Help for chubby large breed with allergies/anal gland and joint issues

by Lisa C.
(Dallas, Tx. )

Hello. I have a rescue lab/hound mix, Bell. Working with her on multiple issues. She had surgery for a torn ACL (discovered right after adoption). Then she was bitten by a stray and had to have another surgery on her bum. I let her get fat when we stopped walking so she could heal. I have started researching food and am guilt ridden over the commercial crap I have been feeding her. Science Diet. Pretty sure she has allergies ... she sneezes in the grass, scratches, and licks her paws. Not constant, but enough. She also had her anal glands expressed recently as she was acting like her bum was getting bit on .. I think she made need it again, it did not seem to help. She does not scoot .. but runs to sit on the carpet or to "get away" and she also had an ear infection. She has bad joints and wide hips per the vet.... not super active but we do walk. She does not like her walks like she used to. The vet is getting really expensive, of course I wil do what I have to do but I'm beginning to think a different food would help. What is the best food for her with these multiple conditions? I'm not real comfortable with the raw food diet, thinking more along the lines of dry kibble with a mix of canned at night. She is on joint max supplements and fish oil currently. Advice appreciated. Thanks in advance. Lisa C.
She is 3-4, approx 100 lbs. Currently she gets a scoop of dry Science Diet in the morning mixed with my leftover oatmeal (her favorite) and a scoop at night along with a 1/2 can (same brand). She gets 1 Hextra chew each morning and her treats are sweet potatoe fry chews. I give her peanut butter on her pills. Thanks again. Lisa C.


Hi Lisa,

You're right about the Science Diet. It is crap and just adding unwanted calories to her diet and causing allergy problems. It's so filled with crappy grains that it is causing multiple issues with her. That needs to go.

Lab's and Lab mixes is the most popular dog that comes into our store with allergy issues. They seem to be more sensitive than other breeds.

Your choice not to feed a raw diet is one you need to make. We do find however, that it is the best for weight control. But you do need to feel comfortable with it. Just remember, it's the way nature intended your dog to eat and thrive and have been doing so for thousands of years.

It's only when humans introduced this dry foods after WWII that our dogs started having medical issues that they've never had all those years.

If you are not going to feed raw, then you need to supplement with enzymes and probiotics. They get these nutrients from a raw food diet. These are very critical in a dog’s diet. Especially in one that only gets cooked and/or processed foods as these nutrients are destroyed when cooked.

There are a few good foods out these days that have a coating on the kibble that is comprised of enzymes and probiotics.

One good one we carry is called The Great Life. I really like this food and everything it has in it. It's more expensive but you don't need to buy extra supplements of enzymes and probiotics to add.

Enzymes and probiotics are very essential to a healthy digestive system. The digestive system is the heart of the immune system. A strong immune system is key to over all good health, weight, skin and coat and healthy organs.

You need to get her off so many grains. Other good premium foods you could get for her would be Taste of The Wild, Natural Balance has several grain free brands, Orijen, Solid Gold's Barking at The Moon, Wellness's Core just to name a few. These are all grain free. Make sure to get premium canned food as well.

To help with the calories, you can reduce the dry and canned food and replace with chopped green beans and/or mixed vegetables.

This will reduce her calories and add more fiber in her diet.

If she does not like her walks now then her joints must still be hurting or the torn ACL.

Keep trying to get her moving. A little bit at a time and work up. Talk to your vet about pain control before walks if needed.

For her glands, you can coarse chop vegetables and add to her diet. When you coarse chop them, they act like roughage. This goes right through her and help secrete the glands.

When you run veggies through a food processor, then you break down the cell walls and the dog can absorb the nutrients. You can do both for her for both reasons.

I'm not sure what joint max has in it but make sure she is getting complete glucosamine, chondroitin, MSM and hyaluronic acid in her daily joint care.

Lean cut meats is also very good for a change up. Add some fresh chicken, stew meat, turkey or other for a special treat with her new dry now and then.

You can also give her some raw or partially cooked eggs now and then for a great protein source.

For her large size, you may want to get extra calcium and Vitamin C to add to her diet. I believe most formula's are lacking these two vital nutrients.

Pick yourself up a holistic care for dog’s book. You can find good ones on Amazon, your local book store or the library. You can always find good health tips in them.

If you have a holistic vet in your area, seek the help from one of them. They are trained in nutrition and supplements and can physically examine your dog and give her what she is lacking. Search the yellow pages or at the small independent pet food stores to see if you can find one. They are great and have helped us and many of our customers care for their dogs.

I hope this helps and you can get her on a proper diet and exercise routine. Let me know if you have any more questions.

Roger


Lisa, I'll address your additional comments here:

Hi Lisa,

Sorry for the delayed response. I was not notified by the system that there was a comment posted.

Glad to hear Bell is doing better. You are sure doing a lot for her, she is a lucky dog.

Let’s start with the swollen ankles. If your vet is not finding any injuries, I would suggest it could be from the grains in her diet. Grains can cause inflammation the same in dogs as it does in people. The FRR food sounds good but it does contain a lot of grains. If you are adding oats, this may be compounding the problem.

All these grains are also a lot of empty calories for her. It would be like us eating a lot of processed carbs, not good for the weight.
You may want to consider a grain free or much lower grain diet. There are some really good grain free foods on the market. One of my favorite ones right now is called The Great Life. What I like about this food is that it has a coating of enzymes and probiotics on the kibble. Those two nutrients are critical to a diet that does not include raw foods.

Other great grain free foods are from Orijen, Blue Buffalo, Natures Variety, Natural Balance, Core, Barking at The Moon just to name a few. While feeding these, you need to supplement with an enzyme and probiotics supplement.

Do not underestimate the power of enzymes and probiotics in her diet. These support the digestive system. A strong digestive system is the key to a good immune system. That supports all internal organs, joints, skin and coat and much more. VERY important.

Of course, the raw diet or partial raw diet would be the best for her. It tends to “normalize” under or over weight conditions. The “live” nutrients in raw are unparalleled by any other diet or supplement.

Dogs were never meant to eat a cooked or processed food diet. This just goes against everything nature intended them to eat. Besides humans, domesticated dogs are the only other animal that suffers from chronic diseases. This is all caused by consuming a mostly cooked diet.

We mostly feed raw to our dogs. They get at least one meal a day that is raw. The other meal might be premium dry with premium canned.

You would do well to research this more and introduce it into her diet.

You mentioned you want to find a holistic vet. That is a great idea. They will help you the most because they can examine her and see what she is missing in her diet. You can search your local yellow pages for one or find the small independent pet food stores in your area that sell only premium foods. These natural stores like ours will usually know of a holistic vet that might be in your area. We use a local one and have had many of our customers use them and all of us have had tremendous results with them.

Be ready for them to suggest a raw or partial raw diet. They know and will tell you it’s the best for her by far.

The green beans or a mixed vegetables ground are great fillers. They add fiber and bulk to help her feel fuller.

For extra support for her joints, if you’re not already doing it is add fish oil. Use a good salmon or cod liver oil. You can also give her a can of sardines once a week. These little guys are great nutrition and are a full chain of omega 3’s and 6’s. These fish products really support joints and much more. The swimming exercise will probably be the best for her and her joints, I would keep that up. You definitely want to keep her in motion by swimming and walks. If she stays at rest, her condition will worsen.

I hope this answers most of your questions. You can also pick up a holistic care for dogs book. There are very good ones out on the market. You can find them on Amazon, your local book store or library. They will contain many good health tips and feeding advice for a holistic approach.

Find that holistic vet and see them for an examination and more information. They are great.

Let me know if I can do anything else.

Roger