I'm gonna be the bad guy here.
If your dog is overweight, it is probably overfed and under-exercised.
I'll have a stab and say it's a Labrador/Retriever?
My knowledge of snakes isnt crash hot, but I am experienced with dogs of various breeds.
Here ya go;
- Forget all the fancy minces like kangaroo, buffalo and SE Asian antelope/anteater. <insert latest gimmick> All you need is a beef mince (the $6-8kg variety). Dont be too concerned about 'fat' and 'lean'. Dogs need fat especially coming into winter. Thats what they'd eat in the wild and they process fat easily
given proper exercise. When was the last time you saw a dog with a fat ass? Thats a human thing.
- Kibble is, as you said, rubbish. Get some quality dried food (available from all pet stores). My advice here would be to avoid brands like Eukanuba, Science Diet etc. We use Supercoat as it has NO corn or corn extract. Corn is a proven allergen in dogs (not all!), but it cant hurt to eliminate a fairly common denominator. Plus most of the dried manufacturers use corn extract to bulk up the dried weight. Like going to a Chinese restaurant and getting a plate of MSG. Funnily enough, Supercoat is also cheaper ($40 for 20 kg??) Give or take.
- Bones are brilliant. Dont get that cheap bag of bones, all butchers have some marrowbones. They are the dinosaur bones youve seen. Ask for them to be cut across ways, not length ways. They have sh+tloads of fatty goodness in them and getting 'em cut the other way is like a fat-injection! Let the dogs chew their way thru over time.
- Get a Kong. You can pack it with treats and dogs love to chase them.
- If your dog is a more than a little overweight, or prone to hip problems (staffies, cattle dogs, shepherds or other breeds that like to jump off utes/stairs etc), Green Muscle extract may assist. Its a cheap powder from health food shops. It seems to help with hip muscle anyway.
Here are my ones. Both Staffy X and happy as the proverbial Larry. (ignore the date stamp?!)