Q: How many calories do you think she should be eating a day? What is the best dry food to keep her on? For her weight and her coat?
A: So the question was posed as to how much food should a slightly overweight English bulldog eat (spayed female), and specifically what kind of food. Taking into account the activity level of the dog, and the owner habits and budget, there is a lot to consider. While I could give a simple answer, this is not my nature. So here are my thoughts on this subject from top to bottom
(note, all opinions contained in this post are just that, my personal opinions. Any advice given should be weighed and considered thoroughly, and should not be considered a replacement for Veterinary recommendations. I also have no affiliation with any brand or product I might link, they are just items I see often or know of).
How do you pick a food?
First, choose a high quality dog food. I go high quality protein first and foremost. If the first ingredient is ‘meal’, ‘by-product’, or a grain, I would avoid it. If you have to spend an extra few dollars a month just to get the top ingredient as a good protein, do it. Its your best dollar spent.
Next on my list, is choosing a food that is made from ‘human grade’ or food grade ingredients. What qualifies to go into dog food at a ‘pet food’ certified level, is just not pretty. I am not going to debate this particular issue, but pretty much if it isn’t suitable for humans, its probably fair game for pet food. If you consider some of the items that are still allowed in the human consumption world, that right there might make you think a bit.
So with all the foods out there, focus first on protein quality and human grade ingredients. From there, the rest falls more into the budget pieces. If you have the money, drop the grains from the food (especially corn and wheat, and especially if your pet has allergy issues), increase the amount of fresh and or moist foods fed, and keep a decent variety in the schedule. Dogs are omnivores, they will survive on just about anything (and the pet food companies have used that to their advantage), but just like humans, there is an optimal balance. I will go into my thoughts on variety and fresh items on another discussion, but it is something to consider when creating an optimal food plan.
You may have to shop around a bit more for the all natural dry foods. Some of the larger chain stores are starting to carry more natural foods, but for the best variety you should check out the local pet supply boutiques. I like supporting the smaller local business when I can, and usually if they know what they are carrying, they can help you pick out the right food for your animal and your budget.
Remember when switching any food, do it slowly over 1-2 weeks. If you need to buy a small bag of the previous food to blend, I would recommend it.
How much do you feed?
Really, that is something that has to be fine tuned with every pet individually and depends on the food you buy. The general rule of thumb has always been a cup per 20lbs of ‘ideal’ weight. If the dog weighs 60lbs currently, but you would like them to weigh 50lbs, you feed for the 50lbs. It is best to check the bag of food and see what measurements they recommend. A bag of light food is going to have less calories per cup of course, while a high percentage protein food will likely have more and so on. I am not always a huge fan of the light foods myself, only because I go meat and fat over grains, and ‘light’ foods tend to up the grains to reduce the calories.
One thing to consider, is that the long term goal, just like with people, is keeping the weight off permanently. So dogs and cats should not go on diets per say, but more towards the ever popular buzz words of ‘lifestyle change’. If you want to lose weight quick, maybe the light food is the way to go, but since this should be considered a lifetime change, is light food better for the long term health of the animal? Will you be able to switch from light to regular food in six months with no weight gain? So consider this when choosing your food going forward.
Back to amounts. Read the package, start with the ’suggested guidelines’ and then adjust according to the metabolism and exercise level of the dog. In the case of the English Bulldog in question here, the activity is fairly low (which frankly if I had a body shape like that, I would not want to move much either!). So for this paticular case, I would lean on the low scale of the suggested amount, probably going to be closer to 2-2.5 cups a day depending on the food (for a goal weight of 50lbs). If the weight comes off too fast, then up it a bit. If there is no loss of weight, of course this will need to be dropped down additionally or an increase in exercise.
What about treats and scraps?
Being that most owners really like to give treats or scraps on a regular basis, this is something that needs to be considered in the food changes. I personally think you have two choices when changing a pets diet for controlled and permanent weight loss. The real question being not what should I feed the dog for weight loss, but more what can you as the owner do long term for the life of the pet? Its easy to say ‘no scraps’ for a couple months, but can you do that even after the weight comes off? So you as an owner need to make a decision, can I set a 100% no scraps and controlled treat distribution, forever……or do I need some level of leeway built in there so this works long term? Every personality is different, what works for you?
The first choice, removing all treats and scraps, is pretty cut and dry. Everyone in the household needs to be 100% on board, and everyone needs to hold everyone else accountable. If the dog goes to places outside the home, just ask that others respect the ‘no treat’ rule as well, or bring something along that is measured and acceptable. This needs to be a hard rule, a habit change, and while it will take time, you need to set the goal and know you can achieve it (since those puppy dog eyes will be pretty intense…..you need to be confident and firm with your decision).
