Dogs (and cats) are *designed* to eat a high protein/low carb diet. I have fed my dogs raw for 10 years or so. They get very few carbs and have done beautifully. Their blood panels are always excellent. So I would not worry at all about Wellness Core.

If she will eat veggies, why not give her those as her second meal? It will fill her tummy but will be very low cal. Raw or cooked, and maybe with a little low sodium chicken broth if she doesn't like them plain.

Unfortunately weight loss in animals is the exact same as in humans. Eat less, exercise more.

Wellness CORE is an excellent long term and is very good for dogs for their continued well being. Did you know there is a CORE reduced fat? That is what our dogs eat and have done very well on. I highly recommend it.

Also, if I understand correctly, you are only feeding your older dog once a day? I think it's much better to split the food into two feedings. The dog will feel fuller and you won't have to contend with jealousy over the pup eating. The difficult part of feeding twice a day is that it looks like very little food in their bowls at each feeding. But it really is good for the dog.

Good luck!

I also feed Wellness Core Low Fat and the dogs are doing well on it. One has even slimmed down some and he gets the same amount of food as before I was feeding WCLF. They get fed twice a day and love carrots for snacking.

Wellness core is a great food for long term health.

I also second the suggestion of feeding 2 meals a day. We used to only feed our dogs once a day - but switched them over to twice a day a few years back, and they're both doing much better. They don't act like they're starving, no one ralphs food up anymore from eating too much too fast. Or from not eating for too long. They don't 'mooch' from us. We never let them have anything before anyways - but they seem to be less interested in what we eat than when they were only fed once a day.

I would give each dog a cup of food every morning and every night. I think it is a mistake to feed a dog once a day, just like us they need to renew their blood sugar after awhile especially after a long day.
I dont know about Wellness core. But you might want to supplement your overweight dogs food with some natural balance meat stick cubes...they are a great way to train your dog and to keep it happy Natural Balance also makes a great dry food and canned food or raw food diet - all great ways to keep your dog on a good diet... BUT you need to walk your dog more diet is only one step towards losing weight just like people so more walkies or trips to the dog park. As far as jealously goes you need to take control. Put your overweight dog in another room and feed it the Natural Balance - let it have a fit - ignore or correct unwanted behavior. Your dog will either get over it and start eating the NB or not...either way it is not that long of a time for your overweight dog to wait for the pup to finish eating. Good luck.

Over a period of several years my dog lost 20 pounds, going from 120 to 100. I fed her twice a day but gave her less using a weight control-type food. And we walked a lot. Several miles almost everyday.

Rule of thumb: if your dog is overweight, neither of you is getting enough exercise. ;)

As others have said, the best way to help your dog lose weight is less food and more exercise. If your dog is not active and you can't change that, then feeding even less is the way to go.

I must also express my concerns about "low fat" or "weight loss" diets for pets. My cat died from a heart attack after being on one of those diets for a couple of years. A nutrition researcher at our vet school told me that the reduced amount of fat in the food likely altered his taurine absorption, which in turn led to the deficiency that caused his heart problem.

Any nutrition testing done by pet food companies is typically only conducted on their basic formulas. Alterations meant for specific needs (higher protein, lower fat, etc.) are then made without any further testing of these alternative diets on real animals. Consequently, some of these diets can change the way specific nutrients are used by your pet's body, sometimes leading to deficiencies. In my cat's case, the deficiency happened to be fatal.

Rather than wondering if your dog is getting what he needs from one of the specialized diets, it's much simpler to measure the quantity of a high quality basic dog food formula carefully and ensure your dog is not getting too much of it. I would never switch to one meal a day, just alter the total amount of food your dog gets each day.

Also, keep in mind that with the grain-free diets, because they have substantially fewer fillers, your dog will need a much smaller portion to meet his needs. Although he may complain at first, after a short time, he'll feel just as full with a smaller portion of the higher quality food. As an example, my Dane/Mastiff mix came to me as a rescue eating 15 cups per day of Purina One. He now eats Nature's Variety Instinct (a grain-free formula) and does great on just 4 cups per day (2 cups in the morning and 2 in the evening). That is plenty to sustain his 230-pound body. In fact, he continues to maintain/gain on that amount, and I should probably cut him back a bit more.

