[Sadie’s Mom]

So it turns out that HEB has a 5 star grain free wet food that is only $1 a can! And a 12 pack is only $11. Since I have an HEB really close by, I’ll probably go with this food. Chewy has a good selection, but many of the foods that have quality ingredients are very far out of my price range 🙁 Thankfully when it comes to wet food Sadie will scarf it down no matter the flavor or brand.

[Sadie’s Mom]

Congrats on the new dog! I really like Dexter 🙂 I also like Levi and Stensen (I’m from Texas lol)

[Sadie’s Mom]

Well, Sadie cracked a tooth 🙁 She is having it pulled next week with antibiotics until then to prevent an infection. Also, she’s gained nearly a POUND(!!!!!!!!!) so we are testing her thyroid. Should have those results tomorrow/Thursday. Dr recommends wet food only from now on to assist with weight loss because of the lower carb count. So, recommendations on a good low-fat wet food? She pretty much eats anything if it’s canned lol. I can afford nicer food for the first month because I have a coupon to Chewey.com but after that I’ll need a budget food because wet is more expensive in the long run.

[Sadie’s Mom]

She really doesn’t get many treats. She’ll get maybe 5 Zuke’s Mini Naturals after a walk and she gets since Zuke’s after gee bath every month, but that’s it.

[Sadie’s Mom]

We’ve been on this regime since August :/ I’m worried about thyroid problems since they are common in dachshunds. She’s always happily eaten 2 meals, so it’s either her tooth or maybe the fat content in the food.

[Sadie’s Mom]

Everyone else,

I got an elevated feeder and some lower-fat wet foods for Sadie to tide her over until I take her to the vet Tuesday. She is quite happily eating the wet food, so I think it may be her tooth that is causing the problem, though I will still ask my vet about blood work and other testing to make sure she is healthy overall. I think there may be an underlying problem since she eats 1/2 a cup of food a day (when the DFA recommended amount is 3/4 cups) and we walk 5 miles a week and she still isn’t losing weight. I’m hoping it isn’t too serious and that I can find a food that will meet her needs.

[Sadie’s Mom]

SB,

I recently read the Blue Wilderness will not release where their food is made. Also, I keep seeing reports of dogs getting sick on it. Sadie likes it well enough, but I cannot justify spending $25 on 4 pounds of dog food when I can get 12-15 pounds of a comparable brand for the same price. But I am on a strict budget, so that obviously alters my opinion on foods.

[Sadie’s Mom]

Thank you for all the help everyone!

I used the dog food calculator on here to calculate how much Sadie should be eating and have been feeding her accordingly ever since. She gets no treats right nowexcept for her glucosamine supplement. We do our best to get her daily walk in but with the cooler weather it isn’t always possible because her back flares up. She just isn’t losing weight like she should be. I think I will go ahead and do all the testing to make sure there isn’t an underlying problem causing the weight gain.

[Sadie’s Mom]

Hi c4c!

We have 6 dogs total and if I feed one of them (Sadie) wet food all the others whine and cry to get some lol. But I will definitely look into those brands and see where they fit in my price point.

Also when I give her any wet she will then refuse to eat dry because she likes the wet better. I hope she is just being picky as well. She has always been a picky eater but it has gotten worse these last few weeks. Even with daily walks she will turn her nose up at food just because. Hopefully her appointment Tuesday will shed some light on her eating habits!

[Sadie’s Mom]

I guess I didn’t make myself very clear in my first post, and for that I apologize. I know that very few people on this forum are vets, and I’m not asking for veterinary advice. What I really want to know is is it possible for my dog to really not like all of these foods, and if so, what food would you recommend trying next? I don’t want to have to coax her into eating every day for the rest of her life. This problem is not new, the only new development is a possible chipped tooth. I’m not the biggest fan of wet food but I will buy it if that is the only option.

P.S.: She has an appointment on Tuesday with her regular vet who does not seem too concerned about her teeth after talking to me. I would instantly take her to the emergency vet in an emergency, but it would cost me thousands of dollars I do not have on hand because the A&M animal clinic is the only emergency vet in my area. I do appreciate your concern for my dog, but she is eating and drinking adequately and does not seem to be in terrible pain, therefore I would not classify this as an emergency.

[Sadie’s Mom]

Thanks for the advice! If it is her tooth would softening her food with water help keep it from hurting until she goes to the vet? She also has a bad back that could be causing problems, so I can give her pain meds for that again. She had her full exam a few months ago but I’ll see what the vet recommends in terms of blood work.

