The 15 Best Diet Dog Foods for 2023

With the busy life schedules and given the love you have for your dog, you can easily find yourself allowing it to feed on all kinds of junk, which eventually leads to it being overweight. Luckily, with the best diet dog food, you can get it back to good shape in no time.

Diet dog food will contain fewer calories when compared to regular food types and will also have a blend of healthy nutrient sources. This composition will ensure your dog still gets the nutrients it needs for a healthy lifestyle.

And while many dog foods claim to be perfect for weight loss, not all of them are effective. Here we look at some top-rated diet dog foods and provide a buying guide to help ensure what you choose with help your canine friend shed the extra pounds.

Editors' Picks: Top Diet Dog Foods

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  Product
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• Bestseller No. 1
  
  Taste of the Wild with Ancient Grains, Ancient Prairie Canine Recipe with Roasted Bison...
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• Bestseller No. 2
  
  Instinct Raw Boost Mixers Freeze Dried Raw Dog Food Topper, Grain Free Beef Recipe Freeze...
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• Bestseller No. 3
  
  Instinct Freeze Dried Raw Boost Mixers Grain Free Cage Free Chicken Recipe All Natural...
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• Bestseller No. 4
  
  ORIJEN Dog Original Recipe, 13lb, High-Protein Grain-Free Dry Dog Food, Packaging May Vary
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• Bestseller No. 5
  
  Castor & Pollux ORGANIX Organic Chicken & Oatmeal Recipe Dry Dog Food - 18 lb. Bag (35084)
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• Bestseller No. 6
  
  (12 Pack) Zignature Grain-Free Lamb Canned Dog Food 13 Ounces each
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• Bestseller No. 7
  
  Freshpet Fresh From the Kitchen, Healthy & Natural Dog Food, Chicken Recipe, 1.75lb
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Is My Dog Overweight?

An overweight dog will not only find it harder to move and play but will also be more prone to health issues that come with the extra pounds like obesity, diabetes and both heart and circulation issues. Hence, you need to know how to tell whether your pooch is overweight.

The first and most effective way is to measure the dog's weight and compare this to the ideal weight for its breed and age. You can also check the body shape, and if it is eggplant-shaped instead of hourglass-shaped, the canine is overweight.

Other things like frequent tummy issues, trouble breathing, and inability to feel the dog's ribs using your fingers are also signs that your pet is overweight.

Ideal Weight for Popular Breeds

Source: akc.org

7 Best Diet Dog Foods: Review

1. Best Overall: Hill's Science Diet Perfect Weight Dry Dog Food

• Calories: 291 kcal/cup
• Lifestage: Adult | Breed Size: Small breeds
• Flavor: Chicken recipe | Form: Dry
• Ingredients: Chicken, cracked pearled barley, corn, pea fiber, brown rice…
• Protein: 28.6% (min) | Fat: 11.2% (min) | Fiber: 10.4% (max)
• Not Contain: Chicken by-product meal, fillers

Hill's Science Diet Perfect Weight takes our top spot as it is clinically proven to help small breed dogs reduce weight. What's more, the results are fast as most dogs will shed significant weight in just ten weeks.

This dog food uses all-natural ingredients with no fillers or chicken by-product meal. Besides helping the dog shed some weight, it will provide long term support to ensure the weight does not come back. With the tiny kibble size, any dog can chew this food.

The price seems to be the only drawback for this diet dog food as there are many other cheaper options out there, but the results make it worth the extra bucks.

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2. Best Dry: Purina One Weight Management, Natural Dry Dog Food

• Calories: 320 kcal/cup
• Lifestage: Adult | Breed Size: Small breeds, medium breeds, large breeds
• Flavor: Turkey | Form: Dry
• Ingredients: Turkey, soybean meal, chicken by-product meal, rice flour, whole grain wheat…
• Protein: 27.0% (min) | Fat: 8.0% (min) | Fiber: 5.5% (max) | Moisture: 12.0% (max)
• Not Contain: Fillers

With turkey as the number one ingredient, this dry dog food by Purina One will give your dog a high-quality protein source to ensure it still maintains lean muscle as it sheds the extra weight.

Because it has an antioxidant blend of different minerals and vitamins, it will support the immune system, while the high dose of glucosamine helps support joint health. The kibbles are crunchy enough and with lots of calcium for teeth and gum health.

For some older dogs, this food can be a little too rich, but for most the formulation is fantastic and will be very useful for weight management.

