[anonymous]

/forums/topic/senior-shepherdhound-mix-needs-to-loose-25-lbs/

Check the search engine for “tramadol”. It is true, tramadol is no longer recommended for pain management for canines, it doesn’t convert to an opiate like it does with humans,according to recent research.
However, it does have sedative qualities and minimal side effects
If you are interested in science based veterinary medicine go to skeptvet dot com, nothing is being sold over there.

[anonymous]

I imagine it is similar to Rimadyl a very effective NSAID. Some dogs do very well on NSAIDs for pain management and as an anti-inflammatory.
However some dogs (not all) experience gastrointestinal side effects, not always right away.
I had a senior small breed that did very well on it for several months and then developed diarrhea, so he could no longer tolerate it.
So, I would say keep an eye on him and if he develops GI symptoms, don’t assume it’s GI related, I would hold the med and head right back to the vet.

https://www.fda.gov/AnimalVeterinary/NewsEvents/CVMUpdates/ucm491552.htm
March 21, 2016
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today announced the approval of Galliprant (grapiprant tablets), a new animal drug intended to control pain and inflammation associated with osteoarthritis in dogs.
Osteoarthritis (OA) is a condition where cartilage – the protective material that cushions a joint – breaks down over time, causing the bones to rub against each other. This rubbing can permanently damage the joint and cause pain, inflammation, and lameness. Older and overweight dogs are at a higher risk of developing OA.
A new treatment option for dogs with OA, Galliprant is a prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) EP4 receptor antagonist; a non-cyclooxygenase inhibiting, non steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID). All NSAIDs carry certain risks, including vomiting, diarrhea, not eating/eating less, and lethargy. These drugs must be prescribed by a licensed veterinarian, because professional expertise is needed to diagnose and provide guidance in the control of OA pain.
Other NSAIDs that are FDA-approved for use in dogs include deracoxib (Deramaxx), carprofen (Rimadyl, Novocox, Carprieve, Quellin, Carprofen), meloxicam (Metacam, Loxicom, Orocam, Meloxidyl, Meloxicam), and firocoxib (Previcox).
The application for Galliprant is sponsored by Aratana Therapeutics

[anonymous]

Any way you can get him to a pool three times a week for 10 minutes at a time? One minute of swimming is equal to 4 minutes of running.
Has he had a senior workup done by the vet, lab work? I would rule out medical causes for the lethargy/weight gain before trying to find the perfect food. Don’t assume his symptoms are age related.
See what the vet recommends.

Nutrisca Salmon and Chickpea worked well for my senior, see chewy dot com for reviews.
What does your dog weigh? What does the vet recommend he weigh? Weigh him once a week by standing on the scale while holding him. Weigh yourself first, then deduct your weight.

If you have pet insurance and the vet prescribes aqua therapy (swimming in a heated pool) for medical reasons/rehab, weight loss….it may be covered.
PS: Add water to the food and take him out to void (urinate) often.

[Jo C]

My senior gal has dry skin but she doesn’t itch but her skin is dry and hair is brittle you can say and sheds ALOT!

I have been giving her coconut oil with her food but to me I do not see any difference unless I am not giving her enough coconut oil. I also feed her good quality brand of dog food that she loves. I was maybe looking into other oils to mix with coconut oil, any suggestions?

[anonymous]

I wouldn’t mess around with his diet, If the stones return it may be difficult for him to tolerate another surgery.as a senior (age11)
Add water, presoak the kibble with water, add plain homemade chicken broth (no onions or additives)
Put a call into your vet to call you back when he has a minute. Ask him what you can add as a topper.
I think your vet will confirm, water added to meals and frequent bathroom breaks, opportunities to urinate are important..

[Richard K]

Hi Susan. I have 2 dogs both seniors and both about 15lbs. I cant afford more than about 75 dollars a month for their food. Can i feed them both for around that price with versus?

[Susan]

Hi can you buy each dog their “own” bowls, all different colours, make them all sit, call each ones name & give him/her their dinner in “their” bowl, the way your feeding them at the moment you don’t know if one dog is eating more then another dog, if one dog isn’t eating much one day & is feeling off…..I have a kitten 11months old & dog the kitten is very impatient when her food is being put into her bowl, so she is feed first up on her scratching post thing, Patch is feed in the lounge room so I can sit down on lounge & put a few kibbles in his bowl at a time, other wise he gulps all food under 1 min, he has IBD mainly stomach…..

