Low Residue Commerical Food?

[Spanner]

I've been advised to put my 10 month old GSP on a low residue diet. Eukanuba was mentioned. Are there any other brands available that have a low residue product?

[Rappie]

The three main ones I can think of would be Hills i/d, Eukanuba Low Residue and Royal Canin Digestive Low Fat. All are available as dry and canned food.

[poodlefan]

What do you mean by "residue" Spanner? Fibre??

[Miranda]

Spanner there are no dry foods that I would class as low residue, they all contain at least 50% fillers (cereals, beet pulp etc.) and the cheaper the food the more fillers they contain. Dogs are designed to eat meat and foods derived from animal sources and their digestive system deals with these foods very effectively however they have great difficulty in processing carbohydrates so any diet containing fillers is going to produce much more poo as most of the cereal passes through undigested.

The more expensive dry foods contain fewer fillers, but they are still there in pretty large proportions, the best dry foods have at least two sources of meat in the first four ingredients and some form of meat should be listed first on the list. Avoid foods that contain meat by-products, wheat, soy or corn. I would recommend the Eagle Pack Holistic range, I am not a fan of Eukanuba.

If you want to feed a truly low residue diet feed meat and bones (chicken necks, wings, carcasses, lamb flaps, brisket bones, lamb necks etc.) with a little cooked offal (lambs fry) a couple of times a week, raw eggs, yoghurt, a few leftover vegies......... everyone has different ideas, but it's quite possible to feed your dog a healthy diet that contains no commercial foods at all.

[witheverythingiam]

Euk low residue is quite expensive - around $75 for only 6.8kg's, and of course being prescription, only available at the vets.

-WithEverythingIAm

[Stitch]

I totally agree with Miranda!!!

It is an amazing thing that feeding dogs on a diet that nature intended them to eat actually improves their health and their dinner isn't highly processed and doesn't naturally come from a bag or can!

Try feeding raw all natural foods - dogs love them!!

[Poodle wrangler]

Is it to treat a specific illness?

Why did the vet suggest it?

eta: Low residue= low fibre

Edited December 8, 2007 by Poodle wrangler

[witheverythingiam]

Euk Low Res, Hills i/d are usually recommend for dogs with complaint like pancreatitis.

-WithEverythingIAm

[Spanner]

sorry, yes its been recommended by vet as he's recently had surgery for chronic inflammed/infected caecum. Its been recommended to put him on Eukanuba low residue indefinately in case the problem reoccurs. After all the vet bills we've had recently, adding on an expensive food (he was already on a premium food which is expensive enough but the eukanuba low residue is even more expensive) and OH is not real happy with the spiraling expenses (we only got him 7 weeks ago and he got sick the week after we got him and has been sick on and off since then, its just been a real shock to us in many ways not least financially! ) ;)

Edited December 8, 2007 by Spanner

[Staff'n'Toller]

Eagle Pack Natural is supposed to be good for GSD's with stomach complaints and is a bit cheaper.

Not sure if it is as effective as Royal Canin Digestive Low Fat and the Hills/Euk varieties though.

[Poodle wrangler]

Low-Residue™ Adult/Canine Dry Formula

Product Information

Low-Residue formulas are designed to nutritionally aid in the management of gastrointestinal conditions. Your veterinarian may recommend these diets when your pet is experiencing vomiting, diarrhea, gas, or constipation. Low-Residue is also recommended for the management of conditions such as colitis (inflammation of the colon), pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas), dietary indiscretions, or inflammatory bowel disease. Low-Residue formulas feature:

* a special blend of fibers that benefit your pet�s intestinal tract by nourishing the "good" intestinal flora and enhancing large bowel health

* low fat level for those pets that may have problems digesting and absorbing fat

* adjusted omega-6:omega-3 fatty acid ratio to promote a healthy skin and coat

* highly digestible for enhanced nutrient absorption,

* an extremely palatable for easy acceptance by your dog

Low-Residue Adult/Canine is also low in fat, for dogs that have problems with digesting and absorbing fat

