozen Kale, thawed
1 2-pound bag Brown Rice
1 29-ounce Pumpkin Puree
8 cups water
 
Directions

1. Remove skin from chicken leg quarters. Place leg quarters and chicken breasts in an Instant Pot. Add 8 cups of water, more if needed. Chicken should be covered by about 4” (you can’t get too much water) and cook them for 20 minutes. Once they are finished, do a quick release and remove the chicken, leaving the broth in the pot for cooking the rice. Allow the chicken to cool, and then debone the leg quarters, and shred all of the meat. A stand mixer with the paddle attachment works great for this, or you can shred with two forks.
2. Add enough water to the broth in the IP to make about 8 cups of liquid. It doesn’t matter if you have too much liquid, because it will all be beneficial to your dog food. Add a 2-pound bag of brown rice, and cook for 15 minutes at high pressure. Do a natural release for 10 minutes, then release the pressure.
3. In the largest pot or bucket you can find, add all of the thawed vegetables to the chicken along with the pumpkin. Using your hands is the only way to do this. Dig in there, stir it all up, and don’t be afraid to get messy. Next, you need to add the rice to this mixture. This is where you need to measure it, so get another bowl. You want a 1:1 ratio of rice to the chicken/veggie mixture. I take my largest bowl and do 8 cups of chicken/veggie mixture and 8 cups of rice for a perfect one gallon blend. Put it in Ziploc bags. One gallon is 16 cups, so you can portion from there. This mixture freezes well. Once thawed, it's only good for about 4-5 days, so you may want to freezer in smaller portions than a gallon.
   
4. This makes 3 gallons, or 48 one-cup servings.