For your old boy have a look at “Canidae” Pure Meadow Senior kibble, it’s easy to digest & has only 7 ingredients, excellent for dogs with sensitive stomachs, I would send Canidae a email asking what is their lowest Phosphorus kibble, normally large breed puppy formulas are lower in Phosphorous & ask can is their large breed puppy formula Duck Meal Brown Rice & Lentils formula wet & dry be feed to your girl with Kidney problems, its 0.80% Phosphorous & kibble size is nice & small, all Canidae formulas have small easy to digest kibbles…
I know when I’ve emailed kibble companies asking can my 8 yr old eat their new large breed puppy formula, they have all said yes, puppy formulas normally aren’t over 30% -protein, fat isn’t high & have DHA which is excellent for skin, joints, eyes, brain, heart etc so it will also be good for a senior dog as well….
When I emailed “Taste Of The Wild” last week, 2 vets emailed me back within 24hrs asking further questions about my boy health problems, then they recommend which formula’s NOT to feed, so you could give TOTW a try & have a look at their wet tin foods for your young pup, dry kibble isn’t good for dogs with kidney problems, wet food is better…
If you email Hills or Royal Canine or Purina, ask can a vet nutritionist please contact you…

I don’t know if all your dogs can all eat the same formula??? this is Canidae’s Large Breed Puppy, all Life stages formula & it’s low in phosphorous, email Canidea & ask them, it come it wet tin as well..
https://www.canidae.com/dog-food/products/canidae-life-stages-large-breed-puppy-duck-meal-brown-rice-lentils-dry-formula

• This reply was modified 8 years, 8 months ago by Susan.

[aimee]

Hi Nicolette,

To find a food suitable for your pup I recommend that you go back to your vet and ask what phosphorus level she would like to see in the diet. In other words have her define “low” for you.

AAFCO requires phosphorus levels that are higher than the diets formulated specifically for kidney patients. The phosphorus levels in the kidney diets differ depending on company and formula but can be about .5-0.8 grams phos/1000kcals. For diets you can buy in the store without a vet oversite the min is currently 1 gram/1000kcals recently changed from 1.4 grams/1000kcals. Most diets greatly exceed this and companies only report their min and not average phos level.

In general the Hill’s company is renal proactive and their senior diets are formulated to be close to the old min of 1.4 grams/1000 kcals. Most of their diets include grain. They make a Salmon and potato grain free and the phos level in that is reported as ~1.6 grams/1000kcals

Your may have to switch to meal feeding your dogs to best meet the nutritional recommendations from your vet.

[nicolette k]

I need some recommendations for a low phosphorous, medium protein dog food

my 4 small breed dogs ranging in age from 13 to just 9 months old have been on blue buffalo wilderness chicken – my senior canine does better with a ” no grains diet” – he gets occasional gastritis and has a sensitive stomach.
My youngest- a yorkie – age 9 month has been diagnosed with early kidney failure. The vet recommended switching her dog food: lowering protein content and finding a low phosphorous food.
My main issue is that all 4 of my dogs share one food dish and graze through the day – there is no way to feed my puppy separately short of locking her up for the rest of her days. So I need to find something that works for all of them …
We are not aiming to bring down protein too much but the vet argued that she would like to see it more around 20-30 than over 30. I know this is controversial but she is an experienced vet who sees a lot of small breeds and she argued that her tiny patients seem to do better with slightly lower protein content. Anybody out there with recommendations as far as kidney diet goes .

[anonymous]

Have you taken the dog in for a annual checkup that includes lab work? Is the dog a senior?
What did the veterinarian that examined the dog recommend?

Otherwise, it is all willy-nilly. No one can advise you appropriately, nor should they try. The dog’s age, medical history and such, have to be looked at by a veterinary health care professional.
Obviously you have specific concerns….please find a vet that you trust. Good luck.

Ps: Blanket recommendations for diet don’t work, every dog is different. I can’t help but to think that you are looking for medical advice here, in lieu of consulting a vet, if so, that’s a mistake (imo)

[Marie P]

I have had great luck with the NuVET Plus daily supplement and also Avoderm Dog food. WE are using the lamb Avoderm food for our seniors and allergy prone pooches..

Avoderm is easy to digest and high quality, See here http://amzn.to/2nmXqY6

NuVET Skin-Coat and Allergy supplement for dogs, see here http://www.nuvet.com/81098 ( Give 1 per day long term as it will strengthen the immune system and help fight off allergens ) If you use order code 81098 they give a 60-day money back guarantee and 15 % off the auto ship program. we get ours every 90 days on auto ship.

[anonymous]

Have the dogs had senior workups? Lab work? Was it within normal limits?
Give the vet a call and ask that she call you back when she has a minute, I’m sure she won’t mind answering your questions. But, dogs that are inactive tend to have difficulty tolerating rich, high protein, high calorie diets…. See what the vet recommends.

PS: Add a splash of water to meals. Most dogs, especially seniors don’t consume enough water. Offer frequent bathroom breaks, opportunities to urinate, otherwise, certain breeds are vulnerable to develop bladder stones (calcium oxalate and struvite come to mind).

[anonymous]

“If anyone has any advice, PLEASE help! The vet recommended a low protein diet, but I heard high protein is better… I just don’t know what to do anymore.”

I just assumed that lab work was done that included kidney function tests and maybe the bun and creatinine was slightly elevated? Often this is the case with seniors. I would make sure their water intake was adequate, add a splash to the kibble.

