Five Tips for Dog Weight Loss #HillsPet

Last month, I blogged about Chuy’s new weight loss program with Hill’s Metabolic Advanced Weight Solution. Well, I’m back to share more about his weight loss journey and what we’ve been up to. Weight loss for dogs is not always an easy journey but it can be accomplished. Every journey is unique but I would like to share five weight loss tips on what has been working for Chuy Chihuahua.

1. Admitting is the First Step!

To change anything in your life, you have to be willing to first admit there is a problem. Overweight dogs are becoming the “norm” in our country these days but it doesn’t have to be that way! I never thought I would have to worry about this problem with Chuy.

We got Chuy as a puppy when he was 6 weeks old and he barely weighed one pound. You could fit him in the palm of one hand! The week we brought Chuy home was a roller coaster of emotions! We had been looking for a dog for a few months and we knew we wanted a Chihuahua but had not found one that we knew was “our dog.” Then out of the blue, my husband was given orders to deploy to Iraq for over a year and it sped up that process! We knew we had to find our dog ASAP before my husband left the states! That same we week, we got engaged and brought home a new puppy. We had no idea how much this little Chihuahua would change our lives.

I can’t even believe he’s turning 5 years old this June. I want to give Chuy the longest, healthiest life possible. I know that getting the few extra pounds off of his small frame will help with this. Chuy has changed our lives in more ways than I can even begin to articulate. Earlier this year, when the vet told us he could stand to lose a few pounds I was devastated. I’ve been overweight my entire life, yo-yo dieting on and off for years. The last thing I EVER wanted to do was to pass my bad habits on to my precious little Chuy. That’s why I’m 120% committed to doing anything I have to make sure Chuy is healthy and happy!

2. Reevaluate Your Dog’s Food

When our vet broke the news to us that Chuy needed to lose a few pounds, she suggested that we put him on Hill’s Metabolic Advanced Weight Solution. Hill’s® Prescription Diet® Metabolic Advanced Weight Solution is clinically proven nutrition that naturally activates metabolism to burn fat and regulate appetite. Chuy is a small dog so every ounce counts in his weight loss! He officially weighed in at 11.5 lbs and is now down to about 10 lbs since March. That means he’s lost over 10% of his body weight! We can definitely notice a change in his figure and energy levels. The area around his neck has slimmed down tremendously as you can see in the pic below and he’s getting his waistline back! I’m really happy with the progress and the food. Chuy actually loves his new food and eats every single kibble in one sitting. Previously, he would pick at his old food and never seemed interested in it.

3. Portion Control

Just like for humans, portion control is the key to dog weight loss! Check with your vet to see what amount they recommend for your dog. Per the chart our vet gave us, we are to feed Chuy 1/3 cup of Hill’s® Prescription Diet® Canine Metabolic Advanced Weight Solution dry food twice per day. We’ve been sticking to that religiously and it’s obviously working!

4. Schedule Your Dog’s Feeding Times

One thing that I feel attributed to Chuy gaining weight was because we weren’t feeding him at set times every day. My husband had been working nights and I work days, so there were times that Chuy would eat at midnight or later. He really didn’t have a set schedule because of our crazy work hours. Now, he eats breakfast every single morning (even the weekends) at 8am and dinner at 5pm. If he’s acting hungry we give him ONE Hill’s® Prescription Diet® Canine Metabolic Advanced Weight Solution treats. The vet said he is allowed one per day with this new diet, so after dinner when we eat our dessert, Chuy gets a treat too!

5. Quality Time Outdoors

Luckily, Chuy LOVES the outdoors! He loves to run around and play fetch in our backyard, walking, and of course running around the beach! Now that the weather has been warm, we’ve been doing a lot more activities outside which help with weight loss and of course quality of life! It’s awesome because not only is it helping Chuy lose weight, but it helps with my weight loss too!

I look forward to continue sharing Chuy’s weight loss progress with you. What tips do you recommend for overweight dogs? Leave them in the comments below!

This post is sponsored by Hill’s and the Pet Blogger Network. I am being compensated for helping spread the word about Hill’s Prescription Diet Metabolic Food, but Irresistible Pets only shares information we feel is relevant to our readers. Hill’s Pet Nutrition, Inc. is not responsible for the content of this article.