Vet Visit yesterday - need some suggestions.

3194 Views 40 Replies 19 Participants Last post by GSDgirlAL, Jul 24, 2008

GSDgirlAL

Discussion Starter · Jul 19, 2008

Yesterday, I took Cooper and Ava to the Vet for their yearly shots and check-up. Everything went well but the Vet told me that I need to put Cooper on a different food than Ava - he said they are two different breeds ..etc. And, he's right as I used to feed them different foods but put them on the same diet b/c it made my life much easier.

Anyhow ... the reason why he told me this is b/c Cooper weighed in at 103 pounds. He needs to be around 98 and stay at that weight. Does anyone have any suggestions what food to put him on that has a low fat content? He does not like Chicken base kibble and has some food allergies to Turkey, wheat, yeast. But, here is the catch ... I had him on Solid Gold for a long time - while he ate it fine, it made him breakout with scabs on his back. I just don't even know where to begin with finding him a new food that meets all of the criteria. The Vet suggested Purina OM but I looked at the ingredients and while it may work I can't bring myself to pay $85 for a bag of corn and soybeans.

Thank you for any help! I appreciate it.

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Jazy's mom

· #2 · Jul 19, 2008

I switched mine over to California Natural Lamb & Rice Low Fat formula. The feeding chart on the back of the bag gives two recommendations. One is to maintain weight, which is great for Liesel since she is my hyper child that is more active. The other is to help loose weight, which is great for Judy who is my chubby couch potato. A 36 lb bag runs me around $40, but they have a program that if you buy 10 bags the 11 bag is free.

BlackGSD

· #3 · Jul 19, 2008

Originally Posted By: GSDgirlAL....the vet told me that I need to put Cooper on a different food than Ava - he said they are two different breeds ..etc.

Sorry but that is STUPID. (This is NOT directed at YOU but at the VET that said it.)

I better call my mom and tell her that she CAN'T feed all of her dogs the same thing because they are all different breeds and she needs to buy 4 different kinds of kibble.

And that is probably why my last "Heeler" only lived to be 17yo. Because she had to eat the same food as the German Shepherds.

If you are happy with the food (and both dogs are doing good on it.) other than the weight gain, can't you just cut back on the food and/or UP the exercise to get him to loose the 5 lbs?

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Timber1

· #4 · Jul 19, 2008

ditto. When I read the original post I thought why not just cut back on the food a bit. Let's see, the dog weights 103 pounds and is about 5 percent over weight. So a little less food.

3K9Mom

· #5 · Jul 19, 2008

Other than the inanity of the statement about different breeds needing different foods (does this guy work for the Royal Canin folks?), how old is Cooper? How active?

IF you want to consider changing foods, and If Cooper is done (or mostly done) growing and not super active, I think that you might want to give one of the Natural Balance novel protein foods a try. The fish/sweet potato or venison/rice blend are the ones I would try first. They're reasonably priced, good foods. They're low in fat (good for weight loss), and they don't have turkey. And they apparently taste pretty good. A lot of dogs on this forum eat them pretty readily. (My kids -- gasp! three different breeds! -- liked them.) You can even rotate between the two for variety.

And, you could feed the same kibble to Ava -- if you dare!

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javaluuver

· #6 · Jul 19, 2008

Aside from any other medical reasons, I don't see a rational reason to feed different breeds different foods. Just cut back on treats and the amount of food at each feeding. Dogs are just like people, some of us can eat more than others and not gain (bleh) and then others really have to watch portion control and calories (double bleh lol) ....

I think that is just silly for your vet to say that -

kallie

· #7 · Jul 19, 2008

What do you feed now? Could you just cut back and add some green beans? How much exercise does he get, as exercise plays a huge factor in keeping weight down..

DITTO with the NB suggestion also...

Jen

DHau

· #8 · Jul 19, 2008

We use Natural Balance Duck/Potatoe as well.

mastercabman

· #9 · Jul 19, 2008

I cut back with oliver.He was 105lbs,now he is down to 97-98lbs.
It took a few weeks but it worked.
Also,try to do more exercise/more walk,that helps.

Emoore

· #10 · Jul 19, 2008

I'm not a big fan of weight control dog foods because they tend to be full of fillers and grains. I'd rather feed a quality kibble and just give a little less, replace the missing food with green beans or pumpkin.

The idea that you have to feed different foods because your dogs are different breeds is ludicrous. I could understand if one were a toy breed and one were a large or giant breed, but a Golden and a GSD? No way.

BlackGSD

· #11 · Jul 19, 2008

Originally Posted By: EmooreI'm not a big fan of weight control dog foods because they tend to be full of fillers and grains.

They also tend to be low in fat, which can really do a number on their skin and coat. (And NOT in a good way.)

roxy84

· #12 · Jul 19, 2008

maybe one of the fish based foods. alot of the grainless foods have a fish formula. i concur with everyone that its more a problem of portion control with the weight problem.

excepting any medical issues, what your vet told you is sheer idiocy/ignorance (pick one)

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roxy84

· #13 · Jul 19, 2008

Originally Posted By: 3K9MomOther than the inanity of the statement about different breeds needing different foods (does this guy work for the Royal Canin folks?)

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EastGSD

· #14 · Jul 19, 2008

Just as an FYI there are vets and others who do believe that different breeds benefit from different diets due to where they came from and developed.

This vet may just have different beliefs, no reason to infer he is stupid or insane.