[anonymous]

Go what the vet that has examined them recommends. I would give no snacks except raw carrots (1/4) to chew on once or twice a day. Add water to their kibble. In fact, if you presoak it, it puffs up and they think they are getting more.
I would find a way to increase their activity, more walks around the block, even if leisurely and only for a few minutes at a time.
Swimming is the best activity for burning calories and it’s easy on the joints for seniors.
By any chance, do you have pet health insurance? I ask, because I have heard that if the vet orders aqua therapy (swimming in a heated pool, offered at pet rehab facilities) for weight loss or a medical condition it may be covered. One minute of swimming equals 4 minutes of running.

[Brittany]

Hello,

I own 2 Pomeranians, Samson and Lacey. They have both gained some weight over the last year, and I’m at a loss on how to slim them down. I already tried restricting treats and cutting back on the amount of food they get, but to no avail. Samson weighs 15 lbs when the vet thinks he should weigh 10lbs. Lacey is a mix, and weighs 21 lbs when she should weigh about 17 lbs. I feed them 2x a day. Samson gets 1/8 cup of dry food with a spoonful of wet, while Lacey gets 1/4 cup dry with a spoonful of wet also. The dry food is California Natural Venison and wet is Wervua.

I try to walk them when I can. In the warmer months, I pretty much will walk them everyday. They are both seniors. Samson is 8, and Lacey 10.

If anyone has any advice, PLEASE help! The vet recommended a low protein diet, but I heard high protein is better… I just don’t know what to do anymore.

[Joleen B]

We have a boxer mastiff mix that suffered with severe allergies. Allergies to the point that she would bleed and smell horribly of yeast. We took her to a hollistic vet and had allergy tests done, only to find out that she was allergic to literally all foods. We found that Orijen Senior is the only food she can handle. She’s been on Orijen senior for a few years now and is very healthy and has put on some very healthy weight (as she was always very skinny before). We moved to the country approximately a year ago, and have noticed that she can eat horse feed and not break out. (she cleans up the food that the horses drop). So i have determined that her worst allergies are not the grains, but to the starches like peas, potatoes, etc. I am happy with the orijen Senior, but it’s $100 per bag and she goes through a bag a month, along with two other dogs and I have three teens. Can anyone advise me on a quality dry food that contains some grains, but not the starchy vegetables? Thanks!

[Karen D]

Hi, I was going through the same thing with my 15 yr. old Cocker, one Vet said food allergies, but restricting her at her old age was not in her best interest. I tried the Honest Kitchen Turkey, still runny poop, I tried the Honest Kitchen poop firmer powder which worked for a short while. I tried Orijen Senior, she didn’t like it. Then she was diagnosed with a heart murmur & while adjusting to that I bought Acana Duck & Pear, she loves it but the runny poop issue returned, back in forth to vet, prescription dog food, dry & canned, she wouldn’t eat most of it. So I started cooking whole turkey breast for her along with veggies, rice, pasta etc added to the Acana….but what really has solved the problem is….1/4 Metronidazole tab twice a day everyday…no runny poop since last Oct. It’s a bitter pill so I put it inside a gelatin capsule & wrap in turkey. Vet is happy with the regimen & when asked if it was Colitis she said “probably”. Now she can eat a variety of things without the tummy noise.

[Susan]

Hi, the Canidae Pure Meadow Senior formula has no Rosemary, it has only 9 ingredients & smells really good, has crunchy kibbles, my boy has been pinching the neighbors dog food when he visits, Canidae sells the smaller bag, maybe give it a try & see if she likes it…
https://www.canidae.com/dog-food/products/canidae-grain-free-pure-meadow-dry-formula

[crazy4cats]

Hi Shantelle B-
AAFCO does not have a specific nutrient profile for senior food. They only have two: Growth & Reproduction and Maintenance. Here is a link explaining: /frequently-asked-questions/aafco-nutrient-profiles/

Therefore, if a company sells a senior food, it is based on what they believe a senior dog food should be. Usually a little lower in calories, fat and protein with more glucosamine and fish oil.

What exactly are you looking for? Are you sure that Rosemary triggers her seizures?

[InkedMarie]

I am trying to tell you that your dog does not need a senior food.

[InkedMarie]

She doesn’t need a senior food. As I said, with the exception of Orijen senior, just about all senior foods are too low in protein.

[Shantelle B]

I am looking for senior because she is starting to show her age.

I also forgot to mention that she needs to avoid rosemary. (she has seizures)

[crazy4cats]

Hi Shantelle B-
I like Victor’s senior/healthy weight formula. It still has a decent amount of protein in it while being low in fat and calories. It’s also a great value in my opinion. My two are working on a 40 pound bag right now. Hope this helps!

[InkedMarie]

Why are you looking for a senior formula? Just about all of them, except for Orijen senior, are much too low in protein. Older does need a higher protein food, not less.

