[Mom2Cavs]

I order from Chewy’s all the time. I have to get my Wellness Simple from them as no one locally carries it. This last order I put in two small bags of Annamaet, the Salcha and Aqualuk. The Wellness Simple has a great expiry date, over a year out. The Salcha has a great date, at least a year out, but the Aqualuk is only good till April of this year! I didn’t want to use it first, but I may have to…..could send it back but that’s a pain, too. I wanted to continue with the Simple for awhile because they usually eat Simple Small Breed, which is Salmon, and I ordered the regular Simple Turkey to see if they’d eat it (larger kibble size) and if they did well on it. I think I’m just gonna do the Simple Turkery and either use the Aqualuk as treats or give it to a friend of mine that I always give kibble to….very disappointed with it’s date. Chewy’s is usually fantastic, but maybe all their Aqualuk had that date? Maybe it’s not as popular as the Salcha or Manitok.

[Hater and Molly’s Mom]

Hi Mom2Cavs, I had that issue with Chewy as well. I ordered a bag of the NVI Lamb&Salmon and the expiration date was only 3 months out. I knew i wouldn’t use it in time as i have quite the stash of dog food. I called them and told them that. They were so nice about it! They told me to keep the bag, donate it if i wanted to, and they would send out a bag with a longer expiration date. I had the new bag in two days and the expiration date was 8 months out. I would give them a call and explain it. I love their customer service.

[aquariangt]

I finally caved and ordered a bag of Victor Yukon, even though I usually like to purchase from a store before ordering online, but there is just no one around here that can get it for me (inspecting bag, exp dates, etc). Hope it works! Just for Dani right now, I’ll try a bag of the Hi Pro for Liesl if it goes well. I’d like to try the Ultra Pro, but I would never get through a bag that big

[Dog_Obsessed]

Where did you order the Victor? I can’t find it near me, and there are only large bags that I’ve found online.

I also love Chewy’s costumer service, especially their 24 hour chat.

[aquariangt]

amazon and sportdogfood both have it, and it seems to be the same price. The only 3 bags that are under 30 lbs that I can find are the Yukon, The Joint Supplement one, and the Hi Pro-all in 5 lb bags. No 15 lb that I can find either

[Mom2Cavs]

Hey, all! I did email Chewy’s about the shorter expiry date on the bag of Aqualuk and they are sending me a new bag! I’ve emailed them once before when this happened and they made good. I will definitely keep ordering from Chewy’s!

[Bobby dog]

Mom2Cavs: I am glad you posted an update. I have never heard or read of anyone receiving bad customer service from them. There are several on-line companies I always recommend with Chewy being one of them.

[Dog_Obsessed]

Today i tried a sample of THK Force with Lily. She was a little hesitant at first, but then she licked the bowl clean. It was about the same reaction that she had to Love and Embark. Thrive and Zeal she liked better, and ate immediately. I have never actually seen her not eat food given to her since she became a food-motivated dog. I think I have a story about that earlier in the thread. At this point, if she refuses food then either there is something wrong with it or we have a medical emergency. 🙂

[Peggy]

This morning my Jrt (Tebow) got a 1/4 cup of Pure Balance Salmon & Peas dry food, a 1/4 cup of Chicken & Brown Rice recipe dry (total 1/2 cup dry), and a small tub of Chicken & Veggies w/ gravy stew.

My Lab/Shephard (LadyBug) got 1/2 cup of Salmon & Peas dry, 1/2 cup of Chicken & Brown Rice dry (total 1 cup dry), and a can of Chicken (not stew).

Tebow ate all of his, as usual.
LadyBug ate everything but the chicken dry food. She just doesn’t like it, so she picks through and leaves that behind. ha.

[Dog_Obsessed]

How is Tebow doing on weight loss?

[Peggy]

He hasn’t lost much yet. Probably because the Wellness Core Reduced fat didn’t work out, so We’re trying Pure Balance, and we’re going from a once-per-day feeding to twice per day, and I’m having a difficult time trying to figure out how much to feed both of them. I know that sounds silly, but I’ve always fed them both the same amount, for whatever dumb reason, which probably contributed to his weight gain and her still feeling hungry.

