[Lucky's Mom]

I started feeding my 5 dogs, all over 60 lbs & seniors, Canidae Platinum about 9 months ago. We switched from Purina One when I started paying attention to the indgredient list.....yuck! Also our dogs had terrible gas...whew! 5 dogs in one room would make your eyes water!

They get about 2 1/2 cups per day in two feedings with a tablespoon of wet food as a topping. They also get 2 small treats. I'm getting very concerned since they have all gained weight, act starved in between feedings and have all started eating poop!

I don't dare increase the amount of food since they are already gaining weight.

What am I doing wrong here? Should we change brands? To what? I'm so confused reading the ratings since not a lot of them agree with each other.

Thanks !! Any comments would be helpful

 

[SuZQuzie]

I'm a believer in feeding 2/3 meals and 1/3 "hunting."

Essentially, I underfeed the kibble in the bowl so I can give them more opportunities to earn their food through other means.

About 1/3 of the dog's calories come from "hunting" or finding the kibble in nooks and crannies of toys and in "dog safe" areas of the apartment. I like to fill kongs with either peanut butter or yogurt with kibbles mixed in and then fix them to give them something to work for. Always be sure to get the remaining mixture out with a butter knife and then wash the kong to prevent any growth at the end of each day.

I will also place a few kibbles inside toys so he has to use his nose to find them.

Also, plenty of chews and the like. Bully sticks are excellent because they taste great and take a LONG time to be eaten. Be careful with them at the end since a dog can swallow a small remaining end.

This will provide both appropriate nutritional and mental health.

 

[malluver1005]

I started feeding my 5 dogs, all over 60 lbs & seniors, Canidae Platinum about 9 months ago. We switched from Purina One when I started paying attention to the indgredient list.....yuck! Also our dogs had terrible gas...whew! 5 dogs in one room would make your eyes water!

They get about 2 1/2 cups per day in two feedings with a tablespoon of wet food as a topping. They also get 2 small treats. I'm getting very concerned since they have all gained weight, act starved in between feedings and have all started eating poop!

I don't dare increase the amount of food since they are already gaining weight.

What am I doing wrong here? Should we change brands? To what? I'm so confused reading the ratings since not a lot of them agree with each other.

Thanks !! Any comments would be helpful

Don't pay attention to them acting like they are starving. If you give into that, they will continue to do it. As for the amount, is it 2 1/2 twice a day (a total of 5 cups) or 2 1/2 for the entire day...? How much exercise are they getting and how old are they...?

 

[Unosmom]

I'm not suprised that they are hungry, its only 20% protein. One of the biggest misconseptions regarding senior food is that they need low protein/low fat diets, while its true their their metabolism slows down with age, foods that are high in carbs raise insulin levels and since carbs are minimally used for energy, since they arent converted, they are stored as fat. If anything senior dogs need higher protein levels to retain lean muscle mass and prevent obesity. Higher protein also means your dog will stay fuller, longer instead of eating something thats poorly digested and passes right through them.
If you chose to feed kibble, go with meat based, while Canidae is a relatively decent brand, their Platinum formula is a bit dated.

Taste of the wild is relatively affordable, High prarie line is 32% protein, which is actually a good medium, not too high or too low.
If your dog needs additional joint supplement, its best to just get them as a seperate supplement instead of relying on kibble to provide it since most kibble contain minimal ammounts of glucosamine/chondroitin, its not enough to make sufficient difference in dogs.

 

[Lucky's Mom]

They get 2 1/2 cups total. All are seniors and mostly couch potatoes. My eldest is 14 and had an attack of pancreatitis at some point so I have to watch the fat content in whatever I feed.
They are all so "food focused" that they are making me crazy!

 

[Todd]

Something I might try is to reduce the amount you are feeding them, and supplament their diet with plenty of cooked cabbage. It fills em up with virtually no calories! Hope that helps!:smile:

 

[wags]

treats of carrots, green beans, apple are a nice thing for them. Also kongs with fat free yogurt frozen in it or peanut butter frozen or fat free cream cheesefrozen is a nice and takes a bit for them to get through filler that is not at all bad for them. Give healthy treats and this way you can give them more to fill them up!
Have you tried EVO or Orijen much more protien or Wellness core? Try a grain free food seems to fill them up alot more!:smile:

 

[Todd]

Yes I'd agree. High protein/grain free foods more filling, and supply your dog with his nutritional needs will a lot less food.

 

[Lucky's Mom]

Thanks everyone for your suggestions.....I'll give them a try.

I spoke with my vet and he said to increase the protien and add pumpkin but to be sure and not overdo the fat content. So what percentage of fat is too high?

 

[Todd]

Don't worry about the fat, unless your dog has an underlying health condition. Dogs are meant to consume high levels of fat. High fat levels may be a threat to humans, but usually not to dogs.