[maxcori2002]

My 8 year old lab is low energy and is always a few pounds overweight. She is also always hungry! I have her on the Wellness Senior. I’d like to switch her because she just seems too hungry and it is giving her terrible gas. She is also eating her own feces. Yuck. Nothing seems to be wrong health wise. She has done this off and on in her life. I have tried most additives and correctives. Just seems worse on this particular dog food. Any suggestions on a food that would leave her more satisfied and less gassy would be great. Thanks!
Cori

[zcRiley]

ZiwiPeak is a very clean ingredients food. Zero fillers. Easy to digest. Check out their website!

[Pitlove]

I went and read over the ingredients to what I think is the senior formula your lab is on. is this it? http://www.wellnesspetfood.com/product-details.aspx?pet=dog&pid=58

if it is, my first problem with it is that the protein is too low. senior dogs have a higher protein requirement to fight off catabolic responses in their bodies. secondly what is making you think she is still hungry? if in fact she is she might not be able to digest the grains and turn them into useful nutrients and energy. For me personally the only line I like from wellness is wellness CORE. it is the most species appropriate for any healthy dog with no known medical conditions. the gas could be from the protein source. i know someone whos dog has gas with pork so maybe for her it’s chicken.

[maxcori2002]

Thank you!
Yes, that’s the one. She is just crazy when I get ready to feed her in the morning and in the afternoon. Like she can not wait. Plus, she follows me around all day like she does when she wants to be fed. She is scavenging off the countertops every chance she gets. That just started in the last couple of months.

[Pitlove]

I have a year old pitbull featured in my avatar picture. he was for a long time the pickiest dog. i tried all sorts of different foods and combinations of dry and wet and i felt like all hope was lost for finding him something that he WOULD get excited about. i’ve always fed the same amount, that hasnt changed, but lately after i changed the way i prepare his food (using the kibble as a topper instead of wet food and using the wet food as the main source) he is excited to eat, hes licking the bowl clean and looking for more. i think your dog is going through the same thing. labs are food lovers, i don’t think shes hungry i think she loves her food! and is excited about meal time. our kitten does the same thing. meowing all the time acting like we don’t feed her, so i tested her one night. i fed her her normal 3oz can and then gave her another and she barely touched it. i had to throw out 90% of the can. so i know shes not hungry she just loves to eat just like some dogs! she gets the same way as your lab. very excited about meal time.

i dont think your dog is hungry. i think she loves food. as for her weight, if you get her on a high animal protein, moderate fat and low carb diet and cut back on how much she is eating she will lose weight. i suggest the Wellness CORE.

[maxcori2002]

My goal is to keep the weight off, keep her satisfied and make sure I’m meeting her needs as a senior girl. My other lab passed away last year. She lived to be 16. I know that is a long time, but I would really like to improve some of the last years. She had some neurological damage from arthritis. So, I thought making sure I switch to a senior food earlier would help. I have already started Salmon oil. We take Nuvet Plus vitamins and I’m looking for another source for Glucosamine.

[maxcori2002]

I can’t figure out how to get the avatar picture. 🙁

[maxcori2002]

I’ll try the Wellness Core. I was wondering about it. So many to choose from

[DogFoodie]

My three favorite “senior” foods are Wellness Core Reduced Fat, Go! Fit+Free Senior and Orijen Senior. All three are quality products made by manufacturers I trust, of quality ingredients. All have protein in excess of 30% and a bit less fat, but still high quality fats.

[Pitlove]

Senior dog food is one of the worst things to happen to the commercial dog food industry. basically senior dog formulas came about after protein started getting this bad reputation that it was making less active dogs fat (which is usually most senior dogs). However, what people didn’t udnerstand was that it was not “protein” that was the culprit it was the TYPE of protein. Proteins like corn can not be fully digested by dogs and thus end up breaking down into sugar and end up getting stored as fat creating the weight gain.

I found an article for you by a holistic vet that most of us on the site are big fans of for her all natural and holistic outlook on pet nutrition. She discusses the nutrition needs of senior dogs in this article and discusses the flaws in commercial dog food marketed towards senior pets.

http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2011/05/05/surprising-findings-from-tufts-study-of-37-senior-dog-foods.aspx

[maxcori2002]

Awesome! Thanks! Just subscribed today. Have always fed good foods, but I am finding out that even in the better foods you can make better choices for your dog.

[Pitlove]

no problem! i wish you the best of luck with finding a quality food for your old girl. Ill leave you with a suggestion for a food that I really like and Im currently using, which would be Orijen. It is high in animal protein moderate to low in fat and has 0% grains potatoe or tapioca starch. Some don’t like the use of lentils in it, however so far i’ve had great success with it. it’s on the more expensive side but it’s worth the money. they use human grade ingredients, the company that manufactures the food is award winning, all their meats poultry and fish are sourced regionally in Canada where the food is made and delivered to them fresh every day.

[InkedMarie]

Wellness Core reduced fat & Annamaet Lean is what I’d try. Keep in mind it’s ok if you think he’s hungry. Like us, we are supposed to be satisfied, we don’t need to be full.

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