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3. Best Wet: Wellness CORE Natural Grain Free Wet Canned Dog Food

• Calories: 318 kcal/cup
• Lifestage: Adult | Breed Size: All breed sizes
• Flavor: Weight management | Form: Wet
• Ingredients: Chicken, chicken broth, turkey broth, dried ground peas, pork liver…
• Protein: 11.0% (min) | Fat: 3.5% (min) | Fiber: 2.0% (max) | Moisture: 78.0% (max)
• Not Contain: Soy, wheat, meat by-products, fillers, artificial flavors or preservatives

Wellness CORE Natural Grain Free is a top-quality dog food that will contain a high nutrient concentration with real animal protein. And for the gluten-sensitive dogs, this is also the perfect food as it does not have any grains.

With just 3.5% fat, it will help keep the calories down for fast weight loss. Because this food has omega 6 and 3 fatty acids, it will help boost immunity while keeping the dog's coat shiny. There are also probiotics and prebiotics for the digestive system and intestinal tract health.

Dented cans seem to be a common issue with this dog food, but the good news is that even with the dents, the food quality remains the same.

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4. Best Grain-Free: Natural Balance L.I.D. Limited Ingredient Diets Dry Dog Food

• Calories: 365 kcal/cup
• Lifestage: Adult | Breed Size: Small breeds, medium breeds, large breeds
• Flavor: Sweet potato & chicken | Form: Dry
• Ingredients: Chicken, sweet potatoes, peas, garbanzo beans, potatoes, flaxseed…
• Protein: 21.0% (min) | Fat: 10.0% (min) | Fiber: 5.0% (max) | Moisture: 10.0% (max)
• Not Contain: Grains, fillers, poultry by-products, artificial colors, flavors or preservatives

If you have a dog that is gluten-sensitive, this Natural Balance product is the best dog food for weight loss for you. What's more, it is a limited ingredients dog food that will support weight management without any issues.

This dog food will include a natural fiber blend to support the digestion system. At the same time, the inclusion of all essential minerals and vitamins will ensure it meets the dog's nutritional needs.

A resealable bag would have been great to make the remaining food easy to store, but you can always transfer it to a different package, which means this should not be a deal-breaker.

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5. Best for Food Sensitive Dogs: Blue Buffalo Basics Limited Ingredient Diet Dry Dog Food

• Calories: 364 kcal/cup
• Lifestage: Adult | Breed Size: Small breed, large breed
• Flavor: Turkey and potato | Form: Dry
• Ingredients: Turkey, turkey broth, peas, pumpkin aid, potatoes, flaxseed…
• Protein: 20.0% (min) | Fat: 12.0% (min) | Fiber: 6.0% (max) | Moisture: 10.0% (max)
• Not Contain: Product by-product meal, soy, wheat, corn, artificial flavors, artificial preservatives

Because this Blue Buffalo dry dog food is formulated with limited ingredients, it will be a perfect choice for the dogs with food sensitivity issues. This dog food uses real turkey as the number one ingredient to ensure there is a high-quality protein source.

With the Lifesource bits, this food will provide a perfect blend of antioxidants, minerals and vitamins to ensure the pooch gets all the nutrients it needs even as it sheds weight. Digestion will also be easy with this food, and it will keep the dog's skin and coat healthy.

This dog food is a little more expensive when compared to others on our diet dog review, but for a top brand product, you should expect to pay a few extra bucks given the overall superior quality.

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6. Best Low Calorie: Nutro Wholesome Essentials Adult Healthy Weight Dry Dog Food

• Calories: 227 kcal/cup
• Lifestage: Adult | Breed Size: Large breed
• Flavor: Chicken | Form: Dry
• Ingredients: Chicken, chicken meal, whole grain sorghum, split peas, brewers rice…
• Protein: 22.0% (min) | Fat: 7.0% (min) | Fiber: 11.5% (max) | Moisture: 10.0% (max)
• Not Contain: Chicken by-product meal, corn, wheat, soy, artificial preservatives, flavors or colors

Nutro Wholesome Essentials contains one of the lowest-calorie content you can get on any high-quality dog food. With a perfect protein and fat content, it will have only 227 kcal/cup to ensure that your pet sheds weight much faster.

Because this dog food also includes natural fiber, it will help support a healthy digestion system. And besides all ingredients being non-GMO, this dog food does not have corn, wheat or artificial flavors and preservatives.

