What Dog Food Fills Up a Dog With Less Food?

If your dog has extra pounds to shed, feeding her pet food that's more filling with fewer calories is an essential step for weight loss. Combined with increased physical activity to burn more calories, less food helps bring your pet to a healthy weight to promote better mobility and reduce her risk of heart disease, diabetes, liver problems, arthritis and other conditions.

  1. Canned Food is More Filling

    • Canned dog food typically contains 75 percent moisture. In comparison, dry dog food usually contains 6 to 10 percent moisture. The significantly higher water content in canned food makes it more filling with less volume and fewer calories. Wet food also tends to be higher in protein and fat and lower in carbohydrates than kibble. Protein and fat are the primary energy sources for canines, and these are the more filling nutrients, too. Feed your dog canned food to fill her up with less food that's more nutritionally dense and less calorie-dense.

    Other Benefits of Canned Food

    • Canned dog food offers other advantages. Most dogs -- even the pickiest -- find canned food more palatable than dry food. Also, because canning is a preservative process, wet food generally contains little or no artificial preservatives. The high protein and fat content and low carbohydrate content is in line with what dogs naturally need, as well; though they can use them, these animals don't rely on carbs for energy. The canine body readily turns unused energy from carbs into fat stores. Canned food is also easier to eat for older dogs and those with dental pain. Dogs with diabetes or kidney problems, elderly dogs, dogs coping with hot weather and others benefit from canned food's high moisture content, too.

    Filling Up With Vegetables

    • While canned food is a smart choice for the bulk of your dog's diet, she doesn't get all the vitamins, minerals and other nutrients she needs from it alone. Unlike cats, who are carnivores, dogs are omnivores; they thrive with diets based mostly on animal sources of protein, but they need some plant-based foods, as well. Supplementing with vegetables provides filling fiber with few calories and lots of important nutrients. Broccoli, cabbage, carrots, celery, cucumbers, green beans, kale, spinach and other canine-safe veggies help keep your pet satisfied with less food and fewer calories.

    Other Weight Loss Tips

    • Good dietary decisions are key to achieving and maintaining a healthy weight for your dog. Always consult your veterinarian before making significant dietary changes, though, and ask about your pet's nutritional needs and how to safely exercise her. Increase your dog's physical activity per your vet's recommendations by going for more walks, playing in the yard or at the dog park, using games like fetch and tug-of-war, and swimming if your dog enjoys it. Watch the treats -- they're small but often deceptively high in calories, plus they add up more quickly than you may realize. Treats should be given only on occasion, and only when they're earned.