Diet Dilemma

[*Avanti*]

My dogs have a grass allergy that we mostly manage. Being Labradors they tend to put the weight on easily so I trialed them on Eukanuba Weight Loss. That worked well for taking some weight off. Then I got the Weight Management formula, because the other was not available (and I’m not sure it will be again). Anyway, slowly in the last two months both my dogs paws have become red and sore with some swelling. They always were a little red from the allergy but it has become much worse (vet visit booked for Friday and using Ilium Neocort on them for now).

I can only suspect the Eukanuba might be aggravating this and wish to try something else.

Various questions/considerations:

One of the dogs, Heidi has allergy issues and has had pancreatitis, and kidney failure. She was on Waltham renal dry food for over a year but now the vet said her tests show she no longer needs it. I’m a bit confused but now I stick to a permanent low fat diet with her due to the pancreatitis. The other dog also has the grass allergy (they are mother and daughter) but is otherwise ok. Her feet have also come up since the Eukanuba weight management formula. It could be a co-incidence but the diet is the first thing I will change. As for the grass allergy they are fenced away from the grass but I cannot avoid some contact as when the lawns are mowed some clipping blow in to their area.

I was considering trying ProPlan Salmon dry food and wonder if anyone has tried this and/or could suggest a good low fat dry food. The budget is tight but my dogs get priority in my household.

Does Eukanuba have beef in it? I have been told it has and that it hasn’t by the same pet food store.

Others I was considering are Science Diet Light but a search here suggests it may have too much grain: http://www.dolforums.com.au/topic/215887-opinions-on-hills-science-diet/page__p__5171543__hl__proplan__fromsearch__1#entry5171543

and Artemis Weight Loss which are also available to me locally.

.

Edited May 10, 2011 by LabTested

[JulesP]

You really need to find the ingredient/ingredients that might be causing the problem. Have you compared the ingredients of the 2 Eukanubas? See if there is one or 2 different things in the weight management and find a kibble without those in it.

With grass allergies I would be making sure there was no wheat in the food I used.

I found Proplan Salmon very fattening for my dogs. My itchy dog was also allergic to it.

After trying every kibble under the sun I am currently using.....Supercoat Sensitive! I am horrified as I am such a kibble snob but I have a non-itchy dog that is actually eating it.

A homemade elimination diet might help get their paws better quicker.

[poodlefan]

A friend of mine has a dog with pancreatitis and her rule of thumb is not to feed a dog food that's more than 8% fat. Proplan Salmon is 16% fat.

If I had a dog with skin issues I'd be looking to try a wheat free food that still had decent oils in it and wasn't too high in fat. Proplan do a Weight Management chicken and rice that's 8% fat.

Advance Weight control is also chicken and rice based. It is 5% fat. Advance is more reasonably priced than some premium kibbles but is still a quality product IMO and tends to be readily available.

Your challenge will be to provide a balanced diet, not deficient in Omega oils but with fewer calories. You might also consider feeding baked or mashed (no butter) pumpkin with a normal kibble to bulk out a smaller meal.

There is a direct link between obesity and pancreatitis. If your dogs are carrying too much weight, getting it off them should help with that too.

Edited May 10, 2011 by poodlefan

[~Anne~]

Given that you mention allergies and feet issues, this thread and the link to the video may prove useful. There were many points made and a lot of very good information in the video about skin issues. If you search the site, you will find a few more as well.

http://www.dolforums.com.au/topic/219997-video-about-yeastitchy-skinsmelly-dogs-problem-treated-with-diet-and-bathing/

[*Avanti*]

Thanks for all the replies and for the video link Anne. I got some Advance Light for now but will have to spend more time reading up on the various brands ingredients and see what the vet has to say as well. I do give them pumpkin a couple of times a week, even grew my own this year for them.

I came across this site that might help and thought to share the info here. There are so many brands it gets a bit daunting. I was happy the Advance, to the best of my knowledge, is Australian Made which is always a plus for me with consumer choices.

http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/

Edited May 12, 2011 by LabTested