Need lite dog food suggestion

I am having a hard time finding a good quality lite dog food for Lucy. I had Lucy on Innova for about a year and she was gaining weight even when I reduced the amount to under a 1/4 cup twice a day. The vet told me that Innova is one of the highest calorie dog foods out there and that I needed to switch her to something that is about 1/2 the calories of Innova. Well, I looked and looked and couldn't find anything that seemed to be great quality that was also low calorie. Innova makes a lite food but it is still too high in terms of the calories. I settled on Nutro Light which I know isn't the greatest as far as quality is concerned and although Lucy seems more satisfied and is now at a healthy weight, I would like to find something better quality to feed her. Does anyone have any suggestions? Just FTR, I was initially feeding her a raw diet but decided to scrap that idea because they won't feed it when I board her and we travel enough that it was a problem.

How much does she weigh and how much does she need to lose? I never used a lite food, just cut back her portions when I was dieting Casey. I would stick with a full calorie food, but feed less (if she is not losing weight on 1/4 c x twice a day than that is still too much food or too many treats!) I would try a different premium food (I use Orijen), instead of switching to a lite formula. Supplement her meal with a handful of green beans (fresh or frozen) for bulk. She'll sulk for a few weeks, but the weight will come off....and should come off SLOWLY.

Let us know her weight and how much she needs to lose.

Also, how much Innova were you feeding her per day before the diet? And how many treats/ chews does she get per day and week?

I agree with everything the previous poster said. I don't think "diet" foods should be used! They are usually too low in fat to maintain healthy coats, and their protein contents can be too low, too. You can find good regular, adult foods that have decent calorie contents. I don't like to go below 14% fat or 24% protein myself. Just cut portions, or use green beans, and carrots for treats (or cut treats out by using kibble as treats). Exercise more works well, too. And yes, Innova is a fantastic food, but sometimes too high in calories. My own dogs cannot eat it (too rich/high in cals.). Some good foods I like are:
Fromm 4-star
Eagle Pack Holistic Select
Merrick
Dogswell
Solid Gold
Canidae
Natural Balance
Cal. Nat. (same company as Innova, but maybe lower cals?)
Blue Buffalo
Avoderm

These are just a few...good luck to you!

Oh...I forgot my favorite food and what my dogs are eating at the moment LOL! Orijen!

I feel the only time a "lite" food should be used is when a dog has a fat intolerance problem/disease.

She doesn't need to lose any weight at the moment. Since switching to the lighter food she is right where she should be at around 19 lbs. She was about 21 lbs before and was getting thick around the waist which the vet says was a big no-no. I do feed carrots as a treat and only use doggy type treats for intense training sessions when I really need to get and keep her attention. The vet felt that less than 1/4 cup was not enough food to keep her satisfied, but maybe it was just her way of getting me w/ the diet program since we had been trying to get her weight down for many months with no success. I do think the Innova is very caloric though as it has like 544 calories per cup. I will look at some of the other brands you all mentioned and see how they compare. Thanks for the advice. I appreciate the input about not using "lite" foods. I also like the idea of adding carrots and green beans to her meals to add some bulk. I actually don't think she will sulk at all...she LOVES carrots.

Artemis for Small Breeds is around 345 cal/cup. The first four ingredients are chicken, turkey, chicken meal, and salmon meal. Might be worth trying a small bag to see if she likes it. My dogs like it, but then again, they like anything and everything.

My Cavalier has been a bit pudgy since she was spayed (over two years ago!), she just ballooned out after she was done even though we were so careful with what we fed her, how much we fed, excersise etc. We have been trying to get the weight off for quite a while, and have been feeding Hills Scince Plan Light and Royal Canin Light (just to note, often the amount listed on the side of the pack is too much for the dog and your own judgement should be used after a short trial period of using the recommended amount) and both have been great, she has lost 1.5 kg so far (as chloe92us said, it should be slow) and needs to get off maybe another half/three quarters of a kg. I know James Wellbeloved do great food and they have a light/senior version too.

Well, after 3 hours of internet research (guided by your suggestions) I have narrowed down 5 possible dog food choices for Lucy. Today I will go in search of them so I can figure out which one will be the most convenient and cost effective. My first choice is Merrick (any of 3 varieties). It reviewed very well and still only has roughly 350 cals/cup, followed by Solid Gold Just A Wee Bit, Fromm 4 Star Chicken A la Veg, Avoderm Natural Chicken Meal & Brown Rice, and lastly Solid Gold Millenia Beef and Barley (this one is a little low in fat so it is my last choice).

FYI, my husband thinks I am a complete wacko! He couldn't believe I spent 3 hours researching dog food. He said I don't spend that much time researching our children's diet....lol.

BTW, I did add carrots to Lucy's breakfast and she was delighted and actually left a few behind, which tells me they are helping fill her up.

Thanks to everyone for your suggestions!

Oh, one more thing....Charlie is on Royal Canin puppy...this what the breeder had him on. Can I switch him over to whatever I choose for Lucy or do I need to keep him on puppy food? The Royal Canin didn't rate so well, so if I can't put him on Lucy's food I will switch him to a different puppy food that is better quality.

Oh, one more thing....Charlie is on Royal Canin puppy...this what the breeder had him on. Can I switch him over to whatever I choose for Lucy or do I need to keep him on puppy food? The Royal Canin didn't rate so well, so if I can't put him on Lucy's food I will switch him to a different puppy food that is better quality.

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I didn't feed mine puppy food, and I think that most people on here will say that they would rather feed puppies an adult food over a puppy food. I would think that you can switch your younger one over to whatever food you decide on for Lucy, you'll just have to see how he does on it to determine the correct amout. Mine are on raw so they eat much more than 1/4 cup of food 2x/day, but they are nice weights (18lbs and 16lbs), have defined waists and are very active. Miles gets a little more food than Truman, but not much. You'll eventually figure out the proper amounts for your two, it just takes some time! :flwr:

I feed Dougall on Royal Canin Biscuits especially formulated for Cavaliers.
They have taken into consideration heart an eye problems when formulating the food. Dougall does really well on it and likes it. You can find information on google about it.
Molly cannot eat any commercial food whatsoever, she just balloons, we
feed her 3 x per day on ground organic fresh vegetables and fruit with
some raw chicken. When we go away, we feed her the Royal Canin and
try to get her nautural food if possible. She lost over a kilo and keeping her weight down now is not a problem.