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My dog lost a pound in a week. Is that a normal rate of weight loss?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed Medium (23 - 60lb) | Male | neutered | 28 lbs

My dog weighed 29 pounds and the vet said she would like to see him at 27. We've been really running a lot and he doesn't seem over tired at all but he dropped a pound in a week. Is that a normal rate of weight loss? I'm going to bump up his food intake because he's a Beagle mix which means always hunting and hungry :-)

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

Veterinarian

Published on January 13th, 2017

That's a lot of weight for a dog to lose in a week, and typically weight loss should be slower than that. I would discuss with your vet about bumping up his food intake first before doing it, as that may cause him to gain back the weight and even more. Cut all out treats, don't give him any human food at all, and feed according to the package instructions of his food. You can cut back on the exercise a little, which may help slow down the rate of the weight loss.

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