Hi I Just Thought I'd Introduce Myself...

[sara]

Great Do let us know how you progress please Be careful of high fiber in dog food, it can cause problems. Haven't been home for a while, so not sure what the latest, best, dog food is in the U.K. but DO CHECK THE LABELS, most super market stuff is mostly 'fillers' which do not have any nutritional value whatsoever.

There's a forum here with very good advice on dog food.

Sorry, I have to disagree. http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/canine-nutrition/dog-food-fiber-part-1/

Here's a quote from the above link:

and dangerous cancer-causing substances.

Fiber Helps Promote Weight Loss​

Adding fiber to any dog food “dilutes” its caloric content. So, there are fewer calories per serving. And that can significantly aid in weight loss.
As fiber absorbs water, it expands… causing a dog to stop eating sooner. That’s because (in dog’s) a full stomach signals “satiety”… or hunger satisfaction2 .
So, dogs feel fuller… and consume less energy… fewer calories… per meal3.
A recent study showed that dogs fed a high fiber diet lost more than five times the fat mass of dogs fed a low fiber diet4.
As a matter of fact, trying to bring about canine weight loss without using dietary fiber makes the whole process needlessly more difficult.

 

[sara]

A good weight loss food has a guaranteed analysis of 30% or above protein, around 10% fat, 8-10% fiber

 

[sara]

Here's the Acana Light and Fit I was talking about

http://acana.com/products/light-fit

 

[MaryK]

Sorry, I have to disagree. http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/canine-nutrition/dog-food-fiber-part-1/

Here's a quote from the above link:

and dangerous cancer-causing substances.

Fiber Helps Promote Weight Loss​

Adding fiber to any dog food “dilutes” its caloric content. So, there are fewer calories per serving. And that can significantly aid in weight loss.
As fiber absorbs water, it expands… causing a dog to stop eating sooner. That’s because (in dog’s) a full stomach signals “satiety”… or hunger satisfaction2 .
So, dogs feel fuller… and consume less energy… fewer calories… per meal3.
A recent study showed that dogs fed a high fiber diet lost more than five times the fat mass of dogs fed a low fiber diet4.
As a matter of fact, trying to bring about canine weight loss without using dietary fiber makes the whole process needlessly more difficult.

That's interesting because my vet warned against high fiber, but then neither of my dogs are over weight. Have to wonder nowadays who you can trust

 

[sara]

The article is a fascinating read. My old springer had hypothyroidism when I was a kid. She was put on a high fiber diet years ago (we're talking 20 years ago) for weight loss.

 

[MaryK]

The article is a fascinating read. My old springer had hypothyroidism when I was a kid. She was put on a high fiber diet years ago (we're talking 20 years ago) for weight loss.

It was a fascinating read, thinking of sending the url to my vet. Zeus has Cushings but that doesn't cause weight gain, just bloating in the stomach, among other things. Maybe that's why the vet said not to use a high fiber diet. He recommends Hills but found that makes Zeus WORSE! And it's VERY expensive in Australia, government I think takes it's whack duty wise.

 

[Dogster]

^What Sara said.
The food sara recommended is GREAT. Whatever you choose, make sure it's high-protein, low-carb, and high-fibre. A diet like that works soo much better than Hill's sience diet, or others.

 

[MaryK]

I'm going to have to do a LOT of research on diet. My vet recommends and sells Hills and from all I've read here it's not very good. Plus, don't know about the States but it's VERY expensive here, over a hundred dollars (actually close to two) for a month's supply for ONE DOG Anyone recommend a good food in Australia please? The other one he sells and advices is Advance, not quite so expensive but right up there price wise. Anything else he says isn't any good.

 

[Dogster]

Try this website http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/ It gives you all the foods and it tells you how good they are. You can look up the Australian foods on this site. There is some advice here: http://www.dogtrickacademy.com/members/forums/threads/dog-food.5026/
http://www.dogtrickacademy.com/members/forums/threads/soft-poo.4631/

It depends on your budget and what's available in Australia.

 

[MaryK]

Thank you Dogster much appreciated Have bookmarked, will be my weekend reading
I don't mind how much I spend on the dogs but partner is still of the mind that any dog food is good, or that they can eat what we eat *sigh* it's so much easier to train dogs than partners He doesn't listen to anyone, not even the vets LOL not going to tell him Hills is rubbish, that will only add fuel to the fire, with what that costs, just discreetly change the brand

 

[Kim Abston]

Hello and welcome!
I'm an occasional visitor, but I never fail to learn something from the doggie smart people who post--hope you have the same experience!
Kim

 

[MaryK]

Hi it's a fantastic forum and the people here are so knowledgeable, I've learned heaps