Is my Staffie overweight?

@NordicAttitude, what you're suggesting—aside from the protein levels being a bit low—is already what the owner is doing, and their dog is overweight.

crude protein 26.0%

crude fat 16.0%

crude fibre 2.5%

crude ash 7.7%

moisture 8.0%

metabolisable energy 367.0 kcal/100g

There’s no point in her looking for a similar dry food that’s just going to have the same result.

Personally, I feed 399 calories per 100g and my dogs are probably less active; plus, Vallhunds can be prone to putting on weight, but I don't have any weight issues at home as I keep the carbohydrates below 25%.

Several studies in recent years have highlighted that it’s not fats that cause weight gain, but rather a high intake of carbohydrates. You only need to search "do fats make you put on weight?" online.

You’ll find plenty of studies from the last 10 years showing that this is exactly the case. Carbs, however, are responsible for weight gain if consumed in excess. Carbs are stored as fat – I'm not just making this up.

That’s why, when you have an overweight dog, it’s worth limiting their carb intake, though that doesn’t mean cutting it out completely.

A couple of clicks on the internet searching for "carbs, fats and weight gain" and you'll find all the info. I’d suggest the OP does a bit of research.

It’s actually hydrogenated fats that are the dangerous ones.

Damdam45, I do think they're carrying a few extra pounds, although it's easier to tell when the dog is standing up and seen from the side.

@Nordic Attitude, I think it all depends on the protein intake. Neutered or spayed animals sometimes suffer from muscle loss, which is why I personally try to avoid high carbohydrate levels. My boy often eats more than the recommended amount and stays lean for his breed, whereas with certain types of dry food, he balloons and puts on weight quickly.

Reducing energy and protein intake doesn't allow a sporting dog to build muscle mass and stay fit. I’ve seen some pretty awful things with an overweight female (who wasn't even spayed, for once) where the vet, under the pretext of helping her lose weight, had reduced her portions to those of a Chihuahua with no result at all—she was a Pug. And she was on a diet with massive carb levels too.

Weight loss depends on plenty of factors other than just calories. It’s a bit like those dangerous human diets we had a few years ago where eating mainly protein led to rapid weight loss; it’s very risky for us, but not necessarily for a dog.

Even though BARF didn't really work for my dog, I have to admit that the most muscular dogs I’ve ever come across were fed a BARF diet.

Not all calories and proteins are created equal.

In my opinion, the carb levels and ensuring there’s at least 50% meat is what guarantees an overweight animal gets back into shape. As a non-canine example, our house cat does absolutely nothing all day; she’s spayed and eats well over the recommended amount, yet she’s very lean—much more so than three-quarters of the neutered outdoor cats I know.

All my pets are neutered or spayed, they eat more than the recommended portions and none of them are putting on fat. It’s not just down to luck, because if I change their dry food, they all put on weight very quickly.

Right, I’m not used to the old feeding guides for standard dry food anymore. I know we unfortunately tend to think that a higher price means better quality when it comes to dry food, but it turns out some brands just aren't that great despite the price tag. It’s a real shame.

Just to share my experience, I switched my neutered male to a raw diet (BARF) over five years ago and it didn't work at all; he just couldn't digest it. To stop the disaster, I switched him to a high-carb dry food from the Royal Canin range for two weeks. The diarrhoea stopped almost instantly, but in just a fortnight he’d puffed up and put on about 2 or 3 lbs, which is massive for him because he's only a little thing.

I went back to a low-carb dry food and he was back to his normal weight in only a week. His tummy was much less bloated too. Personally, I think carbs are fine for putting weight on a dog quickly if they need a bit of a nutritional boost—I did the same for my female dog. But since then, just like my boy, we've stuck with dry food that has fewer carbs.

As a quick boost, I think it's a decent dry food, but I don't think it's the right solution for everyday use, especially for a neutered dog.

Personally, I use Carnilove. You can find them online starting from around £45 for about a 26 lb bag. Since you don't need to feed them as much, I sometimes even give them a bit extra without them putting on weight—they seem to feel nice and full on this food. In terms of value for money, I think they're pretty good. They aren't perfect, but they’re definitely decent.

https://www.petsonic.fr/pienso-para-perros-carnilove-adulto-cordero-jabali.html#/23-poids-12_kg

Purizon is probably even better, but they’re harder to find in local pet shops. It all depends on where you buy your food.

https://www.zooplus.co.uk/shop/dogs/dry_dog_food/purizon/purizon_adult/315498