[Christie]

My 8 year old American Bulldog/Pit mix is 115 pounds and my 2 year old Catahoula Leopard Dog Mix is about 45 pounds. My vet thinks their healthy weight should be around 90 and 35 pounds, respectively. To address the weight issue, I slowly transitioned both dogs to Natural Balance Fat Dogs, because it had much lower calorie counts than other reduced fat/weight loss foods. My big guy has had some issues in the past with food allergies and I noticed that within a few weeks of eating the new food, he was having issues with his ears and licking his paws. I looked up the food on this site and saw that the carb percentage was very high and my vet had said in the past that high carb foods can cause allergy induced ear infections.
I tried transitioning to Wellness Core Reduced Fat with the same results. I don’t know if he has a poultry allergy or just a chicken allergy but both of those foods list chicken and turkey as main ingredients. And I have yet to find a quality dry food weight loss formula that uses a different protein source (and yes I do know that chicken and turkey are the leanest animal protein choices)

Does anyone have a suggestion? I was going to just try transitioning to a quality food (maybe the beef based Victor hero) and just limiting the amount of food that they consume. Both dogs prefer smaller sized kibble and I heard Victor is pretty small.

[zcRiley]

Switch immediately to Zignature dog food formulas, don’t wait so that the pups can get immediate relief. The best kibble for allergy prone dogs. Yeast and skin disorders disappear in a week, proven. Provide plenty of fresh water. Get them moving with more exercise, cutting down portions dangerously lowers needed nutrients. While doing this, order the Glacier Peak Holistics allergy test on each dog, then wait for results. Daily ball and frisbee fetching, brisk walks and swimming keeps my own pups lean and mean!

[Leslie W]

Which Zignature formula are you talking about, all of them? If so they are poultry formulas as well so what is making a difference?

[Lisa Z]

A friend of mine says they’ve tried everything and have found Acana to be the best. No more skin or ears issues and both of their dogs love it. They have a St. Bernard and a Coonhound. They’ve had the best success with the Freshwater fish over the poultry or beef. I’ve been considering Acana for my Bloodhound.

[crazy4cats]

Here is a link to some suggested weight loss foods on the review side of this site:

/best-dog-foods/weight-loss-dog-foods/

On the list, I have fed the Victor senior/healthy weight formula with good results. Also, Whole Earth Farms has a Pork, Beef and Lamb formula that is poultry free. It is also low in fat and calories. My dogs do exceptionally well on this food. Hope this helps!

[Christie]

I ordered a bag of the lamb formula from Chewy (the one local store that I found who carries the brand only has the multi protein formula that has turkey in it).

I looked at Zignature’s website and the food does look good. My only concern is intestinal issues if I switch them cold turkey. Zignature states that dogs can usually switch immediately with no issue, but I don’t know what’s worse: possible stomach pain/diarrhea with both dogs or the skin/ear itching with my big guy (I have been using OTC cortisone eardrops and the ear looks 90% better).

I literally have enough Wellness dry food for 2 more feedings…do I buy another small bag of it to transition with or take my chances when the Zignature arrives tomorrow?

And does anyone have suggestions for toppers? My dogs are super picky eaters. Neither dog likes kibble very much. One of the reasons (according to the vet) that both gained weight last year was due to me mixing in canned (quality) dog food. Or do I just feed the dry solo and hope they like it and if not leave it until they get hungry enough to eat it?

• This reply was modified 7 years, 9 months ago by Christie.

[crazy4cats]

I mix toppers in all of my dogs’ meals. It is very important that you decrease the amount of kibble you are feeding when you do this. I actually compute the calories of the toppers and decrease their kibble by the same amount of calories.

Mine get a little canned food in their kibble every morning meal. Usually a canned stew as they are usually lower in calories and easy to mix in their food. I mostly feed the canned Nature’s Domain turkey and pea stew sold at Costco. Also have fed some Wellness and 4Health stews.

For the evening meals, I rotate between an egg, tripe, commercial raw and/or sardines for their meal mixers. The canned foods are mostly complete and balanced, but the evening toppers are not and must be at less than at least 25% of their diet.

Good luck to you!

• This reply was modified 7 years, 9 months ago by crazy4cats.

[Susan W]

Hi!
A couple of things here:
1) Carbs are okay for your dog if they are complex carbs. Lots of dog foods use simple carbs and these feed issues like Candida. It’s possible that your dog actually has Candida, as opposed to a food allergy (my guess, based on the paw licking & ear issue). To check symptoms, go to Nzymes.com or DERMagic.com
2) If you feed your dogs at regular times each day – as opposed to letting them eat at their leisure, it’ll be easier to control their weight.
3) I fed Victor for a short time & it smells like dog food – i.e. it smells like processed & burned hair, feathers, and beaks. I tried Victor because they hadn’t had a recall & they’re kind of a local company. I MUCH prefer VeRUS. I currently feed their Advanced Opticoat formula because my golden has Candida (she did the paw licking, ear rubbing thing) & I’m trying to finally give Candida the boot. Opticoat is made with a wild-caught, cold-water fish called menhaden which is high the right kinds of Omegas. The added benefit of this food is that IT DOESN’T STINK! It smells like fresh fish – even at the bottom of the bag. I’ve fed other VeRUS formulas and none of them smell like dog food. There is either no discernible scent OR it smells like fresh ingredients. If you are still looking to switch foods or even just to try one out, contact VeRUs & they’ll send you free samples. It’s worth contacting them just to get an idea of what dog food really SHOULD smell like!
4) Kibble size – victor IS small – about the size of a pea. My golden had trouble picking it up. VeRUS is a little less than the diameter of a dime & about 2x as thick. She has no trouble with this kibble.
BTW VeRUS also has a weight management formula. It is Lamb-based.

[Deborah D]

I have a 1 yr old European Basset that has become
overweight and my vet has put him on Royal Canine wt control. Good grief my pooch acts like he’s starving!! I know Bassets are all about food and all of the health issues if he doesn’t drop the wt but I feel there might be something better for him?

[InkedMarie]

Deborah: *you* own this dog, not the vet. That means that *you* choose the food. Lots of dogs are “all about food” but they can only eat what the humans give them.

Some foods to look at are Annamaet Lean & Wellness Core Reduced fat. You may need to order Annamaet online; Wellness is easier to find.

Watch the treats. You can use some of his food ration for treats, fresh green beans and a few carrots (very few). Lots of exercise too.

[Deborah D]

Thanks InkedMarie: I’m well aware that my dog is my responsibility. I came on this forum to see if others had the same issue w/Royal Canine and the hunger issue as Dog Advisor couldn’t give any it a grade.

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