I could kick myself. 🙁

[Dog_Obsessed]

Don’t feel bad. It’s easy to make that mistake. I think you stated at one point the Tebow’s ideal weight was around 20 pounds. According to the Dog Food Calculator, for weight loss he requires about 366 calories per day. According to the Walmart Q and A, Pure Balance Chicken and Rice has 336 calories per cup. I can’t find the calories in the stews, does it say on the package? Depending on how many calories he’s getting from wet food, you could try feeding him a little less than one cup dry per day. Adjust the food if he is gaining or not losing weight. Also, remember to subtract food if he gets a lot of treats. Good luck!

[Lori]

My lab, Chuck and my Cocker Spaniel, Teddy both ate Victor’s Yukon this morning. Tonight, they’ll get Nature’s Variety High Protein. We actually got to the dog park this morning since we are having a heat wave at 36 degrees 🙂 Felt very good to get out and the dogs loved it too!

[Dog_Obsessed]

A heat wave at 36 degrees?! This reminds me how spoiled I am by California weather. 🙂

[Peggy]

Bah I didn’t even think to look for the calories on the Walmart site. Thank you very much!

On the bags, it says to feed him 1 cup per day, and 2 – 2 1/2 cups for LadyBug.
So I will reduce him to 3/4 cup total of dry. I hesitate to reduce the can food any.
A couple of times last week, in place of the can food, I broiled some ground turkey and added cooked broccoli and carrots. Added that to the dry food and they both ate that up. Another night I did Turkey and scrambled eggs. WOW they had gas that night. I had to run them out of the bedroom and close the door. Whewee! 😛

I’m sure it will help tremendously when this SNOW goes away so I can resume our daily walks!

[Dog_Obsessed]

Great! It’s a great idea to use fresh food in place of wet from time to time. I want to do it more often.

[Dori]

Hi Peggy. Just read your post on how much your dogs ate this morning. I don’t know how much Ladybug,your Lab/Shep, mix weighs but I will state that’s a heck of a lot of food for Tebow, your JRT, ( if he’s suppose to weigh 20 lbs.). You’re giving him way more than 1/2 cup per meal if you are also adding a tub of food even if it is small. Is it possible that you’re not taking into account the amount of calories in the tub (wet) food your adding to their meals? You mentioned that you will start giving him 3/4 cup daily but you don’t mention anything about reducing the wet food also? Foods with gravy have a lot of basically wasted calories. I’m glad you’re adding wet foods as they are much better for your dog than dry, I’m just saying that you have to take all the calories that you feed into account for the entire day (that includes any treats you’re giving them) and divide all calories into two meals.

[Peggy]

YIKES! Back to the drawing board. 🙁

[Dori]

Uh Oh Peggy! You weren’t taking into account the wet food were you? Or the treats? Yikes is right. Back to the drawing board for you dear lady, that’s for sure.

Happy if my post helps you rethink the amount of food you’re feeding. No way was Tebow going to lose weight eating that much food 🙂

[Peggy]

I do not know where my head was/is. And I can’t find the calorie count for the Salmon & Pea dry food which is what they eat.
I’ll keep digging.

[Dog_Obsessed]

I can’t find it either. 🙁 You might want to email or call the company. Does the wet food say how many calories it has?

[Dori]

355 k/cal. Just found it on Walmart.com looked up the food and had to scroll to 3/4 down the page and then scroll through the questions and found the same answer from a couple of people for the Salmon and Pea.

Wow! Could they make it any harder to find or what? That’s kinda crazy, no? Anyway, you have the answer now.

[Peggy]

I found the Salmon & Pea calories. 355 per cup.
The adult chicken can is 300 calories.

The poor dog is going to get next to nothing per meal!

[Dog_Obsessed]

Lol, you both found it at the same time. 😀

[Dori]

Glad you found it also! The “poor dog” hee hee! Now he’ll be getting what he should have been getting all along. It will just look like next to nothing to you (and him) because you’re used to seeing his bowl so full. Trust me, he will not be happy with this amount and will look at you like you’ve lost your mind and wonder where the rest of his meal is. If you’ve ever tried to lose weight yourself, you know the first few days (or longer) are the hardest. But he’ll get used to it and be so much healthier. You’ve just got to stay strong. He’s going to act like he’s starving so you can’t cave!!! 🙂

[Peggy]

Honestly I’ve been feeding him poor food (Purina, Pedigree) for the entire 5 yrs I’ve had him. He’s gained weight only in the past 8-10 months. I think that’s when I became busy and he has been less active.