There seems to be a lot of crumbs/dust on the bag. Luckily, this does not, in any way, affect the nutritional value of this dog food.

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7. Best Tasting: Purina Pro Plan Weight Management Adult Dry Dog Food

• Calories: 334 kcal/cup
• Lifestage: Adult | Breed Size: All breed sizes
• Flavor: Chicken | Form: Dry
• Ingredients: Chicken, rice flour, corn germ meal, whole grain corn, poultry by-product meal…
• Protein: 26.0% (min) | Fat: 8.0% (min) | Fiber: 5.5% (max) | Moisture: 12.0% (max)
• Not Contain: Fillers

With real chicken as the number one ingredient and a blend of hard kibbles and meaty shreds, this Purina Pro Plan product is one of the tastiest diet dog foods out there. And the texture is also fantastic for most dogs.

Besides the delightful taste, this dog food has live probiotics for supporting digestive health. Overall, this is a complete and balanced food with everything the dog needs, including antioxidants, minerals and vitamins.

While the smell of this food is not the best, the dog will hardly even notice it given just how tasty it is, and the bowl will probably be empty before the canine pays attention to the smell.

Other Good Recommendations: Review

8. Dry Dog Food | Adult | Large Breed | Iams Proactive for Healthy Weight

Iams Proactive for Healthy Weight is the perfect solution for weight loss for any large dog breed. It contains L-Carnitine which, besides helping the dog shed weight also supports its metabolic system.

This dog food is good for the joints and bones thanks to the glucosamine and chondroitin. Also, it has a blend of wholesome fiber and prebiotics for easy digestion and omega 6 for skin and coat care.

Key Features

• L-Carnitine supports both weight management and healthy metabolism
• Real farm-raised chicken for high-quality protein
• Includes glucosamine and chondroitin for healthy joints and bones
• Blend of wholesome fiber for easy digestion
• Omega 6 keeps skin and coat healthy

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9. Dry Dog Food | Adult | Small Breed, Medium Breed, Large Breed | Diamond Naturals Light Dry Dog Food

With pasture-raised lamb as the first ingredient, this food provides a high-quality protein source to help the dog build lean muscle. And with the perfect blend of fatty acids, it will also have fantastic skin and coat.

There are some highly digestible probiotics to keep the digestive system healthy, glucosamine to support joint health and a perfect blend of vegetables and fruits to supply enough vitamins.

Key Features

• Pasture-raised lamb provides high-quality protein
• Fatty acid blend for skin and coat care
• Highly digestible with probiotics
• Glucosamine supports joint health
• Included vegetables and fruits provide an array of vitamins

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10. Dry Dog Food | Adult | Large Breed | Hill's Science Diet Dry Dog Food Adult

Hill's Science Diet Dry Dog Food Adult provides a safe and effective way for your dog to lose weight, and up to 70% of the dogs that eat will shed some weight in just ten weeks.

The all-natural ingredient also helps make this one of the best diet dog foods as it means it will be safe for all dogs, including the food sensitive ones.

Key Features

• Safe and effective weight management guaranteed
• Small kibbles for easy chewing
• All-natural ingredients are safe for any dog
• Supports muscle maintenance

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11. Dry Dog Food | Adult | All Breed Sizes | Natural Balance for Overweight Dog

With 300 calories per cup, this Natural Balance will help your dog shed weight fast. It is also well-balanced and complete with everything the dog needs for a healthy lifestyle.

The fiber content is high enough to not only ensure the dog remains full for long but also for healthy digestion. This diet dog food formula is quite tasty, with a delightful flavor to make sure the pooch enjoys eating.

Key Features

• Provides complete and balanced nutrition for all breeds
• 10.5% natural fiber content for optimal digestion
• High protein content keeps dog feeling satisfied
• Appetizing formula with excellent flavor

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12. Wet Dog Food | Adult | Small Breed, Medium Breed, Large Breed | Pedigree Weight Management

If you prefer to give your dog wet food or mix it with kibbles, Pedigree Weight Management is a perfect choice. This low-calorie food helps with weight management and is 100% complete and balanced.

With real beef as the first ingredient, the taste is fantastic, and the soft texture will ensure the dog has an easy time chewing their food.