[Susan]

Hi, Canidae has brought out a few new grain free formula’s one is Pure Meadow Senior, my neighbor just order a bag of the Canidae Pure Meadow & it smells & looks really good, she gave me 2 kibbles so I could do my kibble test to see if the kibble digest easy & yes after soaking the 2 kibbles in very warm water the kibbles were soft all the way thru in
15-minutes, so very easy to digest, my boy has IBD & can’t eat chicken 🙁 so I’m looking at the new Canidae Pure Wild Boar….
Ingredient’s Canidae Pure Meadow Senior are, Chicken, Chicken Meal, Turkey Meal, sweet potatoes, chickpeas, peas, potatoes, a 50-75lb dog only needs 2 & 1/2 cups per day…
There’s also “Holistic Select” Chicken Meal & Rice Senior Health, same the kibble digest real easy was soft within 15mins….
Holistic Select Senior Ingredients are, Chicken Meal, Ground Brown Rice, Ground White Rice, Oatmeal, Chicken Fat, Anchovy & Sardine Meal….
You could rotate between the 2 kibbles, Holistic Select Senior has grains & Canidae Senior is grain Free the fat is 10%min in both kibbles & protein is around 26 to 28% min…
Just make sure when changing from your old kibble you look for new kibble around the same amount of fat, protein & fiber %, you can go up a few percent but don’t go from feeding a kibble that was 20% protein to a kibble with 30 + % protein, same with the fat % don’t go from 10-12% fat up to 17-20% fat….You can get some digest problems but your dog might be fine & is OK..
Canidae- http://www.canidae.com/dog-food/products
Holistic Select- http://holisticselect.com.au/recipes.aspx?pet=dog
I feed my senior boy he’s 8yrs old “Taste Of The Wild” Sierra Mountain Roasted Lamb & he gets a cooked meal for dinner or lunch about 5 times a week + Yakult probiotic drink, Almonds & apple, a few peeled pieces apple as a treat, tin salmon in spring water with sweet potato, K-9 Natural Green Lipped Mussels treats, just make sure you give foods that are high in omega 3 fatty acids, & supplements for joints like Green lipped Mussel + Turmeric, Sasha’s Blend, Rose Hip Vital, there’s a few on the market, make sure you give with food they can cause stomach reflux….
Dr Peter Dobias has just brought out a new Omega 3 oil supplement, that has no mercury made from Calamari, it took him 2-3 years to make, it’s all on his F/B page Called “Dr Peter Dobias, Natural Healing For Dogs” he has a 15-16yr old dog that runs around like he’s a puppy same as my 8yr old he runs & acts like a young puppy…. Diet is the key to a healthy dog…

[Shantelle B]

Looking for a good quality senior fomula, for my 7+ year old husky. Currently on Diamond. Suggestions?

[Jon C]

There are a number of 5 star dog foods listed in your editors choice that when clicked on are then 4.5 or even 4 star foods in their descriptions. I would also like to see a few filters since there are quite a few of them to read through. Filter them by stars, raw, wet, dry, performance, maintenance, senior, adult, puppy etc.

Thanks

[Susan]

Hi Shannon, food change is good place to start & weekly baths, it’s not rare for dogs to have food sensitivities & become real itchy or have smelly ears & skin, rub bum on floor, it’s rare for dogs to have “food allergies” & when a dog does suffer with food allergies they normally have IBS symptoms & Skin Problems….
Have a look at “Canidae Pure” formulas, most formulas have single proteins with only 5 to 7 ingredients & grain free, Canidae Pure Sea is a really good formula for itchy dogs, the omega 3 is nice & high, what’s need for itchy dogs, Canidae have just brought out their small Pure Petite formulas, they’re lower in fat & lower in protein then their other Pure formulas, have a look at the Petite Pure Salmon formula for your itchy dog or Pure Sea & the Pure Meadow Senior for the 2 older dogs or they can all eat the same formulas just don’t feed a new kibble that has the same protein what they are eating in the Blue Buffalo formula, try & change ingredients…
also start weekly baths, I have found Malaseb medicated shampoo to work the best, Malaseb can be used daily to wash off any bacteria, allergens, pollens & dirt off their coats & skin, relieving their itch & killing any bacteria on the skin, I bath weekly thru Spring & Summer months & as Winter approaches I bath fortnightly, Patch suffers with Seasonal Environment Allergies & Food Sensitivities….
Once you change diet, give no treats, unless the treats are the same brand as kibble & have same ingredients as the kibble, Canidae has matching treats & wet in food & diet is higher in omega 3 fatty acids & you start bathing twice a week, you’ll start to see a big improvement with the itchy dog, keep….
There’s no true testing for food sensitivities or food allergies, the best thing to do is a elimination food diet or feed a vet diet or a novel protein, limited ingredient kibble like Canidae, then once dog is stable & isn’t itching or smells real yeasty like a corn chip then you can start adding 1 new food to diet for 6 weeks, it can take from 1 day to 6 weeks to show any signs of a reaction to a food…..
Keep a diary, my boy starts getting itchy ears & shaking his head after eating carrot, red front paws & real smelly yeasty skin from chicken, barley, rice & oats…then in Spring he becomes real itchy from seasonal environment allergies, which ones I don’t know but there’s a skin test called “Intradermal Skin Test” where they shave a part of the skin normally the side of the dog, then they inject just under the skin the most common allergen & see if the dogs skin reacts, humans also have this test, then once they work out what in the environment your dog is sensitive too you give injections to desensitize your dog from what ever is making him/her itch.. that’s why it’s best to keep a diary & you’ll start to see a pattern, what month they itch more, was it after eating a certain food, or when Spring came, or on real windy days when the pollen count is high etc
Another good kibble brand people are feeding is “Zignature” but just check the fat & protein % in the kibble your feeding at the moment, the Canidae Pure Petite may be more closer fat protein & fiber & be around the same % to the Blue Buffalo….Zignature Kangaroo has the lowest fat, protein & fiber the other Zignature formula are higher in fat protein & fiber & might cause stomach/bowel stress especially the older 2 dogs… Your dogs may be OK when they change formulas, make sure you introduce over 7-10 day period, a lot of people do it tooo quickly then blame the new kibble when their dog has intestinal stress…
There’s a really good group on Face Book called “Dog issues, allergies and other information support group” a Dermatologist is in the group, Dr Karen Helton Rhodes DMV DACVC, after changing kibble & giving weekly baths in Malaseb shampoo & there’s no improvement with the itchy skin I’d join the F/B allergy group your dog may be allergic to dust mites or storage mites found in food or something in the environment, there’s a lot of new things on the market like Apoquel & CADI injections…
Here’s the Canidae formula’s… http://www.canidae.com/dog-food/products