I’ll be glad when the snow goes away so we can get back to walking!

[Peggy]

BTW, out of curiosity, is there ever a time when you should feed your dog ONLY dry food and leave the wet out?

[Dori]

Not in my opinion. Wet food is much healthier (depending on the quality, of course) for dogs than dry food. I would rather see you go all wet than all dry. Or half and half. You could also feed all dry in the a.m. and all wet in the p.m. or vice versa but I would never council anyone to feed only dry.

[Peggy]

Thank you for that advice Dori.
The Jack Russell terrier site that I am a member of says this:

“Feed your Jack Russell Terrier a diet that is at least 50 percent dry kibble. The crunchy texture of this type of food will reduce buildup of plaque and tartar on the teeth. Buildup of plaque and tartar can cause dental problems for small breeds like the Jack Russell. Follow the manufacturer’s recommendations about how much to feed your dog daily, based on your pet’s weight or desired weight. Divide the daily ration into at least two meals; three is even better for your pet. This is because the Jack Russell’s small stomach can only hold so much food at once. Dividing the daily ration into two or three meals per day allows for proper digestion of the food.”

[Dog_Obsessed]

I have been told the same thing numerous times, but dry food helping teeth is actually a myth. Here are two DFA articles on that: /choosing-dog-food/canned-or-dry-dog-food/

/choosing-dog-food/dry-dog-food-cleaner-teeth/

[Dori]

That information is very much outdated. It would be like my telling you that eating a bunch of crunchy graham crackers will clean your teeth. No! Absolutely not. The only thing that will prevent plaque and tartar buildup on teeth is brushing. Just like us. Brush their teeth.

Once again, it’s just my opinion, but if your dog is an adult then it is best for him to eat twice a day, not three times a day unless he has a medical condition that your vet has told you it would be better for him to eat smaller meals throughout the day. Twice a day is the recommendation. It gives the gut time to properly digest meals in between and also gives the gut a resting period. Fed more often (or often) throughout the day the gut never gets the resting period. Some people even feel that dogs need 12 hours in between each meal. Now that method I guess depends on what time you feed a.m. meal to be able to feed p.m. giving enough time for digestion before bed time and bathroom elimination time. I don’t wish to be woken at 3 a.m. to take my dogs out for walks.

By the way, I have three dogs. Lola is a 5 1/2 year old Yorkipoo weighing 5 lbs. Katie is a 5 1/2 year old Maltipoo, she weighs 6 lbs., and last, but always first in my heart, is Hannah. She is my 15 1/2 year old Maltese and she weighs 7 lbs. I do know about small dogs. I’ve had small dogs (I’m allergic to animals so all my dogs have had to be of the hair variety and not fur) all my life. I’m 66 years old (or shall I say 66 years young since I continually say I haven’t hit middle age yet).

As to feeding strictly by the manufacturers recommendation, please keep in mind that it’s just a guide, not an ultimate. So much comes in to play. In winter most dogs are not as active, in summer more active. Your dogs temperament and energy. Is your dog a couch potato or an Ever Ready Bunny type with an “on” switch only. All this comes in to play. The package is just a starting point. Then you adjust either up or down.

• This reply was modified 9 years, 10 months ago by Dori.

[Peggy]

I just now looked at the date. I’m not all here today apparently.
You would think I’d know all this stuff, as I’m 55 yrs old and have had dogs since I was 4 yrs old. 🙁

[Dori]

Okay Peggy. I’m on the East Coast, not sure where you are, but I think you may have to give yourself a rest. Perhaps it’s cocktail time.

Just keep in mind that it is a lot of info to keep track of but once you’ve figured it all out then it will be no big deal. How big is your other dog that you’ve been feeding both the same amount? I’m just being nosy at this point. Oh, by the way I meant to ask earlier…You said that Tebow’s optimum weight is 20 lbs., how much does he weigh now?

