# Food and weight gain



## Brodies Daddy (Jul 2, 2010)

_I have been gleaning information on diets for our fur babies here but I am still uncertain about how to feed to give the best over all coverage for a long life. I understand strictly feeding dry kibble is harder on the internal organs to process and digest and may cause some kidney issues later in life. I do not have the time to cook since I have a full time job so I wanted to ask everyone about mixing dry and canned in small portions. I do not mean with every meal but several time per week. Will this upset the digestive system and possibly cause stool? I am also concerned about weight gain since Brodie is only 1 1/2 year old he is a larger boy and I want to keep him at 7 lbs max but 6 to 6 1/2 would be better. He is now 7.5 and I am needed to get some weight off him now! I have been feeding Blue Buffalo to both Malts over a year now and when I changed over to the Healthy Weight formulation I noticed the gain. _
_I ask for everyones advice and opinions please._

_Mark_


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## almitra (Apr 24, 2009)

Brodies Daddy said:


> _I have been gleaning information on diets for our fur babies here but I am still uncertain about how to feed to give the best over all coverage for a long life. I understand strictly feeding dry kibble is harder on the internal organs to process and digest and may cause some kidney issues later in life. I do not have the time to cook since I have a full time job so I wanted to ask everyone about mixing dry and canned in small portions. I do not mean with every meal but several time per week. *Will this upset the digestive system and possibly cause stool?* I am also concerned about weight gain since Brodie is only 1 1/2 year old he is a larger boy and I want to keep him at 7 lbs max but 6 to 6 1/2 would be better. He is now 7.5 and I am needed to get some weight off him now! I have been feeding Blue Buffalo to both Malts over a year now and when I changed over to the Healthy Weight formulation I noticed the gain. _
> _I ask for everyones advice and opinions please._
> 
> _Mark_


Um, yes, it will possibly cause stool....LOL!!! (Sorry, Mark, couldn't resist!!!!!!)


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## Brodies Daddy (Jul 2, 2010)

Okay you got me! I did mean to say loose stool duh!!!!!


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## pammy4501 (Aug 8, 2007)

Mark, you might find this interesting:
part 1
Dr. Karen Becker: How to Choose a Good Dog Food (Video)
part 2
Dr. Karen Becker: How to Choose a Good Dog Food – Part 2 (Video)


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## silverhaven (Sep 6, 2009)

You could do that. You shouldn't have any problems and nutritionally the same. Don't think you can leave canned out though, so if you are talking free feed while you are out then it isn't probably the best. 

Another thing you could do is to feed kibble for morning and when you are particularly busy, and then maybe a wet food for the evening when you could perhaps have more time. A dehydrated type of food like Addiction that you just add water to, or Dr. Harveys, where you just add meat and water to the dehydrated food. Weight depends a lot on the dogs appetite of course, you may have to restrict if getting a little overweight.

Of course they all produce stool though :HistericalSmiley:


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## LJSquishy (Feb 27, 2008)

If the dry formulation you are feeding has grain in it, it could be causing Brodie to put on some extra weight. Some dogs gain weight with grain while others do not.

You can certainly feed a mixture of canned and dry kibble! Canned food is easier to digest, too. You can consider feeding all canned or even a dehydrated or freeze-dried food. All are good options.


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## RudyRoo (Jun 24, 2011)

pammy4501 said:


> Mark, you might find this interesting:
> part 1
> Dr. Karen Becker: How to Choose a Good Dog Food (Video)
> part 2
> Dr. Karen Becker: How to Choose a Good Dog Food – Part 2 (Video)


I agree with the above video suggestions! They are great sources of info!

I do a combo wet canned/kibble for Rudy. He is a very picky eater! I too heard the rumor that wet food would cause loose stool, but I have not had that problem at all with Rudy. Before I watched the above videos I was just giving a small teaspoon of the wet food mixed with his kibble, but per Dr. Becker's suggestion I am now giving him more of the wet food. It's been working great for us!