[anonymous]

I like Nutrisca Salmon and Chickpea or Dogswell Vitality or Dogswell grain free, or Dogswell Happy Hips https://www.chewy.com/dogswell-happy-hips-chicken-oats/dp/42571

I use the kibble as a base, I add about 1/3 topper, a bite of scrambled egg, or cooked chopped chicken, hamburger, something. Don’t forget, add a splash of water. Most dogs (especially seniors) don’t drink enough water, this can lead to other issues.

[pugmomsandy]

The Senior recipe might have less protein or includes plant-based protein boosters. What are you looking for in a diabetic food? Low carbs?

[Ray S]

Wondering why Wellness Complete Health Senior canned food only got 3 stars, versus 4 stars for the rest of that Complete Health line?
Dog recently diagnosed diabetic, and I’m battling with my vet on agreeing on fat/fiber/protein content. The Senior formula seemed decent on those criteria.
I’ve read many studies and some go against common vet recommendations.
Dog can’t eat turkey either.
Looked at Fromm shredded beef also. It’s also close in DM analysis to Hills W/D (my vet’s choice.)

[Andrew S]

Which of these four matters the most to you when selecting dog food for your furry ones? Are you loyal to one brand? Several within the same “class”? Will you venture outside your normal brands if a good food is on sale? Are you a stickler for only feeding what is perceived to be the very best? Are you value conscious but need the food to be “good enough”? Is a food’s reputation a determining factor?

Just curious to know what goes through your mind when shopping for dog food.

So….I’ve got a 12 year old mixed breed Senior rescue pup in great shape and a 6 month old Pom-Chi. Both aren’t picky eaters (at all) and are currently on an ALS food from Canidae, although I’ve alternated Wysong, Wellness (Core), and Whole Earth Farms in a “rotation” of sorts. I supplement on (the rare) days that I’m out with Grilled chicken, rice and some appropriate green veggie…..They appear to be in fantastic shape and subsequent vet visits have confirmed this)

I’m a firm believer in spend a little more today for the right food for a lot of savings later in vet bills. Of course, it doesn’t always work out that way (genetics are what they are) but it’s a pretty sound principle.

Also, what’s your delivery method? Are you going to Costco/Petco/PetSmart etc….or do you go through Amazon, Chewy, Pet Food Direct and the like?

• This topic was modified 8 years, 9 months ago by Andrew S.

[anonymous]

That’s what I do . It seems to work, depending on the dog, sometimes I go half and half, if It agrees with them. I use a quality kibble as a base. I suppose I do decrease the amount of kibble by adding a topper.
I like to give them some real food, I don’t trust kibble alone to do that
Sometimes I add some plain homemade chicken broth instead of water. I had a dog that developed bladder stones because he didn’t drink enough fluids. That’s why I do that. For seniors I presoak the kibble.

PS: Don’t go by the recommended amount on the bag of kibble, it’s usually too much (IMO)
Start with the lowest amount…

[anonymous]

What type of allergy testing have you had done? I may be inclined to visit a veterinary dermatologist for a consult, before assuming that the food has anything to do with his symptoms?
Has he had a senior workup? Lab work? I would start there. What are his symptoms?