Cherri

LisaT

· #15 · Jul 19, 2008

Originally Posted By: GSDgirlALYesterday, I took Cooper and Ava to the Vet for their yearly shots and check-up. Everything went well but the Vet told me that I need to put Cooper on a different food than Ava - he said they are two different breeds ..etc. And, he's right as I used to feed them different foods but put them on the same diet b/c it made my life much easier.

I might agree that different breeds might tend to have different requirements, but no one out there has convinced me that they have found the "right" formulations for all these different breeds, which means to me, feed what your dog does best on. If he's too hefty, feed less, or exercise more, or modify the carb/meat ratio, etc.

I certainly do not understand why Purina OM would be better suited -- did he happen to discuss the research on this particular prescription food (that he probably sells) and why it is better for your breed than what is currently being fed? Makes absolutely no friggin' sense.

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3K9Mom

· #16 · Jul 20, 2008

Originally Posted By: EastGSDJust as an FYI there are vets and others who do believe that different breeds benefit from different diets due to where they came from and developed.

This vet may just have different beliefs, no reason to infer he is stupid or insane.

Cherri

I said "inane," as in "lacking substance, vacuous."

Not insane.

As Lisa pointed out, why is the OA so much better suited for the golden? The vet's position (and recommendation) lacks substance from my point of view.

EastGSD

· #17 · Jul 20, 2008

Originally Posted By: 3K9Mom

Originally Posted By: EastGSDJust as an FYI there are vets and others who do believe that different breeds benefit from different diets due to where they came from and developed.

This vet may just have different beliefs, no reason to infer he is stupid or insane.

Cherri

Click to expand...

I said "inane," as in "lacking substance, vacuous."

Not insane.

As Lisa pointed out, why is the OA so much better suited for the golden? The vet's position (and recommendation) lacks substance from my point of view.

There were many people commenting as to laughing at this vet, my comment was not directed at any one individual person.

The Purina food recommended must have been the OM as there is no OA. It is a specially formulated weightloss diet for dogs and would be appropriate for a dog that is overweight and needs to lose body fat.

Cherri

jfisher

· #18 · Jul 20, 2008

Purina OM

Ingredients (Dry)
Whole grain corn, corn gluten meal, soybean hulls*, soybean germ meal, soybean meal, pea fiber, wheat gluten, poultry by-product meal, animal digest, powdered cellulose, tricalcium phosphate, animal fat preserved with mixed-tocopherols (form of Vitamin E), salt, choline chloride, zinc sulfate, ferrous sulfate, Vitamin E supplement, manganese sulfate, niacin, Vitamin A supplement, calcium carbonate, copper sulfate, brewers dried yeast, calcium pantothenate, garlic oil, pyridoxine hydrochloride, Vitamin B-12 supplement, thiamine mononitrate, Vitamin D-3 supplement, riboflavin supplement, calcium iodate, menadione sodium bisulfite complex (source of Vitamin K activity), folic acid, biotin, sodium selenite.

Holy cow!!! No way would I EVER feed this food!!! Corn, wheat, and soy are pretty much the bulk of the entire diet! OP, good job for ignoring that "advice!" (I'm also betting the vet sells this!)

-Jackie

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roxy84

· #19 · Jul 20, 2008

Originally Posted By: EastGSDJust as an FYI there are vets and others who do believe that different breeds benefit from different diets due to where they came from and developed.

This vet may just have different beliefs, no reason to infer he is stupid or insane.

Cherri

unfortunaletly, the vets ive met who "believe" this have an interesting habit selling and/or pushing these foods right in their clinic, yet the three vets that i am now willing to use dont sell any food in their clinic and never seem to have any interest in pushing Royal Canin German Shepherd Long Coat 4 Year Old Weighing Between 55-63 lbs White Spot on Left Side Formula. (ok, thats an exaggeration) they have more interested in a nutritionally sound, meat based kibble.

i agree that for some very special needs, there may be some formulations that are very specific to the condition of that dog.

GSDgirlAL

Discussion Starter · #20 · Jul 20, 2008

I just got home and checked out my post .... I couldn't believe how many responses I've gotten!!

To answer some questions that have been asked ....

Cooper is 3 years old and is pretty much sleeping most of the day with the occasional harassing from sister Ava ... other than that they are inside until I come home. I will NOT leave them outside in this heat. So, exercise comes late at night when it's cooled off a bit, but no exercise as far as taking long walks around the neighborhood. As, I work 11 hours a day by the time I get home I'm tired and have to feed them, myself ... etc.

The only reason why my Vet suggested the Purina OM is b/c I asked him to suggest a food for me, and that is what he said since he has 2 of his goldens on it. He was not pushy about it, he is a very nice man that I trust the care of my dogs with, I used to work at his clinic so I know how well he treats his patients.

I have cut back on Coopers daily intake, I actually did that about 2 months ago - he was getting 4 cups a day and now he gets 3 1/2. They only get one treat per day and that consists of half of a NB duck and potato treats. I agree that Natural Balance is a great food - I was actually feeding them both the Venison and Sweet Potato formula for a while but had to change b/c it was getting very costly. So, I know that is a great food but right now with $$ being an issue I can't afford to go back to that. It runs about $55 for a 28 pound bag here in Bham where I shop and that would only last me 2 weeks. So, that adds up pretty darn fast.

I have been thinking about putting them both on Nutro Venison as that has 10% fat and it's not quite as expensive as the NB.

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