Need help with lite dog food

Maybe our dogs are like this since we raised them from puppies, but we always feed them some Iams, and throughout the day we give them carrots, bananas, sometimes some white rice, and just some misc vegetables/ fruits we happen to have that day. They are very fit and active. Our last chihuahua died at 18, but that was from some medications he was prescribed that the vet didn't tell us weren't supposed to be taken at the same time. But right up to that point he had a heart murmur and fluid in the lugs caused by the murmur, but even still he would run around all day like he was still a puppy, and every time when we came home he would jump repeatedly up about 4 feet up the door so he could see out of the windows of the front door, we'd see he little head bob up in the Window every second till we went inside. I'd say that if that medication hadn't have killed him he'd have easily lived past 20 with how fit and active he was at 18.

Crowe wrote:
OK, on that note I have to agree with Pawz4me. It may

take some time but either walk up and down the aisles of your pet food supplier and read the labels

or do it on line. I'd be leery of what the vet recommends only in that they are probably going to recommend a food they sell at a premium price.

:B

I did just that at a petsmart and the manager called security on me because I was in the store so long flipping bags over and reading the labels!

I had to switch to the lowest fat and lowest protein for my senior dog with health issues and food allergies.

With the onset of all these grain free dog foods that have EXTREMELY high fat and protein content it was almost impossible to find one with low fat and protein. Honestly I was shocked at the numbers.

And of course I wanted it to be a specialty dog food with high quality ingredients, no additives, corn, dyes, etc.

After months of searching I found this to be the lowest fat and protein content I could find in a good dog food.

Blue Life Protection Formula
w/Life Source bits
Healthy Weight Adult
Yellow Bag

I like it so much I have all my dogs on this and it maintains weight and good coat.

IMHO these new grain free products are going to over time create a lot of liver and kidney problems in dogs. The levels of fat and protein are off the charts.

A house dog without a job does NOT need that much fat and protein in their diet and again IMHO the vets are going to start seeing more and more dogs with kidney and liver problems and not put two and two together to look at what the owners are feeding them.:( Just saying.

Glad you've found a food combination that seems to work! Every dog is different and has different needs.

Again, thanks for the replies. Jazzie in my opinion and my vets is not over weight. Maltese ideal weight is suppose to be between 4 to 7lbs. Jazzie is 8.8lbs. She was 7lbs when we rescued her in Nov 2013 but we could feel her ribs - she is a taller, longer Maltese than normal.

I believe the vet at the emergency hospital recommended a low fat diet because pancreatitis once gotten can come back and this is a way to hopefully minimize this.

I have checked all of the foods each of you have recommended and the crude fat is higher than what I am presently giving my dogs. At this point I am giving the Royal Canin GI low fat and adding some of the Nature's Variety Prairie with chicken, vegetables, and brown rice. This food has 6% min of crude fat and my vet is fine with this. I have to have can to feed meds in the am and pm. I have bought dry Blue Buffalo Healthy Weight Adult chicken and brown rice that has 6% min crude fat. They have been on senior Blue Buffalo chicken and rice dry. I might add some I/D low fat dry to this.

Yesterday she had her test done for cushings and it was off the charts for this so hopefully tomorrow I will get the med. Today she was tested again for diabetes and her levels were low so we have taken her off of insulin - yay!! She will get both of these tests again in 2 weeks to see how things are going.

I have 2 other Maltese, one is 4lbs and the other is 11.6lbs. The 11.6lb has an auto immune disease, which has her on chemo shots every 3 weeks, has diabetes and needs insulin 2x daily, and is on 2.5mg of prednisone every other day, She has been on prednisone since October 2007. I attribute her weight to preds. However we have tried to get her off of preds and have her shots of chemo every 4 weeks and she had a relapse so this works and leaving it alone!! Most dogs with this disease have a life span of 2-4 yrs and she is just about to enter her 8th yr!!

Again I thank everyone for the great advice. I took a lot of time to research
every food. I can't say I have made the right choice but I have tried. Your support has been truly appreciated!!

Neither are vet bills. I found our dogs ate less with a quality food and were healthier, had nicer coats, had less eye and ear discharge and plaque build up on their teeth.

Orijen is the only thing my breader said to feed our new pup. I even switched my older dog over to it. It's not cheap.

A couple of questions have been overlooked, in my opinion.

How much do these dogs weigh?
How much should they weigh to maintain health?

It isn't as important what you feed them as it is how much you feed them and how much exercise they get. Sound familiar?

Once the weight is under control, yes I am making an assumption they are overweight, then worry about correct diet and control amounts.

Get the pancreatitis under control and diet will help keep it there.

Tinbender

NHIrish wrote:
Check Wellness Core grain free reduced fat. Highly rated.

http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/dog-food-reviews/brand/

I've used this food with great results on my MIL's obese cockapoo. Be sure to feed the amount for how much the dog SHOULD weigh, according to your vet, or you won't get the desired results. Also, the recommended amount on the package is too much, IMO. My MIL's dog should have weighed 14-15 lb. (weighed 28.2 when we took her in!!) and I fed her 1/4 cup 2x daily, along with a couple of baby carrots and a couple of tablespoons of no-salt green beans (good fiber to help fill her up). After she lost the desired amount of weight, I upped the food slightly to 1/4 c. a.m. and 1/3 c. p.m. If she started gaining weight again, I cut back.

Another food I'd consider is Now Grain Free Small Breed. I feed it to my 8 year old rescue poodle and he does very well on it. Again, feed the amount for what the dog SHOULD weigh.

I've had my sheltie Andy on Prescription Diet ID low fat dry food since a bout of enteritis in March, and he's doing great! No diarrhea or stomach upsets of any kind, and his weight is holding steady. He eats the dry variety. I'm really glad the vet recommended it. It costs a little more but my dog is doing well and has had no further problems so I'm sold on it. Ask your vet for a recommendation for the right food for your dog, and follow his advice. Good luck!

Rita

Check Wellness Core grain free reduced fat. Highly rated.

http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/dog-food-reviews/brand/