Per the search engine here: /forums/search/allergies/

[Acroyali]

I am a raw feeder, so I can’t suggest much in the way of kibble but I have noticed that there have been some tummy-related complaints with Blue Buffalo. This isn’t to say it’s a horrible food, it’s just that some dogs seem unable to utilize it as they should.
I know that Wellness has a very limited ingredient line (4-5 ingredients only) that can be of a big help when it comes to food intolerances. (I believe most of the line includes novel protein sources like duck, etc.)
http://www.wellnesspetfood.com/categories.aspx?pet=dog&cat=3#Simple Dry Limited Ingredient Diets Dog Recipes
I don’t believe it’s formulated for seniors, but it’s just my (personal) opinion that senior diets are kind of gimmicky unless there’s a serious medical reason that specifies a low(er) protein diet.
Fromm is an excellent company that, if I fed kibble, I would feel 100% comfortable feeding. They have a beef formula, no chicken.
https://frommfamily.com/products/four-star/dog/dry/#beef-frittata-veg

Also, it might be worth checking into giving this dog some probiotics and/or digestive enzymes to help digestion. The metronydozale is a helpful drug in this instance and can stop the problem in it’s tracks, but re-feeding her gut with beneficial bacteria might help even out the occurrences of diarrhea. Both probiotics and D.E’s can be VERY helpful when transitioning a dog with a sensitive gut over to a new food, too, so that might be something to consider.

I don’t know if you’ve ever given her pumpkin, but many people swear by it to help with chronic diarrhea and firming the stools.
Hope this is helpful.

[Matthew R]

Hey all,

I am hoping I can get a bit of help. New to the forum. I have an older great dane, she just turned 11. Over the years she has had the occasional bouts of colitis or irritable bowl. My ex and I have always cleaned up the subsequent mess got her on metronydozale and that would be the end of it for a few months. This past spring and summer, the problem has been becoming more frequent. It was only once every 5-6 months and it has progressed to almost monthly. My now current living situation is less then ideal as I rent rooms from a friend who has a big house. My dog has free range of the house during the day while i’m at work, and has made a disaster area of my friends room.
I need to get this under control. I took her to the vet today, and aside from going on the metro and tylan powder, he also recommended going to a different protein based food. she is currently on the Blue Buffalo Wilderness chicken and grain free senior diet. There is a possibility that she may have an allergy to chicken. I was thinking of trying the red meat version of the same brand, but when I looked at the ingredients, it still lists chicken meal and chicken fat. Does anyone have any high quality recommendations that I can switch her to? It would have to be a chicken free (no salmon either), senior based, large breed diet. I think grain free as well. Or should I stick with the Wilderness red meat?

[crazy4cats]

Here is a link to some suggested weight loss foods on the review side of this site:

/best-dog-foods/weight-loss-dog-foods/

On the list, I have fed the Victor senior/healthy weight formula with good results. Also, Whole Earth Farms has a Pork, Beef and Lamb formula that is poultry free. It is also low in fat and calories. My dogs do exceptionally well on this food. Hope this helps!

[bette s]

Problems with the Orijin senior. at first i thought it was my dog’s sensitve stomach but gave to my son for his dog and the dog got the runs…the food is BAD. These reactions happened after the factory switch….
sensitive stomach is not the problem..the food is the problem. and they never advertised the change in formula…bad bad bad

[Dee M]

Hello.
I’m looking into adopting a pair of shepherds from a rescue. They are father and son and Alto, the younger dog, has mega esophagus. [A stricture at the bottom of his esophagus that hinders the passing of food into the stomach. If he eats a “normal” amount of food it will come back up.] The foster has listed that he needs pate style canned food in small amounts throughout the day. I’m looking to buy by the case to save a bit but as I’m searching I’m finding they’re all stews, chunks, etc or the style is not listed and I haven’t fed canned food in the past so I’m not sure.
Can anyone recommend a grain free, pate style canned food for large breeds? He’s also about to turn eight so senior formulas are preferable.

[pugmomsandy]

Senior foods are actually not a recognized label according to AAFCO. A food can be for adult maintenance or growth and reproduction. The majority of senior foods are made to have less protein and fat and calories and may contain joint supplements. That being said, healthy seniors don’t require less protein and thus increased carbs. They actually benefit from increased quality protein and quality fats. And a serving of a food with joint supplements would not have a therapeutic dose. You’re better off giving a separate joint supplement. If your senior was doing fine on her previous food regimen, you could go back to it.

[InkedMarie]

I personally don’t like senior food. Senior dogs need good quality high protein and just about all of them are too low in protein. Orijen is the exception but if you’re in the US. They opened a plant in Kentucky and there seem to be some problems.

If this was my dog, I’d go back to what she ate before, water the food & see how it goes.
Good luck!

[Gerritt A]

I joined looking for some advice on senior dog foods. Our senior is about 12 – 13 years young and is a 14 lbs poodle/bichon mix – or something thereabouts. She is used to walking 3 – 5 miles per day and is out in front, not being pulled along so she seems to be enjoying it. She was eating a dry Wellness adult dry and wet mixture. Vet suggested she get on a senior diet and we did this about six months ago – again Wellness. Since then she has had two UTI’s. Urine pH was 8.5 on the current one. Vet was concerned that we were perhaps not getting a good urine sample so we had some draw from he bladder and it was consistent with the “caught” urine. Also had her bladder ultrasound to check for stones or a tumor. Nothing (good news!) Granted this is my first day of looking around on the site but i see nothing specific about selecting a senior food. Did I miss it?