Calories

3,978 kcal/kg, 328 kcal/cup, 2.90 oz./cup

Ingredients

Corn Grits, Brewers Rice, Chicken By-Product Meal, Chicken, Fish Meal, Dried Beet Pulp (sugar removed), Natural Chicken Flavor, Dried Egg Product, Chicken Fat (preserved with mixed Tocopherols, a source of Vitamin E, and Citric Acid), Calcium Carbonate, Brewers Dried Yeast, Potassium Chloride, Fructooligosaccharides, Monosodium Phosphate, Fish Oil (preserved with Ethoxyquin), Sodium Hexametaphosphate, Choline Chloride, DL-Methionine, Flax Meal, Ferrous Sulfate, Vitamin E Supplement, Zinc Oxide, Ascorbic Acid, Manganese Sulfate, Copper Sulfate, Manganous Oxide, Vitamin A Acetate, Calcium Pantothenate, Biotin, Rosemary Extract, Thiamine Mononitrate (source of Vitamin B2), Vitamin B12 Supplement, Niacin, Riboflavin Supplement (source of Vitamin B2), Inositol, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (source of Vitamin B6), Vitamin D3 Supplelment, Potassium Iodide, Folic Acid, Cobalt Carbonate

Caloric Distribution

Protein 24%...Fat 24%...Carbohydrate 52%

from http://www.rxpetfood.com/index.asp?PageAct...stom&ID=134

Call me crazy, but how are corn grits low fibre, highly digestible?

Corn is not well digested by dogs at all. It's a cheap ingredient as corn crops are highly subsidised in the USA.

Go back to Miranda's post- I'd be trialling her suggestions.

Even if you use both these suggestions and the dry food e.g. 50:50, you'd save $$.

The raw foods are better for your dog IMO, too.

If you do decide on the dry food, shop around- most likely it's extra expensive at the vet's.

Best wishes

Sorry to hear you've had so much early trouble with your dog.

[persephone]

AFAIK, fresh meat has little fibre..maybe ask the vet if a raw diet..meat/egg/plus some dairy etc would be suitable? Some sort of fibre would be needed I guess to move things along..maybe a soluble one, which is a gel..and very gentle on the bowel wall?

Miranda has posted the main info

Do some research..look up residue/fibre content of different foods ...work out costs of raw V the modified dry...and see how things go.

Sorry your dog is having so much trouble

[Spanner]

Thanks for your replies.

PW, I too was a bit surprised to see the ingredients of the Euk low residue as when I compared the carbohydrate content of the low residue it was actually higher than the food he was on before so I couldn't quite work out how it was low residue compared to other super premium/premium dry dog foods!! As for shopping around unfortunately from what I found was that because Eukanuba low residue is a "prescription" diet its mainly only sold by vets. I ended up buying some from the vet because I couldn't find it anywhere else. Once I got it home I looked at ingredients and started looking up carbohydrate content of other foods.

So I have a couple of questions.

1. Everyone always talks about looking at what are the first ingredients in foods ie that some form of meat is first etc. my question is are manufactors of dog food required to list ingredients in order of what its made up of ie if meat is the highest percentage of total weight then its listed first. Its only been in recent years that this was made a requirement in human food so when we look at the ingredient list on dog food are we really seeing a true picture of what its made of or can manufactors of dog food list them the way they want?

2. Is low residue the same as low carbohydrate???? if it is then when the eukanuba low residue I've got is finished I'll put him back on another premium because lots of them are actually lower in carbohydrate than the euka low residue and also have meat as first ingredient (and the're cheaper!)

I want to feed dry dog food. I might be considered a bad dog owner for not feeding raw foods etc but I've got 3 kids and a business so for me to feed dry dog food is convienent (and yes I do give my dog plenty of attention and he gets walked everyday and we will be going to obedience lessons and we're having some private lessons after Christmas, and when we are home he is with the family inside). our last dog (also a GSP) was fed cheaper supermarket dry dog food everyday of his life and never had a day sick in his life until he was old but this one has been fed premium all his life (he's now 10 months old) and 7 weeks and $3000 later I'm supposed to keep him on an extra expensive dog food, its beginning to be stressful financially (and emotionally too ) and I'm hoping I can put him back on a cheaper (relative to the Euk low residue) dog food

Hope this has made some sense, just abit surprised about the carbo content of this low residue food but maybe the low residue is different from low carbohydrate???.....would appreciate someone in the know making it clear

Sorry if I sound a bit angry, as you can imagine its been a tough couple of months

[persephone]

Spanner...residue = fibre, NOT carbohydrate, AFAIK.

Carbohydrates are sugars..easily metabolised into energy. Fibre is not digestible, but passes thru the digestive tract.

So, as I suggested, go do some more research on the fibre content of the many ingredients

You are having a tough run.... hope you find a good solution.

feeding a raw based diet would be HEAPS cheaper than premium foods.

[Miranda]

Spanner has your dog had whipworms? I was just wondering because one of the main cause of an inflamed and infected caecum is a chronic whip worm infestation. They actually live in the caecum and attach to the intestinal wall causing bleeding and mucous, if they're not eradicated inflammation and infection can occur and sometimes the worms burrow right though and actually cause the intestine to attach to the body wall.

