[Missmillie01]

I have 3 dogs, a 14 yr old shelti, and two 4 lb Maltese mixes. I feed the Shellie Now senior, he does ok ,but poops a lot! The little ones seem to do well on Buffalo grain free, but have terrible eye tearing, could be genetic or from food. Either way all three are chow hounds! They eat fast. I want to add a canned diet to the regimine, but I’m confused, do I add the canned to the kibble? Or is it best to feed dry at one feeding and wet at another?
I have also give the little ones Stella and Chewy freezes dried, I have added that to the kibble. I’m concerned the protein level is to high when I do that. If someone can help me understand all this…..

[theBCnut]

They used to think that eating dry kibble helped keep the teeth clean, but in actuality it does little to nothing because the kibble basically explodes when the dog bites down on it, if the dog chews its food at all, so it does not scrape along the surface of the tooth and does nothing for the gumline where most problems develop. So go ahead and add the canned to the kibble and you can even add a little more water to it. The stomach handles wet foods easier anyways.

Protein level should not be a problem. You could try changing foods and see if it helps the one with tearing issues. Feeding variety is as healthy for dogs as it is for us.

[Missmillie01]

Thanks Pattyvaughn, I always thought kibble was good fir their teeth too,but. The two little ones don’t even chew…I had to buy bowls with the little ball in the middle to try and slow them down. So I will add the canned ans might just slowly eliminate the dry altogether and switch to dehydrated food, because they eat so fast I’m thinking it’s easier to digest as well.

[InkedMarie]

Patty already answered your questions but I wanted to say welcome from a fellow sheltie owner!

[GoldenGirl]

Alright, so before I suggest anything I want you to know that I’m currently going to school for veterinary technology and I work at a wonderful feed store where I get a lot of “hands on” experience 🙂 So first off, the tear stains are actually caused by a minor bacterial infection that permanently stains the affected hair, the only way to get rid of that stained hair is to trim it off. Now, you can prevent further staining by using a supplement like “Angel Eyes” (a powder that you add to their food), which is actually a mild antibiotic! As far as food goes, Stella & Chewy’s is a great brand (I use it personally) but if you’re using their freeze dried meals they’re only a complete mean when you add water! Adding water also brings down their protein content because it dilutes it. They also have a frozen raw (what I use) which is actually even healthier then their freeze dried (frozen raw is the healthiest type of food you can feed your doggies). Feel free to message me with any questions, and remember ALL DOGS ARE DIFFERENT! What works for one may not work for the next, that’s why there’s no such thing as a hypoallergenic dog food, because different dogs are allergic and sensitive to different things 🙂

[Missmillie01]

Thanks, Goldengirl. Good luck with school, it’s a great institution to be in. I mix the freeze dried with kibble right now and I always add water because they eat so fast, I feel,like it gives them more.as for the tear staining, I have used Angel Eyes for 3
Years on my female and it did absolutely nothing. I stopped using it because of the antibiotic ingredients and won’t go back to using it. I did just find a product called Eye Envy… It is not digested, you use it to wipe the area and it really takes the stains away. It has to be used regularly. I also always do trim the hair away from their eyes.
I am thinking I’m going to add canned food to the freeze dried food and see how that does. I have noticed when I use the freeze dried that their poops are smaller and less….I guess that’s a good thing.

[Author]

Posts