advice on healthier dog food

Leyla Shaath

Leyla Shaath

New Member
Owned by
1 cocker
Wanting to change my big boys food to something healthier and better for his weight. He is 10 pounds over weight and even though the vet said hes ok still wanting to change. Any ideas on whats good?

Thanks Y'all!
 
What are you feeding him now? How much and how often? If he's tolerating his food well you might consider reducing his portions. Exercise is important too. How active is he?

My Hoshi is weighs 28 lbs. He might be slightly overweight. He eats 3-4 chicken thighs/day (table scraps sometimes too). He walks 1-3 miles/day. I should cut his portions down and we could both use more exercise. -_-;
 
I know a lot of our members have a link to a website that does evaluations and lists the food that way. I know that grains are not good for cockers, and buying food that lists as few ingredients as possible on their packages is best.. and that the protien source is close to the top of the list is best.
 
I don't have the link for the dog food evaluations. Maybe Nicole does? Keep in mind what works well for one dog doesn't necessarily work for others. You'll have to find the food that works well for your dog.
 
I know Deborah does she'll post it when she sees this.
 
I'm always looking on there because I like to rotate the boys food. I'm going with Fromm's now. It's a small family business in Wisconsin and has a good reputation and seems to be a high quality food. Now, just wondering grain or grain-free. I don't think either one of the boys has a grain allergy, but it seems like you have to feed less of the grain free than the grain based. so many different options and opinions out there! Can you trust a vet to give good food recommendations---not yet in my experience--it's always something like Purina or Hills Science.
 
Somebody on here, years ago, taught me the trick of replacing some of the food with green beans. I use frozen, because Cordelia seems to prefer the crinchiness. Very healthy, low calorie. And she feels like she's getting a bowl full!

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Ive heard Orijen is good food for dogs, It's really expensive here in the uk though, almost £100 for a large bag of regional red !!!!
 
Expensive in US too- up to $98 for 28.8 lb bag. If you have a little dog, it's cost effective. I've fed both my dogs the adult dog and now the senior dog as it has less fat, but still a good amount of protein.

I tried a new recipe today for my guys. Ground turkey, spinach, cottage cheese, diced tomatoes, and some grains. It was a hit! This makes 16 cups, so it won't last me more than 4 days with them.
 
I used to feed Jarvis Bakers Complete, but read a lot of stories about all the chemical additives and E numbers contained in it that i binned the lot !!!!...He's now on one called K9 Optimum which is as close as i can get to Orijen, but without the hefty price tag. I'd love to feed him Orijen but it's just too expensive and when i've searched online in the UK for it, it's more than often always out of stock, so could never guarantee i would be able to get it consistently xxx
 
Another good source of info on dog foods is the Whole Dog Journal. Just to warn you that dog food is one of those topics where if you ask 2 people, you'll get at least 3 answers ;) Its also hard b/c different dogs do well on different foods.

If weight is an issue, (and 10lbs on a cocker would be a serious concern for me) then adding an extra walk or adding an extra 15min to daily walks in addition to reducing portion size and treats will work wonders. Watch how many treats the dog is getting too b/c those can really add up. Instead of using traditional treats, we offer pieces of fruit and veggies as their treats. So long as I act excited by giving it to them, they are as thrilled with a treat of peas, green beans or blue berries as a commercial dog treat. And you may find that their favorite is some totally weird thing. My doberman would drool buckets over a slice of grapefruit. Given a choice between steak and grapefruit, she's always pick the latter.
 
I tried apple a couple of days ago, Jarvis looked at me with utter contempt and disgust..I never thought of acting excited, i shall try this myself !!..good idea !!
 
My dogs are just as happy with pieces of carrots, apples, bananas, etc--healthy treats as they are with high calorie treats (though they go a little crazy with the really "good" stuff!).
 
Hi! Also looking for food advice, Molly is also overweight, weighs 33lbs, walks 20 min 3 times/day. Currently eating Taste of the Wild, now in the process of changing to Earthborn Holistic. Also having ear issues, carrots are her only treats, no commercial treats at all, just 1-2 mini carrots a day.
 
Is your food grain free? Grains can sometimes cause ear issues. Also many dogs have trouble with chicken. How much food are you feeding Molly? Often times the amount suggested in the bag is too much food. Try cutting back her food and if she still seems to be hungry (although cocker spaniels always seem to think they could eat more) add salt free green beans to her kibble. Has Molly had a check up by her vet? I wonder how her thyroid is doing.
 
This is uncanny, my cocker has put on half a stone since neutering, plus i changed him onto Taste of the Wild at the same time !!!!
 
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