Lower-calorie food for a Boxer with weight creep

Weight creep in a seven-year-old Boxer is really common — they slow down a bit as they hit middle age, their metabolism shifts, and the food that worked at three or four starts adding up. The good news is this is very manageable with the right food, and you don't need a dramatic change. Before I point you in a direction, a couple of quick things: how much does your Boxer currently weigh, and roughly how much are they being fed each day? And what are you feeding now — kibble, wet, or a mix?

Right, so he's carrying about 4kg more than he should — that's meaningful for a Boxer's joints and heart over time, but it's also very fixable. Pedigree Adult is fine as a basic food but it's not really built for portion control or breed-specific needs, and the calorie density is fairly high for a dog who's less active than he used to be. A couple of other things worth knowing about Boxers: they're a brachycephalic breed, so they benefit from a kibble shape that's easy to pick up and chew, and they can be prone to digestive sensitivity. Does he have any issues with loose stools or gas, or is his digestion generally pretty solid?

The gassiness is pretty classic Boxer — partly breed, partly food quality. Here's what I'd recommend: Royal Canin Boxer Adult dry food. It's specifically formulated for Boxers, which sounds like marketing but in this case it genuinely matters. The kibble is shaped to suit their undershot jaw, the protein and fat ratios are calibrated for a breed that's naturally muscular but prone to weight gain as they age, and it supports cardiac health, which is worth thinking about in a seven-year-old Boxer. The calorie content is lower than a generic adult food like Pedigree, so you can feed a proper portion without leaving him feeling half-starved. It also has added beet pulp and specific fibres that help with fermentation in the gut — which often reduces that gassiness noticeably. At 38kg, you'd be looking at around 340-360g per day on their guidelines, which is a meaningful reduction from the 400g he's getting now. That alone, without any other changes, should start moving his weight in the right direction over two to three months.

It's mid-to-upper range — a 12kg bag typically runs around £55-65 on Amazon UK, which at his portion size lasts a good while, so the per-day cost isn't bad. Definitely don't switch suddenly. Transition over seven to ten days: start with about 25% Royal Canin mixed into his current food, move to 50% after a few days, then 75%, then fully over. Switching too fast is the most common reason dogs get digestive upset on a new food, and you don't want to blame the food for something that was just transition. Given he's already a bit gassy, a slow switch is especially worth doing properly.

Good plan. Give it a full three months before judging whether it's working — weight loss in dogs is slow and steady, same as people. If after three months on the correct portion he's not moving toward 34kg, it's worth going back to the vet to rule out anything thyroid-related. But for most Boxers in his situation, tightening up the food and the portion does the job.