The second choice, building in leeway for scraps and treats, is essentially taking the ‘who knows how much’ approach of the usual scrap and treat method, and just making it more controlled and monitored. If you insist on sharing bits of dinner with the fur kids, instead of doing so from the table or randomly while you cook, just set some aside to be fed long after the ‘humans’ have finished, or to be included in the next scheduled meal. The key, is to adjust the next kibble meal down by an appropriate amount to offset the additional food. Also, focus on scraps that are lower in calories. Bits of chicken or veggies instead of the fatty bits off a steak or a french fry. You might set aside a measuring cup so you can keep the food bits from exceeding a particular amount of any given meal, probably 1/4 of a single meal is a reasonable target. If you like to give commercial ‘treats’, set a small container out on the counter that each morning you fill with a set number of small treats, an allowance for the day. Be sure to adjust your normal meal amounts by how many treats you are setting aside each morning. Choose treats that are tiny, so that you can use frequently, but not very many calories each. These Charlee Bear Dog Treats
are a small low cal options, or maybe something more natural like Freeze Dried Liver Treats
If you go with the second option, just be sure to adjust the meals accordingly. If your goal is 2 cups of dry food a day, and you feed 1/4 cup of treats in the course of a day, and 1/4 cup of scraps…..then of course, you will only feed about 1.5 cups of dry food a day. Granted, the true calorie measurements are not exactly an even ratio, but this should give you a basic idea to start with, and then adjust according to what kinds of extra food you are feeding, and how the weight loss is progressing. Also, be sure to give only items that are acceptable for the species, and low to no spices or added salt. Onions and garlic are a serious no no for dogs, along with many other items. So my comments are not meant to make it open season on table scraps, more suggestions that if you are already feeding them with no intestinal upset to the dog, follow a few guidelines and stay reasonable. Here is a list of some additional items to avoid.
How often should I feed?
I recommend feeding at minimum twice a day. There are some theories about the gorge and fasting nature of wild dogs/wolves, say eating a big meal every couple days, but in the world of pets, majority of pet owners probably cannot mimic the physical activity or type of food well enough to make this work. So for the sake of metabolism and the general lack of exercise in the usual house dog, I say feed 2-3 meals a day.
Here is a twist on the standard meal. Consider that in the wild, a dog or wolf may work all day, sniffing, exploring, chasing, rooting, digging, just for a few bits to eat in the course of the whole day. Even a domesticated dog 75 years ago would have likely done something similar, even if they came home to some scraps at the end of the day. Their minds and bodies were evolved over thousands and thousands of years to be tuned into finding food. Not only in finding food, but adapting to situations daily based on the type of food, environment, ect. Canines are quite adaptable creatures in this aspect.
In the average household today, a pet now gets a bowl put in front of them, they quickly consume the contents (likely in under 30 seconds), and then they go chill on the couch while we go to work. Their ability to adapt to changing environments and food sources has led them to be great at manipulating humans for food instead of the rooting, chasing, ect of the past. The eyebrow raised puppy dog stare has replaced the art of tracking a rabbit for hours in the thick underbrush. The paw gently (or not so gently) placed on the lap with the head tilt sideways has replaced the ability to stalk and pounce mice as they burrow in tall grass. Dogs are great adapters, and they have figured out alternate methods of obtaining sustenance. Humans are of course all too happy to oblige.
While exercise is a key component in the daily life of a dog, mental challenges should be as well, especially when it comes to earning their grub. One might consider getting creative when it comes to mealtime. Some dogs will take time to pick up on these methods, especially if they know holding out or putting on their cute acts will get them rewards just the same. So just like any aspect of food changes, ect, decide on a plan, and stick with it. Consistency is always key.
There are great products you can purchase now that help with the mental challenge. A Buster Cube 
With a little creativity you can do this for free if you would like. You can hide food around the house, starting with visible easy to find food, and later making it difficult, such as behind doors, under the edge of rugs, ect. For a small less aggressive chewer you can cut small holes in a box and let them roll it around to get the food to fall out (although this works best with cats really…who don’t eat boxes). I do recommend the use of a ‘prop’ for feeding though if you can, only because the prop can be removed after the food is gone, and you don’t end up with a dog obsessed to look around the house for food all day.
Another aspect of the ‘work for food’ concept, is clicker training. Instead of using ‘treats’, just spend 10 minutes clicker training a day and use the training as a method to dispense dinner. If you are tight on time, even a 2 minute session, work on some various behaviors, and then put the bowl down for them to finish up the food after a few minutes of work.
All of these concepts really help break feeding up into something other then a 30 second gulp fest. There are alternative methods outside of the above, but this will give you a starter to think about making mealtime more of a challenge to feed the natural instinct in your dog. It will also help curb some of the begging and pitiful looks you might get when you start cutting back food amounts and changing habits.
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So after all that, I still feel like I have just barely scratched the surface. This is by far not a complete guide, but hopefully it will get you to think about the food you feed a bit more, and how you feed it. Your pet will appreciate it, even if they are currently giving you the cold shoulder at the moment because you refused to share your ribeye at dinner tonight.
