This is a specific conversation about Senior dog food — what changes as they age — ask about yours and get one honest answer for your exact situation.
inparticular.ai
A Basset Fauve de Bretagne carrying extra weight at 8 is a combination that really does need the right food — those short legs and long back are already working harder than a taller dog's frame would, and extra body weight turns that from a mild concern into a real joint and mobility issue over time. Senior dogs generally need fewer calories, better digestibility, and more joint-supporting nutrients, but the weight piece makes this one more specific than most. To point you in the right direction: what's your dog's current weight, what are you feeding now, and has your vet flagged any particular health issues — joints, thyroid, anything like that?
He's called Rupert, he's 8 and he weighs about 18kg. The breed standard is more like 14-16kg so he's definitely carrying a bit extra. Vet said he's generally healthy but could lose a couple of kilos and his hips are starting to show some stiffness. Currently on a standard adult dry food, nothing breed or age specific.
inparticular.ai
Rupert's situation is really clear — he needs two things at once: a controlled calorie intake to bring that weight down gradually, and proper joint support now that stiffness is showing up. The challenge is that most weight management foods ignore joints, and most joint foods ignore calories. What are you currently feeding him, and roughly how much per day? That'll help me work out whether a food switch alone will do it or whether you'd also need to look at portion reduction.
He's on Bakers Complete Adult, I give him about 250g a day plus a few treats. I know Bakers probably isn't the best.
inparticular.ai
You're right that Bakers isn't doing him any favours — it's high in fillers and sugar beet, which won't help weight management at all. For Rupert, I'd recommend switching to Hills Science Plan Perfect Weight Adult, which is specifically formulated to support healthy weight loss while maintaining muscle mass, and it includes added glucosamine and chondroitin for joint support. It's a proper veterinary nutrition brand, widely recommended by vets for exactly this profile — overweight dog with early joint stiffness. It's a high-protein, lower-calorie formula so he'll feel satisfied on less food, which matters a lot for a dog like Rupert who needs to drop 2kg without feeling miserable. You'd be looking at around 190-200g per day for an 18kg dog, so you'd actually use less food overall. Cut the treats back to just a few pieces of carrot or similar — he won't complain.
That sounds sensible. How quickly should he lose the weight, and is there anything else I should be doing alongside the food change?
inparticular.ai
Aim for no more than 1-2% of body weight per week — so for Rupert that's roughly 180-360g per week, meaning 2kg should take about 8-12 weeks done properly. Any faster and you risk muscle loss, which is the opposite of what you want for his joints. Alongside the food, a short daily walk on flat ground is better for his back and hips than one long one — Basset Fauves are sturdy little dogs but that long-backed build doesn't love extended impact. A vet weight check in 4 weeks is worth doing just to confirm the rate of loss is on track. Hills Perfect Weight is available in 1.5kg and 12kg bags on Amazon UK — start with the smaller bag to make sure he takes to it, then move to the larger one once you know he likes it.
Really helpful, thank you. I'll order the small bag first to try him on it.
inparticular.ai
Good plan. Transition gradually over about 7 days — mix a bit more Hills in each day while reducing the Bakers — so his digestion adjusts without any upset. Rupert sounds like a lovely dog and at 8 he's got plenty of good years ahead; getting the weight down now will make a real difference to how comfortable he is in another two or three years.
