My sister is trying to put her dog on a diet. She read about adding canned pumpkin instead of canned dog food to the dog’s regular ration of dry kibble, since the pumpkin is the same consistency as the wet food but is less fattening.
So we went shopping together and got some cans of pumpkin. The can says that 1/2 cup pumpkin has 50 calories. Then we went to the dog food aisle and got some cans of dog food. Guess what? No calorie info on them. So how do we know which has more calories, the pumpkin or the dog food?
You can scroll down to the calorie statement for the bottom line for them, fat=calories, but as they said, that’s not a hard and fast rule. There are lots of diet dog foods out there, and I read somewhere that, just like people, if you break the meal into small portions in a regular schedule like three times a day the weight comes off with a lot less “oh God I’m starving” trauma.
Here’s a site about porky pooch care.
My brother and his wife occasionally foster rescued Greyhounds, and they use canned pumpkin to help the dogs GAIN weight. Racing Greyhounds are kept very lean, too lean to be healthy in the long run, so the foster families need to put weight onto the dogs before they become eligible for adoption.
Is this dog an only dog, or does your sister have to feed him/her with other dogs? I’m pretty sure that there are varieties of dog food (canned and kibble) meant for less active dogs.
Has she consulted her vet about it? Most vet fees are VERY reasonable, especially if it’s just talking to the pet owner and maybe giving a quick exam.
Sorry, I think that I’ve asked more questions than given answers!