[Nikkie M]

Forum Newbie but not new animal Mommy:) Our 11 month old Beagle/Bloodhound mix needs a new food badly. Currently he is eating Pedigree Puppy. He was originally eating a very cheap Wal-Mart food from his first family and Pedigrees not much better but until we got the needed advice we don’t want to go thru whole switching process.
He doesn’t eat his food until he has to. He DOES NOT like it. But is always hungry with growling belly and all. He is eating 1/2 of recommended amount. He is 35lbs, very active, very healthy and eating about 3 cups a day if that. His bowels are so wishy-washy, almost water one time and rock hard the next. Salt has a big effect on him. We noticed if he gets a treat with salt as a high ingredient he was peeing every hour or so. We live in an apt so he doesn’t get excercise like he should. We found a dog park so we know his appetite will increase as his activity does. He is not a big meat fan unless it’s actual meat I am cooking with.
Now comes my questions. We have been researching 4 star foods on this site (the 5 star is out of our price range) 1) which ones have limited salt? 2) should we stick with puppy for 7 more months? 3)how much should he be eating? 4)should we look for lower carbs and higher protein since his activity isn’t going to be consistent till we find a home with a yard? Any advice welcome and Thank You in advance!

[anonymously]

Unless your dog has a medical condition and a veterinarian has recommended a low-sodium diet….. Healthy dogs usually do not need a special dog food that is low in sodium. Most brands have a minimum amount of sodium, .3%, for maintenance of body functions that require it.

That being said, I read that Orijen has less sodium than other brands. However, the price might be a deterrent. With the better brands you will find you need to feed less kibble, it is dense and less like sawdust as with the cheap brands.

My dogs do well on Nutrisca dry as a base, with a topper such as a spoonful of scrambled egg (made with water) cooked chopped lean meat or chicken, tuna, a spoonful of homemade chicken broth (nothing added) just boil a chicken for 3+ hours, debone, defat, freeze 2-3 day servings, it makes about a quart.
Check chewy.com for prices. If you get a large bag you can freeze 1/2 of it and store the rest in an airtight container, in the fridg if you have room, or at least in a cool dry room.

I add a splash of water to the food, my senior gets his kibble presoaked with water.

Dogs that are prone to weight gain do well with a one hour walk per day, even at a leisurely pace.
Offer meals twice a day, if he doesn’t eat pick it up store in the fridg and offer at the next meal time. He will eat when he is hungry, if he doesn’t eat times 3 days consult a veterinarian. Make sure he is drinking adequate water. Oh, and he is old enough for adult food.
Also, if his bowel habits don’t stabilize soon, I would take him to the vet.

[Nikkie M]

TY I was hoping GOOD FOOD = GOOD URINE GOOD BOWELS so we are gonna give that a try first. Plus hoping it he likes the good he will eat regularly. As it is now he skips about 1 day a week. We don’t do any treats now to speak of to see if maybe he was just being spoiled and wanted what he wanted lol

[anonymously]

I read that these two may have less sodium than other brands also:
ProPlan Select (Sensitive Skin and Stomach) and
Wellness CORE Original Formula

Low Sodium Dog Food

[Pitlove]

Hi Nikkie-

Welcome to the forums. Firstly, it sounds like your boy is not going to be inheriting the large size of the bloodhound and is probably just about done growing if he is at 35lbs and almost a year old. In another month he’s probably good to go on an adult maintenance or all life stages formula.

It is definitely strange that sometimes the stool quality is really good and sometimes really poor. It does not really make sense (to me at least) that sometimes his body is absorbing the nutrients better than other times, but perhaps it has to do with his strange eating habits. I definitely agree with anonymously’s suggestion of the Pro Plan Sensitive Skin & Stomach. It’s formulated without corn, wheat and soy and has excellent digestability and for a fish based food seems to have good palatability. Orijen is probably going to be way out of your price range.

Saying a “good food = good urine and bowels” is a bit too general because “good” can mean a lot of things. The best dog food is the one your dog does the best on and part of that is having high bioavialibility and high digestibility. Some of the “top rated” foods on here have poor digestibility or they don’t agree with the dogs stomach for a variety of reasons or they have poor palatability and the dog won’t touch it which renders the food useless. The 2.5-3 star or 4 star foods are probably a good place to start, but just remember, if your dog does well on the food that is what matters, not the star rating. BTW there are actually a couple of 5 star foods that are reasonably priced (Dr. Tim’s for example). Just depends on how much you want to pay per lb.

[theBCnut]

There are intestinal parasites that cause intermittent problems, so one of these times that he is having bad stools, you should get a very fresh sample in to your vet. Also, try adding probiotics to his food for a couple weeks to see if his gut need some help rebalancing.

[Susan]

Has your boy been wormed with an all wormer??
the quicker you change his diet the better off he’ll be, when a dog continues to have diarrhea they get scaring of the bowel & thickening of the bowel, I rescued my boy 3 yrs ago & vet thinks Patch was feed a poor quality kibble & the owner just kept feeding the kibble & Patch must of had food sensitivities to 1 or 2 ingredients which has cause his IBD that he has now… but it has taken 3 yrs & finally I can rotate Patches kibbles with no problems as long as I stick with limited ingredient kibbles…
I live in a unit & Patch & I go on walks everyday same time 7.30am & 5pm to the local park the bowel will get into a routine as well if you go for walks same time everyday morning & afternoon, Patch also goes down stairs in the community garden for wees thru the day….
I’ve just started feeding the “Taste Of The Wild” Pacific Stream Smoked Salmon & the Sierra Mountain Roasted Lamb, Patch is doing the best poos since I rescued him 3 yrs ago first I started him on the Pacific Stream, then I didn’t really have to introduce the Sierra Mountain Roasted Lamb I just feed it to him & he was OK I was surprised.send TOTW an email asking for some samples they have other formulas that are higher in protein & fat like their High Prairie Canine formula or Welands Canine Formula http://www.tasteofthewildpetfood.com/formula-finder/formula-results/
Costco sell the Kirkland Signature Natures Domain brands made by Taste of The Wild & is cheaper then the TOTW… I don’t have a Costco near me…. http://www.kirklandsignaturepetsupplies.com/natures-domain-brand
another kibble Patch did well on was “Eagle Pack” Original Lamb Meal & Brown Rice it has 3 proteins or there’s the Original Chicken Meal & Brown Rice there’s also their Large & Giant breed Adult http://www.eaglepack.com/product-dog.aspx?pet=2.VwJQV8Jf2M9
Maybe cause he’s been eating a kibble that’s low in proteins maybe start with a kibble that’s around the same protein % maybe just that bit higher & work your way up to higher proteins…..Eagle Pack Lamb & Rice is only 23% protein & 12% in fat the Chicken & Rice is 26%-Protein & 14%-fat, the Costco Kirkland Signature is a bit lower in fat & protein then the TOTW kibbles, that’s what I did with Patch & now finally no more stomach grumbling noises, no more diarrhea or sloppy yellow poos…..touch wood..

[Author]

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