Key Features

• Real beef for an irresistible taste
• 100% complete and balanced food
• Dows love the soft texture
• Canned to preserve maximum nutrients

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13. Dry Dog Food | Senior | Small Breed, Medium Breed, Large Breed | Victor Senior Healthy Weight

For less active and senior dogs, the Victor Senior Healthy Weight is the perfect food option as it will help them maintain a healthy weight. This nutrient-dense food uses high-quality real meats as the protein source.

There is also a good dose of chondroitin and glucosamine in the food to promote joint health, while the Advanced Victor Core ingredients help keep the digestive and immune systems healthy.

Key Features

• Nutrient-dense recipe with high-quality ingredients
• Glucosamine and chondroitin help promote joint health
• Advanced Victor Core ingredients for a healthy digestive and immune system
• Gluten-free grains

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14. Dry Dog Food | Adult | Small Breed, Medium Breed, Large Breed | Nutro Ultra Weight Management

Nutro uses 100% non-GMO ingredient in making this dry dog food to ensure it will be as healthy and safe as it can get for your dog. It is a well-balanced and nutrient-rich dog food with everything that your adult dog needs.

By using real chicken meat, it will ensure that your pooch gets a dose of high-quality protein to help it build and maintain lean muscle as it loses weight.

Key Features

• Non-GMO ingredients for maximum safety and dog health
• Balanced and nutrient-rich diet
• Real chicken provides a high-quality protein source
• Gives dogs radiant skin and coat

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15. Dry Dog Food | Adult | Small Breed | Royal Canin Size Health Nutrition

The Royal Canin Size Health Nutrition dog food has the perfect combination of soluble and insoluble fibers to keep the pet full so that it eats less to minimize weight gain.

The food contains up to 30% less fat to minimize the calorie intake and high protein to ensure it still maintains ideal muscle mass. Also, there are enough omega-3 fatty acids to promote joint and bone health.

Key Features

• Optimal combination of soluble and insoluble fibers keeps dog full
• Omega-3 fatty acids promote joint and bone health
• 100% complete and balanced to meet a dog's nutritional needs
• 31% less fat content to minimize weight gain
• High protein content to maintain muscle mass

How to Buy the Best Diet Dog Foods

1. Type of Dog and Age

The first factor to consider when choose diet or any other dog food type is the breeds and age of your pet, given the different nutritional needs.

The big breeds have a larger body mass than the medium and small breeds, which means they will have a higher caloric demand. Hence, diet food for the large types will contain more calories than food meant for small breeds.

Also, puppies demand higher protein and fat content. And so even if you are trying to help your pups shed some weight, you need to make sure the diet food you buy still provides enough of both to prevent malnutrition.

Read More: The Best Puppy Dog Food

The good news is that manufacturers will indicate what dog type and age their food will suit. For example, the Nutro Wholesome Essentials has a unique formulation for adult large breed dogs.

2. Calorie

Because the main reason for buying diet dog food is for weight management, you need to check the number of calories in it carefully.

If your dog is not that overweight and you hence just need food for maintenance, something with 400 to 500 calories per cup should be good enough. But, for the severely overweight ones, you should keep the calories at between 250 and 350 calories per cup.

The Blue Buffalo Basics Limited Ingredient Diet provides 364 calories per cup, which is still perfect for weight loss provided you observe the portions keenly.

3. Fat

The best dog food for overweight dogs should not contain a lot of fat because too much of it is one of the main reasons why your pet gained weight in the first place.

Ideally, around 10% of fat content should be good enough for both puppies and adult dogs and also for most breed sizes. But, if you can get something with even less fat, it will be better for weight management.

Read More: The Best Low Fat Dog Food

4. Protein

Like fat, the protein will contain a significant number of calories. However, protein molecules are more extensive, which means the dog needs to burn more calories to break them down into amino acid. Also, further energy is required to combine these amino acids into the building blocks the body needs.

What all this means is that with proteins, there will be fewer calories that can be converted into fat and stored in the body. Hence, high protein food will not lead to weight gain and can be useful for weight loss.

20 to 30% protein content or even higher should be good enough for weight management as it will help keep the overall calorie count down.

Q&A

How Many Calories Does Your Dog Need?

A: It depends on a wide variety of factors from the dog's age and breed to other things like the body weight, lifestyle and activity level. However, on average dogs will need between 20 and 30 calories for every pound of body weight per day.

You can add or subtract using the factors highlighted above. Also, you can use the multipliers and feeding charts that most veterinarians will provide to determine the exact number of calories your dog needs.

