Dog food question

[rgollar]

The question I have is one of my dogs is 8 yrs old and I am having a hard time keeping her weight down. Now I only feed her 2-3 cups a day and she is very active. So I took her to the vet and had some test done on her to make sure her thyroid is ok and things like that. So medically she is ok but my wallet is hurt from it lol. Anyways I was wondering what a good low diet dog food people have been happy with. Right now she eats professional but its to high in protein as my other dog has a hard time keeping weight on. So this food works good for my 1 1/2 year old gsd. But my 8 year old needs a low diet food. So hoping for some suggestions. Thank you in advance.

[brembo]

Consider going raw with some nature of ultra low cal filler. They get a nice full belly, great nutrition and never know the difference. Something like rice or oatmeal (cooked) has a low density of calories. Foodstuff with a high moisture content is also a good way to knock down the calories, last I checked water is not exactly fattening. For the other dog that has issues with keeping weight on, add less filler.

[GatorDog]

Wellness Core reduced fat is a really good food. It is also high in protein, so I mix it with Wellness Healthy Weight for my round beagle, lol. The Core is grain free but the Healthy Weight is not. I do believe that the Healthy Weight does have one of the lowest fat contents, though.

[LissG]

Originally Posted by brembo

Consider going raw with some nature of ultra low cal filler. They get a nice full belly, great nutrition and never know the difference. Something like rice or oatmeal (cooked) has a low density of calories. Foodstuff with a high moisture content is also a good way to knock down the calories, last I checked water is not exactly fattening. For the other dog that has issues with keeping weight on, add less filler.

agreed. i'm switching my dog over to raw as we speak it's much healthier and better for dogs and it's not as much work as i thought it'd be...it's also actually cheaper then buying the kibble (at least for me anyway)

[brembo]

Originally Posted by LissG

agreed. i'm switching my dog over to raw as we speak it's much healthier and better for dogs and it's not as much work as i thought it'd be...it's also actually cheaper then buying the kibble (at least for me anyway)

I like to cook. It nails my love of science and I have never been shy about eating. So, any excuse to cook is fine by me. I don't feed pure raw, I kinda hybridize the situation and plan my meals around things that can go raw for the dogs easily. I keep a bag of high-end grain free kibble on hand in case my meals are more pasta based rather than animal flesh, but I'd say that 90% of my pups meals are fresh raw/cooked with some kibble mixed in (helps keep teeth cleaner). I have found that Asian food is the easiest to make fill both roles. Lots of pork/chicken/beef dishes and the vegetable aspect is also varied. Since I love Asian food above all it works great for me. The dogs get raw flesh and veggies that have been cooked in Canola oil (good fats) with some plain rice. It's fun to give the mutts fat trimmings while prepping and slip in a few raw carrots.

I personally think that since my food smells similar and we eat near or at the same time it helps with bonding.Surprisingly I have no issues with begging, sure the dogs hang around in the kitchen but never seem to bother me while I'm actually eating.

[carmspack]

good quality protein , no filler junk which the dog can not digest and add coconut oil or MCT's made by NOW MCT Oil - starches make fat, FAT burns fat .

Carmen

[brembo]

Originally Posted by carmspack

good quality protein , no filler junk which the dog can not digest and add coconut oil or MCT's made by NOW MCT Oil - starches make fat, FAT burns fat .

Carmen

Read up on that. it's too bad ya can't stir fry with it, cause I'd switch over in a heartbeat. I make my own dressing with red wine vinegar and lemon juice, I guess I could toss in some of the coconut oil in there to thicken the works.

[carmspack]

you can certainly fry with coconut oil -- same effect
I took on a case with a wire haired fox terrier that was obese -- diet which was good to begin with stayed the same , and the dog was given my oil with a topper of some MCT on top to rev the metabolism -- and the dog lost the weight . Essential fatty acids are so important.
If you are doing salad dressings you definitely should add omega 3 rich camelina oil , avocado oil, liquified coconut oil , olive oil , delicate white sesame (not strong tasting like toasted sesame) chia seed oil -- so many that are good tasting and good for you. When you add oil you are making your vegetable more digestible . We sort of know this intuitively -- butter on vegetables - good thing.
Canola oil , cheap thick gagging soybean oil, not good .

Carmen

[Emoore]

Originally Posted by carmspack

Canola oil , cheap thick gagging soybean oil, not good .

I'm so glad I'm not the only one who thinks this.

[rgollar]

Thank you all for every helpful answers. I think I will do some reading on feeding a raw diet. I always believed in feeding raw just need to educate myself first. So let the reading begin. Thank you