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Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
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Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Dog food question. (Long, sorry)
in Pets
Hello, long time lurker here with a dog food question. I know there have been tons of questions about dog foods but I have something a little more specific. I've had my dog on grain free Canidae Fish for a while now because she's got allergies and ear infections. She's done great on it other than gaining alot of weight (supposedly grain free makes low energy dogs put on alot of weight?). Now my dog is staying with my mom right now because me and my husband are living in a hotel until we can find a place to rent, and my mom has the sister on my dog. My moms dog was also om Canidae ALS with grains, and she kept getting sick and throwing up, had runny stools with blood in it, so my mom took her to the vet. The vet said that my moms dog had a very sensitive stomach and needs to be put on a dog food with a lower protien, and the vet suggested Science Diet. She's been on Science Diet for about 2 weeks now, and only eats like every 3 days. She doesn't seem to like the food. Anyways, once my husband and I find a place of our own we'll be taking our dog and my moms dog because they get along so well and we'd like to keep them together. So my question is, I need some opinions on food to put both my dog and my moms dog on so that we dont have to feed them two different foods. Plus what I've read from other posts on this board Science Diet isn't a good brand of dog food. And if it makes a difference the dogs are Lab/Husky mixes.
Re: Dog food question. (Long, sorry)
If your dog is doing well on the food she's on now, don't change her. The weight gain is remedied by feeding less. As for the other dog, what is she have sensitivities to? It's not a big deal to feed 2 different foods, just feed separatly and don't free feed(if you/they are).
She needs the excercise, probably about an hour of walking daily. She gets tired as she hasn't been conditioned. Start with a 1/4 cup reduction and walk her. To give you some idea, we walk 15-20 miles per week plus the training classes and conditioning/training I do at home. You want the weight to come of slowly, plus the excercise will be good time for you to spend together.
TOTW Pacific Stream is grain-free and low protein also. I looked it up, Canidae Fish is 40% protein and TOTW PC is 25%, so that should be low enough. I wouldn't want to eat the SD either.
My dogs all love the TOTW PC.
GL!
We have a dog who goes on hunger strikes, and our trainers have always (rightly) told us that a dog who has food available will never starve. We've accepted that Cal is never going to be an enthusiastic eater like some dogs, but he does eat enough to get by.
If your dog is always acting hungry, you could add green beans to her food to add bulk but not calories or fat. It will make her feel more full. I had an 85-pound foster who needed to be more like 77, and he lost a pound a week with reduced kibble (3 cups instead of 4) and 2/3 of a can of green beans daily. Oh, and TONS of exercise. Miles and miles of walking. To give you an idea, I have a 6-year-old Kelpie who is 60 pounds, and we walk 20+ miles a week, plus we run 25 - 30 miles a week, and he plays in the yard with our foster Lab mix. At least a 30-minute walk daily is important, and since she has so much weight to lose, I'd say at least an hour. We walk every day: snow, rain, wind, hail, sleet...we just bundle up and get out there!
My Lunch Blog
Ok, good to know! My mom has always free fed and I think that's probably why she doesn't eat when the food goes down. My dog knows that when we put food in her bowl if she's hungry she better eat it or it gets picked up. Hopefully once we take in my moms dog she will learn to eat when its down or she won't get it again until dinner time.
Also, thanks for the info about the green beans, I'll have to start trying that. I'll have to learn to suck it up and go for a walk regardless of the weather outside. Thanks for all your help.