[crazy4cats]

Did your vet do any blood, urine and/or fecal tests? Which NutriSource recipe are you feeding currently? My dogs like and do well on Whole Earth Farms Pork, Beef and Lamb formula. It does not contain chicken or wheat. It must be tough seeing your old guy not eating.

I was having the same issue with my senior cat and she was prescribed an anti-nausea medicine and a steroid which helped almost instantaneously. I am currently weaning her off of them and hoping she will not have to continue it for a prolonged period.

He might be having some stomach issues or problems digesting kibble as Susan mentioned above. If you are interested in making a homemade cooked balanced diet, check out http://www.balanceit.com. It’s a great resource for homemade diets run by veterinarians.

Good luck!

[Susan]

Hi Ryan, sorry about your little dog losing a leg, lucky the other dog couldn’t get thru the fence all the way there may have been a different outcome….
Start looking for LOW CARB kibbles, high protein, low fat kibbles & wet tin foods….a lot of Hills, Royal Canine & Purina formulas are very high in carbs causing the dog to gain weight….
This is how you find out the carb % in a kibble, find & add the Protein% + fat% + fiber% + moisture% + ash%, if there’s no ash % just add 8% for ash, add all together now take away score from 100 & you have the carb% in that kibble, try & stay under 40% for carbs under 30% would be better…..dogs have short digestive tracts made to digest meat not high carb diets, over the years our dogs have become accustom to these higher carb diets but some dogs just don’t do to well…

Hills prescription vet diet has a new low carb-36%, weight loss & joint care kibble & wet tin food on the market, called “Hills Metabolic + Mobility Canine” for weight & joint care & in the Wet tin Metabolic + Mobility wet tin canine vegetables & Tuna stew.. http://www.hillspet.com.au/en-au/products/pd-canine-metabolic-plus-mobility-dry.html
If you want a grain free kibble & wet tin food look at the Salmon/Whitefish formulas the omega 3 will be higher so better for joints, heart, brain, skin & coat…

“Holistic Select” has a really good Senior Health kibble has everything for aging dogs, easy to digest the kibble size is nice & small & the fat & fiber % is lower then the Hills Metabolic + Mobility Care formula…you can rotate between the 2 formulas & see which gives better results.. http://www.holisticselect.com.au/recipes.aspx?pet=dog

[anonymous]

“I will note she also just recently had her yearly check up and is in perfect health.”

How was her lab work? CBC, U/A etc. Is she due for a senior workup? Some vets advise doing lab work every year as part of the annual exam. Best diagnostic tool they have.

[Kelly B]

My dog and cats are fed 4Health brand food. My cats are doing great, their hair is so soft and shiny, We have very few hairballs at all. There is very little poo waste.

My senior dog Boo was getting Mast cell tumors, with the switch to 4health and added boiled chicken on top his last 2 hard mast cell tumors shrunk down and disappeared. he still has and gets fatty ones but he is 14 years old.

I have had problems with very expensive foods when another dog left with my ex husband had skin problems that got worse trying all the great expensive food. What cleared that up was when Bear and Boo got put on a raw diet for 8 months.

Boo and the cats have done really well on 4Health for the past few years and I do not ever plan to feed another kind of food to my cats or any other dog I may get.

[Susan]