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## Brodies Daddy (Jul 2, 2010)

Well my boys live in my apartment with me so I do not have a yard I can just let me out to play in. I take them out for short walks so the amount of exercise they get daily is minimal. Most of the activity they get is from running laps around my place.


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## Brodies Daddy (Jul 2, 2010)

Wow that video is very good and I learned what to look for on the labels. I think I will see about feeding dry one meal and a canned for the second and see if it makes any difference.


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## almitra (Apr 24, 2009)

Hey Mark, when you made your 50th post, you went from Newbie to Member! Woo-hoo!!!!!!!!!!!


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## Brodies Daddy (Jul 2, 2010)

We have a Petsmart in Tyler and I am not sure what they carry as far as a very healthy food choice but if I wanted to introduce a canned option any suggestions mommies? I know they have Blue Buffalo.


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## RudyRoo (Jun 24, 2011)

I'm pretty sure that Petsmart carries Innova and Nutro. I have heard great things about both brands.


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## LJSquishy (Feb 27, 2008)

RudyRoo said:


> I'm pretty sure that Petsmart carries Innova and Nutro. I have heard great things about both brands.


Innova is a good brand, but stay away from Nutro!!! It is HORRIBLE stuff and they have had many recalls.


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## LJSquishy (Feb 27, 2008)

Brodies Daddy said:


> We have a Petsmart in Tyler and I am not sure what they carry as far as a very healthy food choice but if I wanted to introduce a canned option any suggestions mommies? I know they have Blue Buffalo.


Petsmart unfortunately does not carry hardly any quality foods, not nearly as many as Petco. But, if you don't have a Petco...I would only go for Blue Buffalo (grain-free), By Nature, Innova, or Wellness grain-free. That goes for dry or canned.

Petco carries a few more choices that are good.


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## poochie2 (Jan 14, 2010)

If you do not have time to home cook and you want a really good food I highly reccomend Weruva - People Food for Pets.
This is a very superior canned food . I started feeding this to my malt when I needed to add more moisture into her diet cause of urinary infections. Not only does she love the food but she lost 2 pounds cause it is very low in fat. I usually give canned for morning and dry kibble for the evening.


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## aprilb (Jul 9, 2010)

I always measure out the food I feed my girls. This helps a lot with keeping their weight stable.


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## Brodies Daddy (Jul 2, 2010)

If I continue to feed dry kibble in the morning and switch to canned in the evening how much of the canned do I feed? I normally measure out 1/4 cup per meal per dog. Will it be the same portion for the canned 1/4 cup? The cans say to feed 1/2 can per 10 lbs of weight. My boys are 7 lbs so I am thinking 1/4 cup. What do you guys think? I just do not want to allow them to get over weight. You know its is to put it on but much harder to get rid of. What about mixing the dry and the canned is that a good idea?


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## Snowball Pie's Mommi (Oct 16, 2008)

Mark, one other thought ... since you are worried about weight issues. Maybe, if you are not doing it already ... you might want to monitor how many treats your fluff's are consuming every day. 

Snowball happens to love raw snap peas as a treat. He LOVES them! I think he loves the crunchy sound, too. His other favorite treat is the organic lamb liver treats (they look like little cubes) ... he goes nuts over these!!! They have no additives in them ... just organic lamb liver. He enjoys about six cubes a day. We break each cube up though, because he loves them so much ... that he will tend to swallow them whole otherwise!

A lot of Malt's seem to love raw carrot bites ... but, Snowball isn't into them right now. Anyway ... I'm sure you can come up with a lot of healthy low fat treats ... and, you probably have already. 

By the way ... your fluff's are gorgeous. :wub::wub::wub:


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## RudyRoo (Jun 24, 2011)

LJSquishy said:


> Innova is a good brand, but stay away from Nutro!!! It is HORRIBLE stuff and they have had many recalls.