[Peggy]

Dori, you’re right. I’m driving myself nuts with this. I guess it takes my mind off other issues I have. I’m in NE Ohio, eastern standard time here as well.

My other dog is a lab/shepherd mix, LadyBug. She weighs about 60 lbs and is probably a bit overweight as well.
Tebow weighs 26 lbs.

[Naturella]

Hello, Peggy! Let me jump in just really quick and say that I also have a small terrier mix named Bruno. We think he is a Jack Russell-Rat Terrier, but who knows… He was found in some bushes near a house, so we sometimes say he’s a Bush Terrier, lol.

Anyway, Bruno is now getting close to 2 years old and at 14.5 lbs as of September. The vet said this is a good weight for him, perhaps up to 15 lbs would be fine, but not much more. In the summer we were both very active and he ate 3/4 cup of dry plus about 1/4 cup of watery (soupy) THK and other various mixers per day. I feed him souped-up dry at all times. The foods he was having in the summer (and now) are all above 400 kcal/cup. Because we were exercising basically twice a day, he ate about a full cup calorie-wise. He burned a lot though.

Now in winter, we are not so active (though we should be, shame on me, shame, shame, shame…) and he is down to 1/2 cup 400-something kcal dry plus the additives at the same amounts. His figure hasn’t changed, I watch for his tummy to stay tucked, and for me to be able to feel his ribs easily. However, in late Fall, I had to figure out that I was supposed to reduce his food because I started noticing his waist getting less visible from above. So I reduced the food some. He did act like he wasn’t getting enough food, but by keeping feeding times as regular as possible, he was never truly starved, he got the nutrition he needed. For me, the hardest was when he would lick his empty food bowl over and over hoping food would magically appear. I would then take his food dish away until dinner time. But now that’s how he sometimes reminds me it’s dinner time, if I slip up and forget to give it on time, lol. I find it adorable.

But for Tebow, I would definitely suggest that you reduce to at most 1/2 cup dry and 1/2 tub wet, split between two feedings. Feed like that for 2 weeks and see how it goes. Don’t cave. It is for his own good, and he will live a longer and happier life with you. Also, for treats, you can give some celery bits – they are almost negative calories. Cucumbers are good too as they are mostly water. This way you won’t have to feel bad taking more kibble away if you give any real treats. Don’t overdo the celery and cucumber either though, lol. And when the weather permits, do the walks. They will also help. Eventually Tebow may get to a point to physically require 3/4 cup or even 1 cup of dry calorie-wise (as Dori said, based on activity level, etc.), but not now.

Another note (sorry for the novel here). I also kind of take care food-wise of the dog of the family I babysit for and that poor Shitzu-Maltese mix was being severely overfed, I mean, they would just put kibble in the bowl all the way up and let her eat however much she wanted. She thankfully doesn’t eat till she throws up but had no limits on food intake, and looked like she could lose some weight herself. I don’t know how much she weighs, but she looks to be about Bruno’s size, and her tummy was pudgy and sagging, and her ribs were there, but harder to feel. So I put her on 1/2 cup of dry (400-something kcal/cup), and a teaspoon of coconut oil/day, with warm water, and she’s been doing great, looking like she’s on her way to being fitter. I am happy and grateful that the family trusts me to do this for their dog and it makes me happy to have switched her to better food and to be working on her health.

So it does work, do not worry about starving your dog. We are also always here to help with any questions you may have! Keep us posted on Tebow’s progress! 🙂

[Naturella]

Oh, and Peggy, you could do the same for LadyBug as well! My roommate’s dog used to be on Science Diet for a long time, and was about 65-70 lbs or so and she is a lab-mix maybe, or a Carolina Dog (American Dingo) mix. He put her on Nulo and reduced her food intake from 3 cups to either 1.5 or 2 cups of dry/day (he doesn’t add anything to it, except for a couple Yummy Chummies fish-based treats/day). Now she is on Blue Buffalo Wilderness Red Meat something, and she’s looking great! Much better than when she was on the SD. Nulo and BB Wilderness and both better formulas than SD and though the calories were reduced some, she was getting better nutrition. She’s lost some weight, coat looks better, and she overall looks healthier. So, better food in the right amounts does miracles. I believe it! 🙂

[Peggy]

Thanks so much for the insight and tips Naturella.