Hi, I have a 8yr old boy with IBD diagnosed 4yrs ago thru Endoscope & Biopsies. I changed him from a vet diet to a premium kibble & I have tried a few kibbles over the years & have found he does best on Lamb or Fish kibbles with limited ingredients….You have to introduce new kibble very slowly, in the beginning I started by introducing the new kibble as treats for a few days to see how his poos went, then I would only add under 1/4 of a cup new kibble to 1 cup of the vet diet, I gave under 1/4 cup new kibble for 4 days & if poos were still looking good & he wasn’t doing farts then I started adding 1/3 of a cup new kibble with his vet diet then went to 1/2 new & 1/2 old kibble, this is when you know if the kibble m work, when you get 1/2 way, it took me about 2-3 weeks to introduce a new kibble in the beginning…
While your dog is on the Z/d kibble you should of started to add 1 new ingredient for 6 weeks to see how he does & what foods he might be sensitive too, like adding some boiled sweet potatoes or boiled potatoes, cooked chicken breast when you have cooked chicken for dinner, that’s what I did with Patch while on a vet diet or a premium kibble that agreed with him, plus they love getting a new food……Food sensitivities can take anywhere from 1 day to 6 weeks to show reaction…. Food elimination diet is the only true way to know what foods your dog can & can’t eat…best to do elimination diet while doing well on a vet diet…
I was finding Patch would do real well when he started a new kibble then around 5-6 weeks his poos went smelly, yellow sloppy & bad farts that was when he ate the Wellness Simple formulas, so he was sensitive to a ingredient in the Wellness Simple formulas…..
Patch does real well eating grain free limited ingredient kibbles with potatoes & sweet potatoes like “Taste Of The Wild” Sierra Mountain Roasted Lamb, Protein-25% fat-15%, 338Kcals per cup…. “Pro Pac Ultimates” Bayside Select Whitefish, low in Protein at 24% & fat-14%, 360Kcals per cup, I’ve just ordered a bag of Pro Pac Ultimates, Meadow Prime Lamb, Protein-23% Fat-12%, 345Kcals per cup, I prefer kibbles with Potatoes & Sweet Potatoes, Patches poo’s are nice & firm….
there’s also “Canidae” Pure formulas with limited ingredients & there’s Canidae Senior Pure Meadows but I have problems when Patch eats a kibble that’s over 27% in protein & over 15% in fat & high in Kcals per cup, some of Canidae kibbles are higher in Kcals per cup over 400Kcals per cup, so the kibble is more dense, make sure you look at the Kcals per cup as well, the Z/d kibble used to be around 360Kcals per cup, I don’t know what the Kcals per cup are now since their formula was improved, you could email Hills & ask, try & stay around what ever the Hills Z/d Kcals per cup is same with protein & fat % when looking for a new kibble, the TOTW Sierra Mountain Roasted Lamb is only 338Kcals per cup & their Water is purified, so I think that’s why the TOTW kibble worked the best for Patch in the beginning & having less limited ingredients helped.
Your dog might do real well the first kibble you try, it depends on what type of IBD your dog has….
How come your not trying the Venison instead of the Kangaroo? If the Zignature Kangaroo doesn’t work, Kangaroo is a very dark red rich meat & tastes very strong of beef, my Patch didn’t do well on cooked kangaroo it was too rich for him & poo’s were sloppy, also the chickpeas are 3rd ingredient in the Kangaroo formula, the Venison has Pea flour as the 3rd ingredient then chickpeas & Venison formula has a bit more fiber at 5% fiber, I noticed you give Metamucil to add more fiber to diet, so maybe you might need a higher fiber diet?….if a kibble doesn’t work it can be a number of things that are causing sloppy poos, just keep that in mind, it might not be the protein & change kibble brands…. also make sure the kibbles are money back guaranteed, I’ve taken back so many kibbles, that’s why its best to go to a pet shop it’s easier to return the kibble, some online pet shops are good & you don’t have to return & post back the open kibble bag, its all up the Kibble companies.. Good-Luck keep us informed how he’s doing..

[Tessa R]

I have a 5 month old APBT. He recently began eating his feces (gross.) I was advised by a vet tech, not a vet, to put him in a vitamin supplement. They stated that majority of puppies that do this are lacking certain vitamins in their diet. I researched the best foods, and amazingly I already feed him 4.5 star rated food. He eats Taste of the Wild puppy, with a mix of 4health puppy formula, both dry food. I’m not sure what could possibly be missing from his diet, but need something to help with the problem. We clean it up ASAP, but we have half an acre (open to range,) 1 senior dog, and the new puppy so sometimes it’s harder to keep up with. Just wondering what suggestions I can get. Thank you to anyone willing to help!!

[anonymous]

I would not make any drastic or sudden changes to a a senior dog’s diet, especially if the senior wellness checkup, including labs (recommended to be done at age 7) comes back within normal limits, including the dental.
I would schedule the checkup asap rather than in a few months and listen to your vet’s recommendations.
PS: Rule out medical problems first, don’t assume that behavioral changes, lack of energy, changes in appetite and such are age related.
Lab work is the best diagnostic tool that the vets have, you can’t tell by looking. You may be able to catch disorders early when they are more likely be receptive to treatment.

[Erin Z]

Hi all,

So i’ve been lurking this site for a while. I apologize if this question has already been answered but I am too tired to take the time to search through the forum. I’ve always been confused about what to feed my 10 year old, 7.5 lb female chihuahua. I currently feed her blue buffalo senior small breed and she’s been fine on this. However, I have read bad reports and I want to change it to something more high quality. My dog Chloe is very healthy and has no health problems. I take her to regular vet visits (i’m a vet tech) and I’m planning on getting her senior wellness blood/urine panel as well as yearly dental done in the next several months. She might be a TAD bit overweight but not by much. She isn’t very active but has spurts of energy. On a daily basis, I take her on 10 minute walks (or go hiking with her) and will play with her and her toys.

I just want the BEST brand of dog food for senior small breed dogs. She isn’t prone to health issues and isn’t sensitive to different brands. I don’t mind the cost and I want to give her the best food I can possibly give to prolong her life and maybe give her some more energy in her step (she’s not lethargic, but has been getting less active as the years go by which I know can be normal ). What are your recommendations? Thanks!

• This topic was modified 8 years, 10 months ago by Erin Z.