[Sadie’s Mom]

@ BC – I found something at my local feed store that has the same active ingredients as Corta-Flx (well, this one uses HA instead of MSM) but isn’t. They only had Corta-Flx in the gallon container, which is much more than I need. It is a quart bottle that actually had dosing on it for dogs! I mixed half in with my dogs food + some wet food to make it enticing and gave the other half via syringe. She seemed ok with both, so tomorrow I may try just pouring it over her food, which is much easier than mixing it with dry and wet food and some water.

[Sadie’s Mom]

I will! Thanks so much for all the helpful advice 🙂 I am so glad to have found this site and all the helpful people that are one it! I am planning on getting the GNC joint supplement today and starting it tonight.

[Sadie’s Mom]

The majority of the time the dogs finish their food right away. I wouldn’t call it free feeding. The food put down is the exact amount the dogs need. They could feed Sadie separately but they may forget she is there and leave her in my room all day without water, which has happened before. For the next month I can feed her separately and make sure she doesn’t eat everyone else’s food. I can’t control what happens when I’m gone though. I can ask my parents to do something, and hope that it happens. She probably will be fed separately from now on since she will be getting a supplement and some wet food. I am hoping the supplement will help with both her back and her weight. Maybe not being in pain will give her more energy and she will be more active.

[Sadie’s Mom]

Thanks for the suggestion Labs! Unfortunately that wouldn’t work because my dog refuses to take pills. Can they be cut open and poured over food?

[Sadie’s Mom]

@ Dori – She is slightly overweight at 15 pounds. She needs to lose 2-3 pounds according to the vet, and she slowly is. She’s more of a “tweenie” dachshund, larger than a mini but much smaller than a standard. The problem is she will scare everyone else away from their food and then eat it all lol. My parents have to leave for work at 7 so the dogs don’t always finish their breakfast right away. I am home for the next month on winter break, so I’ll be mixing up her food with the supplement and a little wet food and then feed her separately so she doesn’t eat everyone elses food. It isn’t too cold yet so I’m hoping that starting the supplements now will prevent problems in a few weeks.

[Sadie’s Mom]

Ok. How much would I give her every day since the dosing is for horses? And is this one a complete with the MSM or HA and also the glucosamine chondroitin?

[Sadie’s Mom]

@ BC do you use the liquid or powdered Cortaflex? I am also looking for a budget friendly glucosamine supplement for my dachshund.

[Sadie’s Mom]

@ Dog Obsessed Have you used a glucosamine supplement before? I’m looking into GNC Ultra Mega Superfood Complex Plus Joint Health Dog Formula. I like it because it’s a powder formula and relatively inexpensive. After being on steroids for so long my dog refuses to take any pills and is picky about chewables because she doesn’t do crunchy treats. I was think a powder would be easy to mix into her food, especially if I add a tablespoon of wet in with it.

[Sadie’s Mom]

@ Nut – I guess I could do that. She always ends up on steroids in the winters because her back flares up. My parents probably couldn’t afford them year round. My dad got a new job a took a significant pay cut, so nice things are somewhat unattainable. Would the regular glucosamine chondritin supplements work? And if so what strength?

@ Dog Obsessed – All four were actually on Victor Grain Free Yukon River formula, but it ended up being too expensive. My parents went back to Beneful, but I’ve just about talked them into buying Evolve from the local HEB. It’s a 4 star food with no corn, wheat, or soy, which seem to trigger one of the dogs allergies. The dogs won’t eat Merrick for some reason. I haven’t looked at the Pure Balance though. Thanks for the suggestion!

[Sadie’s Mom]

Surprisingly, the first thing I look for in a treat is the texture. My mini dachshund HATES crunchy treats. It’s the strangest thing! The only crunchy/hard things she likes are the rawhide dental chews (Dentley’s brand is the current favorite). I also have to factor in price, as I am a college student living on a tight budget. The best thing I have found are the Zuke’s Mini Naturals. They are soft and squishy, grain free, and low in calories. Sadie likes all of the flavors, but the chicken seems to be her favorite. I’ve been wanting to try the Wellness Petite Treats Soft Mini Bites, but they haven’t been on sale for a good price. The Zuke’s are a better deal because they are less per ounce and last a really long time. I give her 3 or 4 at a time as a normal treat to make her feel better since the other 3 dogs my parents own get small milkbones lol. She also likes the Milkbone Brushing Chews after her evening meal. I give her half a mini bone. I am currently on the hunt for a treat with added glucosamine that is reasonably priced. Any suggestions?

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