Wow! Good to know!



poochie2 said:


> If you do not have time to home cook and you want a really good food I highly reccomend Weruva - People Food for Pets.
> This is a very superior canned food . I started feeding this to my malt when I needed to add more moisture into her diet cause of urinary infections. Not only does she love the food but she lost 2 pounds cause it is very low in fat. I usually give canned for morning and dry kibble for the evening.


I love Weruva! It looks like human food. Mark, if you are interested in Weruva you can do a search on their website for places near you that sell it.



Brodies Daddy said:


> What about mixing the dry and the canned is that a good idea?


I mix the canned and dry food for Rudy and he likes it. He is a very picky eater so he doesn't typically get excited about food, but the smell of the canned food seems to entice him more than just the dry kibble.


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## DiamondsDad (Jul 14, 2011)

I hadn't heard that it's not good to give dogs only dry food. I asked our vet about whether it was a good idea to feed Diamond some wet food and some dry food (my family always does this with cats as it is VERY important to do with cats). Our vet said that the mixture of dry and wet food is the right thing to do for cats but not beneficial for dogs. She said the dogs don't need the extra moisture from wet food like cats do and that eating wet food will cause small dogs like Maltese to develop more dental problems. Therefore, she said it's best just to keep feeding Diamond dry food. 
It seems the opinion here though is that dogs should get some wet food. Is everyone of that opinion?


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## silverhaven (Sep 6, 2009)

DiamondsDad said:


> I hadn't heard that it's not good to give dogs only dry food. I asked our vet about whether it was a good idea to feed Diamond some wet food and some dry food (my family always does this with cats as it is VERY important to do with cats). Our vet said that the mixture of dry and wet food is the right thing to do for cats but not beneficial for dogs. She said the dogs don't need the extra moisture from wet food like cats do and that eating wet food will cause small dogs like Maltese to develop more dental problems. Therefore, she said it's best just to keep feeding Diamond dry food.
> It seems the opinion here though is that dogs should get some wet food. Is everyone of that opinion?


It used to be that the vets would say that. My Bichon was on dry food a lot of her life, but she developed very bad bladder stones, that the vet said was from her being on just dry, which is what that vet used to say was the best. It is very very hard for them to get sufficient fluid in them to counteract feeding dry kibble. Most vets now I think, particularly the newer ones out of vet school are saying do not feed just dry kibble. It is pretty much now considered a complete fallacy that it helps the teeth in any way. The only way to help the teeth is brushing and using the enzyme spray/gel. and giving good bones to chew.


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## Piccolina (Dec 25, 2009)

silverhaven said:


> It used to be that the vets would say that. My Bichon was on dry food a lot of her life, but she developed very bad bladder stones......




My Dolcina developed bladder crystals (which would have eventually become bladder stones) and my Vet told me to give her 60mg of Vitamine C every day (she is on dry food). After about a month we took a urine sample and she has been cleared from the bladder crystals.


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## Brodies Daddy (Jul 2, 2010)

My boys do love to eat green beans. carrots and other veggies. I keep carrot chips in my fridge and green beans so I can give them as treats. While out walking one day I noticed Mr Buzz nibbling on green grass and this habit continued so I thought why not try green beans so I did and found that its a hit with all of them even Ms. Sophie.


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## RudyRoo (Jun 24, 2011)

DiamondsDad said:


> It seems the opinion here though is that dogs should get some wet food. Is everyone of that opinion?


That is my opinion! Watching those videos of Dr. Becker really nailed that point for me. I asked my vet about it too, and she said that giving canned food is really important, especially for very active and playful pups because they need that moisture and water. She said as long as the canned food is a quality brand, then it will only benefit and not harm in any way.


