Best food for overweight Pug after diet food failed

Weight-management food backfiring on a Pug is more common than people realise — those formulas can be quite aggressive, and Pugs often respond badly to feeling restricted or hungry all the time. The fact that he lost too much weight suggests the calorie cut was too steep for him. Before I point you toward something better, a couple of questions: how much does he weigh now versus where you'd ideally want him, is he on any medication or does he have any joint, breathing, or digestive issues alongside the weight concern, and what was the weight-management food you were using?

Right, so he only needed to lose about a kilo — that Hill's formula was absolutely the wrong tool for that job. Prescription metabolic diets are designed for dogs that are significantly obese, not for a Pug who's 1kg over a fairly arbitrary target. The lethargy and weight drop are classic signs of underfeeding for his build. What I'd actually suggest is forgetting 'weight management' as a category entirely and instead focusing on a breed-specific food with a controlled but appropriate calorie level. One more thing — are you feeding him once or twice a day, and do you have a habit of giving many extras or treats through the day?

Yes, food obsession is absolutely a Pug thing — they have essentially no off switch. The twice-a-day feeding is good, and moderate treats are fine as long as you account for them in the daily total. Here's what I'd recommend: Royal Canin Pug Adult. It's formulated specifically for the Pug breed, which matters more than people think — it accounts for their flat face and the way they eat, their tendency to put on weight easily, and their digestive sensitivity. The kibble shape is even designed for how Pugs pick up food. Crucially, it has a measured calorie density that keeps them satisfied without overfeeding — it's not a diet food, but it won't let him creep up either. At 9kg you'd be feeding roughly 130–140g per day split across two meals, which is enough that he won't feel deprived. Adjust treats downward slightly on days he gets more. You should see him settle at a healthy weight within two to three months without the misery of the prescription diet.

It's widely available on Amazon UK — it comes in a 3kg bag which is a good starting size to make sure he takes to it well, and there's also a 7.5kg bag once you know he's happy on it. Transition him over about a week by mixing it in gradually with whatever he's currently on, just to avoid any stomach upset. Given his breathing issues, also make sure his bowl is slightly elevated — it reduces the gulping that can cause bloating and discomfort in flat-faced breeds.