Unfortunately, I tried both dogs on Blue Buffalo, and neither one of them could tolerate it. In fact Tebow was gaining weight at a rapid pace. Now that they’re both on Pure Balance, the gain seems to have stopped and LadyBug has lost 1 lb (if my scale is correct).

LadyBug is getting 1 cup of kibble each meal (the recommended amt is 2 1/2 – 3 cups per day) + a 1/2 can of wet food. Neither of them gets many treats at all, and we’ve eliminated Milk Bones (didn’t know they were 35 cal’s per treat!).

Neither of them can hardly wait to get on the leash and go for a walk. LB brings me her leash. But the icy sidewalks make that an impossible task.

[Dog_Obsessed]

@Peggy It’s not exactly a tragedy that your dogs didn’t do well on BB. As I think I’ve mention before, I don’t trust the company at all. It is still much better than Science Diet, but I wouldn’t feed either one.

@Naturella Yay! You’re back! 😀

[Naturella]

@Dog_Obsessed, yes, I am! 🙂 LoL, I’ve been lurking for a while, lol, getting out of my winter break hiatus slowly.

@Peggy, you’re very welcome. 🙂 I agree with DO, Blue Buffalo is by far not the greatest out there so it’s even better that your pups don’t eat it anymore, BUT my personal experience with it, albeit short (like 5 months) was good. Wilderness Puppy was the second food we fed to Bruno after getting him and he did lovely on it, his coat became shinier, and this is when I became very interested in researching dog foods. So far the roommate’s dog seems fine on it too, and a couple of friends have fed it for a while with no problems. Given the huge variety of dry foods I want to try for Bruno, I may never get to come back to it, lol, and I’m okay with that.
As for LB, great job on the 1lb down! I’d say maybe, if you want to, give her 3/4 cup of dry per feeding plus the 1/2 can of wet food. You can also add some water and stir well so that the canned coats the kibble evenly and more water is always good. This way she will be at 2 cups dry calorie-wise, and see how that goes for her and if she keeps losing weight. Or, you can keep her at the amounts you stated and see if she’s losing like that. 🙂

[Dori]

Oh my goodness Peggy. You were feeding an overweight 60 lb. dog and a 26 lb. overweight dog the same amount of food. No wonder Tebow is so overweight. He’s at minimum 6 lbs. overweight. For what should be a 20 lb. or less dog that is an extreme amount of weight to be carrying. In human terms that makes him in the obese category. I don’t know about Ladybug but your saying that your lab/shep mix is overweight also. Ladybug needs to have her food adjusted too probably. Depends on what Ladybug’s optimum weight should be. Now I get to say….. YIKES! I’m so glad you posted so that we can help you help them have a healthier, longer life.

• This reply was modified 9 years, 10 months ago by Dori.

[Peggy]

I’ve already reduced her a bit and him a lot! LOL
I’m workin’ on it.

Tebow is exactly 6 lbs overweight.

I’m trying to get them both more active as well. Tebow is a runner/stairs/toy dog. Meaning he loves to run in the back yard, loves for me to throw his ball up the stairs so he can run after it and push it back down with his paw so he can run back down after it. And he LOVES squeaky toys. We seem to have become very lazy with play time this winter and he has suffered for it.
LadyBug likes to go for walks, and will play tug-o-war with T in the summer. but that’s about all we can get her to do.

As soon as the ice melts the walks will again commence. I need to lose weight too! I’m on a roll now, my babies are a’slimmin’ down! 😀

[Dori]

Good girl Peggy! Glad you’re on a roll. Your T sounds a bit like my Lola. At times when I’m too busy to play with her (she loves to play fetch with any toy, ball, whatever) she’ll run it up the stairs herself, push it down with her nose, sometimes with her paw, then chase it down the stairs and then run back up and do it all over again. She acts like an only child that needs to know how to entertain herself. Of course she’s not. She taught that trick to herself. She’s a real funny little character. Sooooo much energy. Big reason why she needs to eat as much as my 7 lb. dog. Lola only weighs 5 lbs. Katie likes to play tug or she and Lola like to chase
each other around the house. Hannah has gotten to be a real couch potato this winter (it’s an unusually cold winter here in Atlanta) but at her age she’s allowed to do whatever she feels like doing.