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## poochie2 (Jan 14, 2010)

Saying that wet food is bad for their teeth is a myth....it's like saying homecooked meals for dogs are bad for their teeth which is obviously not true. It's also not true that kibble is good for their teeth because of the scrubbing action.....myth again.
Wet food is expensive but much easier to digest and they DO need the moisture.
I give both kibble and canned food and I always rotate. My almost 3 year old malt has great teeth and the moisture in the wet food helped her kidneys recover for 2 urinary tract infections.


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## Bailey&Me (Mar 8, 2010)

RudyRoo said:


> That is my opinion! Watching those videos of Dr. Becker really nailed that point for me. I asked my vet about it too, and she said that giving canned food is really important, especially for very active and playful pups because they need that moisture and water. She said as long as the canned food is a quality brand, then it will only benefit and not harm in any way.





poochie2 said:


> Saying that wet food is bad for their teeth is a myth....it's like saying homecooked meals for dogs are bad for their teeth which is obviously not true. It's also not true that kibble is good for their teeth because of the scrubbing action.....myth again.
> Wet food is expensive but much easier to digest and they DO need the moisture.
> I give both kibble and canned food and I always rotate. My almost 3 year old malt has great teeth and the moisture in the wet food helped her kidneys recover for 2 urinary tract infections.


I agree!!  When I first got Bailey last year, I always mixed canned and dry food together for him since day one and his teeth were never a problem. Then at the beginning of this year, I switched him to an all-wet food diet and his teeth still look great (actually even better than they were before, on kibble) I really don't think kibble has anything to do with keeping teeth clean and healthy - it's much more important to give them plenty of things to chew on and brush their teeth. He now eats canned food/dehydrated raw which I like more than kibble because it's less processed and contains more moisture.


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## silverhaven (Sep 6, 2009)

Piccolina said:


> My Dolcina developed bladder crystals (which would have eventually become bladder stones) and my Vet told me to give her 60mg of Vitamine C every day (she is on dry food). After about a month we took a urine sample and she has been cleared from the bladder crystals.


Yes, I believe that vitamin C can help with the acid balance for the bladder but doesn't solve the underlying problem of dehydration, which can have whole system problems. Seems better to me to fix the real problem. I don't think a dog being fed just dry food can rehydrate nearly enough, especially on a hot day, with just having a drink of water.


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## pammy4501 (Aug 8, 2007)

DiamondsDad said:


> I hadn't heard that it's not good to give dogs only dry food. I asked our vet about whether it was a good idea to feed Diamond some wet food and some dry food (my family always does this with cats as it is VERY important to do with cats). Our vet said that the mixture of dry and wet food is the right thing to do for cats but not beneficial for dogs. She said the dogs don't need the extra moisture from wet food like cats and that eating wet food will cause small dogs like Maltese to develop more dental problems. Therefore, she said it's best just to keep feeding Diamond dry food.
> It seems the opinion here though is that dogs should get some wet food. Is everyone of that opinion?


That is a really outdated opinion. I know that there are still a lot of vets out there that really believe that dry food can keep teeth clean. Well, let me ask you, does eating dry crunchy food clean your teeth? I think not. You still need to brush. Dogs need to get at least 40% of their water needs through there food. Dry food does not meet this need.


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## DiamondsDad (Jul 14, 2011)

Thanks for all the feedback about wet food. We will talk again to Diamond's vet; one vet has about 20 years of experience but is in regular communication with the Veterinary College and does a lot of professional development. She's the one who said Diamond shouldn't eat wet food. Maybe she is mistaken on this. The other vet who works at the office just graduated from veterinary college in Glasgow last year. We will ask her what she thinks I'll also ask my friend who graduate from veterinary college about 2 years ago. Hopefully, we will get a satsifactory explanation about the mix of foods to feed our little fluff and why.


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## almitra (Apr 24, 2009)

One thing I've noticed is that you are likely to get as many varied opinions as people queried, vets included. YOU are your baby's best advocate, and nothing takes the place of a well researched fluff owner who knows their baby in and out, and makes it their business to learn as much as they possibly can. This enables you to make the best, most informed choice on your fluff's behalf.


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