9 of the best dog foods for weight loss to help your hound shift some timber

Help your pooch get their weight down while making sure they're full and satisfied with this dry food from Royal Canin. It's full of natural fibres to help reduce begging in between meals and has a high protein content to help your hound maintain muscle mass while cutting down on the weight where they need it.

Our Senior Home & Pets Product Writer, Rosie Floyd, found this food worked wonders when her greedy Lab, Barney needed to get his weight down for surgery and it helped him to lose 12kg in around four months. However, it's worth noting that this food contains wheat and maize so if your pooch has a known allergy, intolerance or sensitivity to those ingredients, you should consider another option.

Reviewed by Rosie Floyd and Barney the greedy Labrador cross: "As we all know, labradors are notoriously greedy when it comes to food, and because of this, our black lab, Barney, had begun to pile on the pounds. We'd tried extra walks, reducing and changing food to get his weight down, but nothing had worked. He then needed to lose a significant amount of weight to be able to have surgery, and that's when our vet recommended this Royal Canin food. We introduced it slowly at first with his regular food before switching completely to it within a month. After a few months, Barney had lost the 12kg he needed to, was able to have his surgery and had a spring back in his step once more. The packaging has a really handy chart on it to show the amount of food your dog needs in relation to their ideal weight so you know exactly how much your pooch needs."

Read our Royal Canin dog food reviews to find out more about what we thought of this food and other ranges from the brand.

Rich with an I-carnitine low-fat protein source, this Pooch & Mutt food contains a natural fat burner to help speed up your pooch's metabolism, so they'll be looking slim and slender in no time at all. It is free from grains and completely junk-free so you know it'll be doing them good both inside and out. It also contains a unique supplement that helps to provide healthy skin and coat, aid digestion, reduce stool odour and support urinal tract health. Plus, glucosamine and chondroitin, with both of them added to help support joints carrying a little extra weight.

With an average rating of 4.9 stars out of 5, this weight-loss dog food is a hit with both owners and their pooches. As well as helping to keep the pounds off, customers have reported this food has also helped with coat condition. We struggled to find anyone saying bad things about this food but we would say if you opt for the 10kg, make sure you've got somewhere proper to store it to stop the food inside from going stale.

Bakers is a much-loved brand amongst dogs and pet owners alike. If your pooch is used to having Bakers food, then the transition to the weight control version should be straightforward. The recipe has 20 per cent less fat than the standard adult recipe to support a healthy weight. It has added antioxidants to help keep their immune system healthy as well as vitamin D and other minerals that keep their teeth and bones nice and strong.

Customers have found this food to be a good value option when searching for the best weight loss food for their dog and have found it's helped them to keep their pooch at a healthy weight. From looking at the ingredients, the biggest proportion of the ingredients is cereals, making up 52 per cent of the overall composition, which is a known pet food filler, so we think this food should contain more fresh meat and vegetables.

If your pooch prefers wet food, why not give these tins from AVA a go? It's made with low-fat chicken and white fish pate to keep it extra tasty. Omega 3 and 6 keep their skin and coat in great condition while the blend of vitamins and minerals inside are made for taking care of your dog's joints, teeth and bones.

Containing 40 per cent less fat compared to AVA's Optimum Health Chicken recipe, this wet food contains slow-release carbohydrates to maintain your pup's health while they have a more restrictive diet. This pack contains three chicken recipes and three white fish ones, so bear in mind the fish one could be a bit smelly for you to serve at mealtimes.

High in fibre but low in calories. Keep your pooch happy and healthy during their twilight years with this Burns Weight Control food. It's ideal for dogs that have a more sensitive tummy as it's hypoallergenic and made with natural ingredients. It'll help them maintain a lean body weight while also providing them with a little bit of extra energy they need during the later stage of their life.

This food does contain more oats than chicken, which could be seen as filling the food with more 'filler' ingredients but the brand justifies this by saying it's to keep them feeling fuller for longer so they shouldn't then be begging you for snacks between meals. Saying that, customers felt this food contained good quality ingredients and nutrients and they also thought this food had a good effect on their senior pup's skin.

Tailored to the needs of overweight pooches with flavoursome turkey and highly digestible brow and rice, rich in antioxidants and prebiotics to support a strong immune system and a healthy gut. The blend of wholesome natural ingredients and tasty flavours, the James Wellbeloved Complete Dry Light Dog Food will keep your pooch energised and healthy for longer. The kibble size is also adapted compared to the non-weight loss recipe to be larger and less dense to give the illusion of a fuller bowl.

A good one to feed those pups with allergies, it's made with a single source animal protein recipe that doesn't include common allergens such as beef, pork, soya, eggs, dairy and wheat so that's why it's a great hypoallergenic option. Just remember that this food flavour is Turkey & Rice so if your pup has a grain allergy, you should try something else. Customers love that it helps keep their pup's weight down and have found that it's gentle on their pooch's tum and also that it makes their hound's coat lovely and glossy.

Worried about your pooch getting their nutritional needs while on a diet? This Purina Pro Plan Veterinary Obesity Management has been specifically formulated to ensure your dog gets all the nutrients they need to help them to feel full. The high protein content makes sure muscles stay lean, while the increased fibre helps to balance blood sugar levels throughout the day to stop your pooch from looking for titbits in between meals, making it also a good option for diabetic dogs that need to lose some weight.

Customers are pleased with the progress of their pooch's weight loss journey while feeding them this food although some reviewers mention they felt their dog was hungrier since switching. With that in mind, you may need to slowly transition them to the new food and reduce the amount gradually so it's not such a shock.

With delicious, freshly prepared turkey and squash, this Lily's Kitchen Lean Machine doesn't compromise on taste, just the calories with just 85 calories per 100g. It uses natural ingredients to give your pooch a boost, including kale for vitamins A and C, manganese and potassium, plus goji berries that are packed with vitamins C, E and K.

This food gets brownie points from us and customers online for having such a high percentage of meat in each tray, which is an essential protein for keeping up muscle strength. Customers also appreciate that this food is made with high-quality ingredients, so while some may consider it a more premium option compared to other weight loss dog foods, it's worth it as dogs love the taste and it comes in conveniently packaged portion sizes. Some reviewers online find it to be a bit smelly though so just be prepared when you open each tray.

Got a Labrador, Dalmatian, German Shepherd or other big dog that could do with going on a diet? This Hill's Science Plan Perfect Weight Dry Adult Dog has been designed with those larger breeds in mind. High in protein and high in fibre, the formula is enriched with L-carnitine and coconut oil which are proven to support a pet's metabolism. It also contains prebiotic fibres to make this food more gentle on digestion.

Customers appreciated the larger kibble size on this food, stating it's the perfect size for their hound's mouth but also took them a bit longer to crunch, which is one of the ways that this food is targeted towards larger breeds that need a hand to lose weight. Other reviews mention this food has left their dogs' coats looking so shiny and healthy. The age range this food is suitable for is smaller than others so if your pooch is over six years old, consider another option on our list.