[Dog_Obsessed]

If I remember correctly, Tebow was 30lbs when you first came for help a few weeks ago. If he has lost 4 pounds, then that’s huge improvement! It might not seem like much, but it is a great start!

[Peggy]

Ya Lady is a real couch potato too. She has a bed in the livingroom, in my office, and of course, my bed. But when she’s ready for a walk, then she’s all energy and you’d better be ready too because she won’t let you alone til she gets her walk. She’s driven me nuts this winter.
I’m in NE Ohio. We had a good snow in November, then all was mild in December, didn’t even have snow for Christmas. 🙁
Then *BAM* got hit in January and have had nothing but snow and ice, on top of ice, on top of ice. 4″ of ice total last week. It’s going to be a while yet before walks can commence.

[Peggy]

D_O good memory! Depending on what scale I put him on he was either 28 or 30 lbs. So he’s lost either 2 or 4 lbs. Ha.

But that’s not because of my dog food expertise as we all well know! I found his tennis balls in the snow outside, threw them in the dryer (sounded like a thunder storm) and started throwing them up the stairs so he could run up. His favorite form of play.

Progress!

[Dori]

Just like your Lady, Hannah is really animated when walk time comes and food time. Otherwise you can find her sound asleep of one of the sofas. I swear I believe we have dog beds in every room of the house and every dog has their own beds (well, they use which ever one they feel like it at the time and often you can find Lola and Katie in the same ones) in every room so that’s three beds all over the place including the kitchen. Tons of dog toys in every room. They are a bit spoiled and just simply allow my husband and I to share their space. I think they think this is their house.

[Dog_Obsessed]

Anything is progress! Lily also loves squeaky toys. Yesterday we took her to the park and she ran zoomies with her tennis ball the entire time. 😀

[Naturella]

Bruno is the same – he would beg to play ALL the time, and bring his rope, or ball, or hoof even and ask me to throw it. If I’m busy, he’d whine a while then start pushing the item off the bed and hurrying to the floor to get it. I wish we had stairs so he could run up and down, but we live in an apartment, so… Yeah. At least we’re on the last floor so every potty time is a mini exercise of going up and down, lol. A very mini one.

Also, go Tebow! Keep it up, Peggy, you will be so happy about it eventually! 🙂

[Dog_Obsessed]

Lily had a half kibble-free meal today! I gave her 1/8 of a cup kibble, 1/8 of a cup fresh chicken, and 1/8 of a cup THK Preference. I didn’t want to give her to much new stuff at once, which is why I did only half the meal non-kibble. I also gave her some Perfect Form. The THK website says that the amount I fed should be the whole meal for a 1-10lb dog, but some quick calorie calculations told me that it should be more like double that for Lily. That’s why I fed the suggested per meal amount as half the meal. Did that make any sense? 😛

Anyway, Lily loved it! She ate it without hesitation and licked the bowl clean! I’m not totally sure if this is balanced or not, so it won’t be her normal food, but I intend to do it at other times, too.

[Peggy]

This morning I gave Tebow a 1/4 cup of PB kibble with a 1/4 can of PB wet food and a 1/2 a scrambled egg.
LadyBug got a 1/2 cup of PB kibble, 1/2 can of wet, and 1 scrambled egg.
NEITHER ONE OF THEM WOULD EAT THEIR FOOD! It sat there for 3 hours and I picked it up.

At dinner, I baked a large chicken breast for Lady and a small one for Tebow, cut it up into small pieces, put 1/8 c of kibble in both of their bowls, with 3 stalks of cooked broccoli, 6 or 7 carrot slices, and …… get this…. a 1/4 tsp of ground flax seed.

They DEVOURED their dinner! Of course, I’m not sure if it’s because they didn’t eat breakfast, or because they love fresh chicken or because of the flax seed (I tasted it, it is GOOD!), but I’m so proud that they ate their entire meal. 🙂

[Author]

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