Overweight

Q: We had to have Cory (Dean) neutered because he was caring a genetic defect and we did not want to breed him, however, since then he has gained a tremendous amount of weight and we really feel for the safety of his joints that we need to get him to lose weight. Could you recommend what we can do to help him lose weight. We don’t give him many treats and he strictly eating royal canine cavalier King Charles puppy food and what is called poultry Raw which is ground chicken with vegetables. He is a little over a year old. Thank you so very much and if you wish to call me you may do that or send me a email. Thank you in advance for your advise and have a blessed day.

A: Your situation is common.  Losing weight is simple in theory, he has to burn more than he consumes.  You can do that by redcucing quantity, using low calorie foods and increasing exercise.  It sounds easy but for most owners it is not.  OTC "low calorie" foods generally do not have suffiecient calorie and fat restrictions to get him to lose by themselves, there are prescription foods whose calorie content is low enough to have him lose weight.