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Bulking Up Food


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What do you use I guess as a bit of filler when you feed your dog?

Kenzie is on reduced rations to try and lose some weight (she is not at all happy about this!!), so I'm wanting something to make her tummy feel more full that is low calorie. She has taken to trying to steal the cats food, something they and I are not happy about!! And yes it should be inaccessible to her (she is climbing to get to it - unfortunately one of my cats can't jump baby gates etc so I can't section it off like that).

She also tends to have a bit of a problem in that she often has full anal glands, so I'm wanting something that will be bulky at the other end to try and help with this.

Currently, she gets a grated carrot with her dinner and at the moment also some rice, plus a little bit of kibble and 2 chicken necks (she also gets some kibble during the day when she is working/training). She will also usually get one "treat" (bully stick or something along those lines) most days when she is at home when I work, if she comes to work she doesn't usually get this. I have also put psyllium husk in her food to try and help with the anal gland issue but I don't know that it has helped much (and she tends to have poo that is quite jelly-ish when she has a lot of psyllium husk). I tend to gently express her anal glands every so often, more to be preventative than anything else (the moment she does a butt scoot it usually means they are starting to fill!).

So if anyone has any brilliant ideas or remedies for either issue here I'd love to hear about it!!!

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Not sure how much weight she needs to loss & what size she is but i am gathering she is a bigger dog & would say she is hungry on that alone.

Diet isn't about starving but feeding the right amount full stop & that combo would be very light on the tummy especially in winter ,

What was she feed before her diet ??

Did she get lots of treats ??

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If any of our dogs need to lose weight ..they just get about 2/3 or 1/2 of their normal food ..and maybe an apple or carrot or pear to chew.

I find if food is good quality protein ,THAT keeps them feeling satiated ..rather than a belly full of fibre .

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Good quality food and a couple of tablespoons of bran wetted with water - just the cheap cooking bran flakes, no need to buy Allbran :laugh: Unfortunately it makes them poop like elephants, but quick and simple.

Edited by Sandra777
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I'm a dry baked pumpkin fan.

However a small bag of a quality "lite" food is probably easiest. It will be full of cereal but unless your dog has allergies, that's ok. Cereal can play a key role in satiating canine appetite.

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To me it doesn't make much sense to use psyllium husk for an anal glad problem. My understanding of anal glad issues is that you need firmer poo to express the glands. Psyllium husk will give you softer poo.

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To me it doesn't make much sense to use psyllium husk for an anal glad problem. My understanding of anal glad issues is that you need firmer poo to express the glands. Psyllium husk will give you softer poo.

Actually what you need is bigger poo. My vet recommends psyllium for the purpose.

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A small hard poo won't either.

In my experience a trip to the chiropractor, plenty of exercise and more fibre in the diet are an effective combination for solving a lot of anal gland issues.

Edited by Haredown Whippets
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A small hard poo won't either.

Would you like to point out exactly were I said a 'small hard poo' was needed?

How many big hard poos do dogs do?

Or do do :)

I don't believe I even used the word 'hard' in relation to poos.

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Why dont you try the Vets ALl Natural mix and some lean protein, plenty of fibre in there to help with the anal glands

Yes, VAN works extremely well for this has eliminated the need for frequent expressing in many of my grooming clients, my own dogs have had no anal gland oopsies at all since they have been on VAN.

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Interesting thread. I bulk mine up with Black and Gold frozen veggies. I also use human grade food for them - Woolies cans of mackerel are reasonably priced and mixed with the veggies provide a filling but low cal meal. - they also have an RMB day a week.

I find the moment I start supplementing them on commercial dried food, doesn't seem to matter what sort or brand, their weight balloons. :(

Edited by westiemum
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Hmm, I might have to look in to VAN. That's the grainy one, yes? And maybe I'll try bran instead of psyllium husk plus more roughly chopped veg rather than grated carrot.

Thanks for the ideas I'll get to trying them!!

Yes the VAN looks like muesli you soak it then add your meat to it.

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