Or does your dog have a form of colitis? What was the vet's diagnosis?

[GI Actuary]

Just wondering....why is meat by-product not good for the dog ?

Regards,

Spanner there are no dry foods that I would class as low residue, they all contain at least 50% fillers (cereals, beet pulp etc.) and the cheaper the food the more fillers they contain. Dogs are designed to eat meat and foods derived from animal sources and their digestive system deals with these foods very effectively however they have great difficulty in processing carbohydrates so any diet containing fillers is going to produce much more poo as most of the cereal passes through undigested.

The more expensive dry foods contain fewer fillers, but they are still there in pretty large proportions, the best dry foods have at least two sources of meat in the first four ingredients and some form of meat should be listed first on the list. Avoid foods that contain meat by-products, wheat, soy or corn. I would recommend the Eagle Pack Holistic range, I am not a fan of Eukanuba.

If you want to feed a truly low residue diet feed meat and bones (chicken necks, wings, carcasses, lamb flaps, brisket bones, lamb necks etc.) with a little cooked offal (lambs fry) a couple of times a week, raw eggs, yoghurt, a few leftover vegies......... everyone has different ideas, but it's quite possible to feed your dog a healthy diet that contains no commercial foods at all.

[dogsforall]

i always feed dry food thought it was easier than raw

until i changed to raw

i save 200+ a week they are all putting on weight that they wouldn't on dry theirs coats are a million times better and they get one feed a day not two and there is less poop to clean up

raw for me is a winner and so much easier

i would ask your vet if they could be a way to go

you will actually be surprised how much easier it is to feed something like chicken frames compared to dry

hope you little one starts feeling better

and the first ingredient on the list is the higher content

[Miranda]

Meat by-products are what is left when all the meat and offal that is eligible for human consumption has been stripped from a carcass and may contain bones, blood, hooves, horns, beaks, stomachs, spleens, lungs and intestines, they do not contain any muscle meat at all unless it has been obtained from a '4D' animal ie. one that is dead, dying, diseased or disabled. They are an extremely cheap and inferior protein source and although they may do the animal no actual harm, there are far better ways to feed your dog. Most cheap dry foods contain meat by-products and so do a few of the more expensive ones.

[Poodle wrangler]

I want to feed dry dog food. I might be considered a bad dog owner for not feeding raw foods etc but I've got 3 kids and a business so for me to feed dry dog food is convienent (and yes I do give my dog plenty of attention and he gets walked everyday and we will be going to obedience lessons and we're having some private lessons after Christmas, and when we are home he is with the family inside). our last dog (also a GSP) was fed cheaper supermarket dry dog food everyday of his life and never had a day sick in his life until he was old but this one has been fed premium all his life (he's now 10 months old) and 7 weeks and $3000 later I'm supposed to keep him on an extra expensive dog food, its beginning to be stressful financially (and emotionally too ) and I'm hoping I can put him back on a cheaper (relative to the Euk low residue) dog food

You've been unlucky with your new dog, but you have to treat each dog as individuals.

I can't feed my standard poodle the same diet as the mini poodle, for example, or he gets loose stools. Adding raw to his diet seems to work well for him.

Given the high cost of vet care, I'd follow the vet's suggestion if you want to feed exclusively dry food.

It's false economy to feed cheaply, then have expensive vet bills .

The cheapest dry dog foods will have the most fibre and fillers, I suspect.

I don't find it any extra work to feed about 50:50 dry and raw- raw meaty bones/ carcasses come straight out of the freezer in summer and thrown on the lawn.

I'm kinder in winter and defrost in an icecream container in the laundry sink the night before.

Chicken and turkey necks are in supermarkets now (sorry, I don't know if these are low-fibre/ low-residue or not).

I guess you need a little extra space in the freezer, however.

[Spanner]

thanks for the replies.

I guess I need to find out what exactly is low residue (ie will I be able to feed bones etc) and see what I can do.

I don't think I used the word "cheaply" in my posts I think the words used were "cheaper" meaning cheaper than this particular food not cheap supermarket stuff. Yes vet bills are expensive and that and the extra expensive food has put a strain on the family. Unfortunately I'm not in a position to keep paying these kind of vet bills or ultra expensive dog food. If its cheaper to feed raw then great I'll certainly be looking at what exactly I will be able to feed him under the "low residue" heading.

Can anyone point me in the direction of a book or website?