What's the Safest Rate of Weight Loss for an Overweight Dog?

A: This will also depend on factors like the lifestyle of the dog, age and breed. But for most dogs, losing between 3 and 5% of their body weight every month is safe enough. However, your veterinarian should provide a more specific and safer recommendation.

What's the Best Way to Switch Regular to a Diet Dog Food?

A: Like when switching from one brand of food to the other, you need to make the transition from regular to diet food gradual. Start by mixing a small portion of the diet food with the dog's regular food.

In the coming days, you should continue increasing the amount of diet food while reducing the quantity of the old food in the mixture until you get to a point where you can feed the diet food exclusively. Stretching this over seven days is a perfect way to make the switch.

Buy on Etsy

Nutro Ultra Weight Management Adult Dry Dog Food - Walmart Link

Iams Adult Dry Dog Food for Healthy Weight, Chicken - Walmart Link

IAMS Senior Dry Dog Food, Chicken, All Breed Sizes - Walmart Link

ZIWI Peak Air-Dried Dog Food - All Natural, High Protein, Grain Free and Limited - Walmart Link

Hill's Science Diet Adult Perfect Weight Small & Mini Chicken Recipe Dry Dog Food - Walmart Link

Purina ONE SmartBlend Natural Healthy Weight Formula Adult Dry Dog Food & Wet Dog Food - Walmart Link

Hill's Science Diet Dry Dog Food, Adult, Large Breed, Light, Chicken Meal & Barley Recipe - Walmart Link

Hill's Science Diet Perfect Weight - Walmart Link

this dry dog food by Purina One - Walmart Link

Wellness CORE Natural Grain Free - Walmart Link

this Natural Balance product - Walmart Link

this Blue Buffalo dry dog food - Walmart Link

this Purina Pro Plan product - Walmart Link

Iams Proactive for Healthy Weight - Walmart Link

Hill's Science Diet Dry Dog Food Adult - Walmart Link

the Victor Senior Healthy Weight - Walmart Link

The Royal Canin Size Health Nutrition dog food - Walmart Link

the Nutro Wholesome Essentials - Walmart Link

The Blue Buffalo Basics Limited Ingredient Diet - Walmart Link

the Hill's Science Diet Perfect Weight - Walmart Link

the grain-free Natural Balance L.I.D - Walmart Link

Buy on eBay

Nutro Ultra Weight Management Adult Dry Dog Food - eBay Link

Iams Adult Dry Dog Food for Healthy Weight, Chicken - eBay Link

IAMS Senior Dry Dog Food, Chicken, All Breed Sizes - eBay Link

ZIWI Peak Air-Dried Dog Food - All Natural, High Protein, Grain Free and Limited - eBay Link

Hill's Science Diet Adult Perfect Weight Small & Mini Chicken Recipe Dry Dog Food - eBay Link

Purina ONE SmartBlend Natural Healthy Weight Formula Adult Dry Dog Food & Wet Dog Food - eBay Link

Hill's Science Diet Dry Dog Food, Adult, Large Breed, Light, Chicken Meal & Barley Recipe - eBay Link

Hill's Science Diet Perfect Weight - eBay Link

this dry dog food by Purina One - eBay Link

Wellness CORE Natural Grain Free - eBay Link

this Natural Balance product - eBay Link

this Blue Buffalo dry dog food - eBay Link

this Purina Pro Plan product - eBay Link

Iams Proactive for Healthy Weight - eBay Link

Hill's Science Diet Dry Dog Food Adult - eBay Link

the Victor Senior Healthy Weight - eBay Link

The Royal Canin Size Health Nutrition dog food - eBay Link

the Nutro Wholesome Essentials - eBay Link

The Blue Buffalo Basics Limited Ingredient Diet - eBay Link

the Hill's Science Diet Perfect Weight - eBay Link

the grain-free Natural Balance L.I.D - eBay Link

Conclusion

Diet is one of the most effective ways of keeping your dog's weight in check. Hence, finding the best diet dog food is crucial if your pooch is struggling with being overweight.

There are more than enough good options on our list, but the Hill's Science Diet Perfect Weight is our best overall option with the all-natural ingredients and super-fast results in just ten weeks.

But, if you want a super-low calories dog food, the Nutro Wholesome Essentials is perfect as it has only 227 calories per cup, while the grain-free Natural Balance L.I.D is ideal for gluten-sensitive dogs.