overweight Norwich

Question
recently got a 6 yr Norwich male, altered, very fat, 27 lbs. What food do you recommend to bring the weight down, and how much daily? i don't think i should go by the chart as i want to reduce weight not maintain. we take walks/playtime as he is healthy and a joy in everyway.

Answer
Hi Nancy
Good for you to get this under control. Right on not to feed from the bag recommendations- they are WAY too high. So called "diet " foods are basically lower in fats and can cause dry flakey itchy skin. A Norwich  can have a large range in sizes but the standard is really quite small. I have seen some larger ones, and they will be heavier, but this is a breed that can blow up way out of proportion if not careful.
The best diet in my opinion, is raw but many people cannot accommodate this. It has the least carbohydrate and the highest fiber and protein. If you are not amenable to this and wish to do kibble just make sure to use a high quality, well balanced, grain free food. There are literally hundreds of brands. I never buy it in a supermarket as these are usually warehoused and full of preservatives. Feed twice a day to keep the metabolism going and if using kibble try soaking it - many directions say to do that on the package. A norwich that is supposed weigh 12 pounds (and yours is over double) should be only fed about 3/4 of a cup in total-A DAY!
Of course you should measure him - if he is taller that 10 inches at the shoulder and longer than 10 inches from the withers to the base of the tail - you can adjust a bit upward but never more than a cup a day.
Doing this and continuing the exercise will naturally melt away the weight. Try to limit treats to small bits of dried liver treats and baby carrots cut up as bait to train him. Forget biscuits until you get him under control.
This is a great breed- Enjoy!
hope this helps