When we encountered a growing weight problem with one of our two dogs (they are brothers), our vet's guidance was:
-- feed them once a day and no more than the amount he "prescribed".
-- be very careful with the treats, biscuits, etc. Those count as food, too.
-- let them eat as much carrots as they want. He considers them a "free food".

Feeding them the carrots was the jackpot. They got the right amount of food to keep them healthy, and they also got to fill up, if they wished, on as many carrots as they wanted. They seldom have snacks, biscuits, etc. (Sometimes I wonder if this "doggie snack" stuff is more for the humans than the dogs. Not to eat, of course, but from the emotional satisfaction standpoint.)

Anyway, the carrots have turned out to be the perfect answer for us. Good luck!

Also, I agree with mazer's suggestion to feed the dogs in separate areas. Initially, when they ate in the same area, "big dog" would quickly wolf down his bowl, then go over and help "little dog" finish his bowl. They now eat in adjoining rooms, with the door closed. After both are finished, they get together to have their carrots, which they share from the same bowl.

Part 3.....sigh.

The once-a-day feeding for ours might have something to do with the fact that our dogs are small, 8 lbs and 11 lbs. Splitting their dog food into two servings would result in some really tiny servings. Anyway, they've been on this routine for over 6 years now and are doing fine. Weight on target, no begging for more, etc.

Rule of thumb: if your dog is overweight, neither of you is getting enough exercise. ;)

LOL - very true!

Mike - I am surprised that with such small dogs your vet recommended only one daily feeding. Usually it's recommended that smaller dogs eat more frequently than bigger dogs to keep their blood sugar stable. But, if its working, that's good!!

Always remember too - when starting a new food, weigh your dog after a few weeks if weight is a concern. Some dogs need much less than the bag says, some need much more.

munkos: Thank you for your comments. We haven't discussed feeding during their annual vet visits for a number of years now, but we'll bring it up at their next visit. Thanks again.

Thank you! You are all sooo helpful....except for Barnmom who suggested I need to exercise too. lol
Rule of thumb: if your dog is overweight, neither of you is getting enough exercise. ;)
" Ouch! I wish that wasn't true. lol

I will keep a close eye on her weight. Hope switching to Wellness Core will work rather than putting her on a low fat food.

What I do with my little dogs is feed them twice daily. They get a small amount in the AM, like just covering the bottom of the bowl , and the larger portion in the PM, at 5 pm. This may work for you-split the older dogs meal into 2 portions.
They get chicken breasts and carrots for snacks. Occasionally, they get a rawhide (I think)tiny stick to chew. I walk them. No weight problem.

I would also check her thyroid. make sure its only your feeding and not the thyroid slowing her down. That happened to one of my dogs at the age of 8. She was gaining weight and didn't really want to go for walks. I checked her T4 and I got my answer.

I had my Dachshund on diet dog food and she seemed to be straving all the time. Also seemed to have to go #2 A LOT! That is because most diet dog food is made with fillers so didn't last long in the digestive tract and it was like being on a high fiber diet. She also had quite a bit of gas.

I talked to the vet and switched her to Eukanuba Dachshund. It is specifically made for that breed. I don't if that is true but she likes it. She also gets lots of carrots and other veggies when she begs. No more treats! And I cut back her portions. She can't go on long walks because she has a weak front leg that collapses if she walks too much.
Clare

Exercise is great for health and attitude, but if you want your pet to lose weight, feed them less.

I never really understand fat pets --- people are the ones they must get their food from. (IMHO)

But carmen, they're so *cute* and look at how he looks at me when I'm eating my ice cream/pizza/steak/ etc. He's STARVING!

I hear that stuff all the time.

Every dog is different too. My 37 and 45 pound huskies eat 1 cup of food a day each (divided into 2 meals). I know 15 pound fit and trim dogs who eat the same amount; they just aren't as efficient with food as the Huskies. It's the same with people- some people look at food and get fat, others can eat 24/7 and never gain a pound. Labs especially are prone to being the former type- a good sniff of food will cause any Lab to gain a pound or 2 LOL!