Grain free, weight loss?

[kelpiegirl]

Anyone here notice that their dogs lost weight while on grain free food? I am feeding Acana Prairie, and all my dogs are doing well, save for the 18 month old BC. He's losing weight.... Any suggestions?

[Tommy Coyote]

Anyone here notice that their dogs lost weight while on grain free food? I am feeding Acana Prairie, and all my dogs are doing well, save for the 18 month old BC. He's losing weight.... Any suggestions?

I was realy hoping my old dog would lose weight but I don't think she really has. Maybe a little.

 

My young dog is skinny and I feed her a lot. But she never stops moving. She is just constantly on the go and I'm sure that's why she stays so slim. She's just kind of like the energizer bunny.

[Diana A]

I think it's dependent on the individual dog. I had my dog on grain free Timber Wolf Ocean Blue and she lost a lot of weight while at the same time having huge messy stools, so I assumed she must need some grain in her diet and switched to another variety of TimberWolf that had grain. The other dog I had on Ocean Blue at the time was gaining weight so we had to cut back on the amount. A year or so later when they changed their ingredients, I switched to another brand of grain free food (Taste of the Wild) and on this grain free food she does perfectly fine. If your dog isn't doing well on that food, try something else for awhile. It's not unusual for different dogs to need different food.

[Journey]

what is the KCal in the Acana? I feed TOTW, all varieties and have no issues with weight loss. I also supplement with raw meat and oatmeal, as well as cottage cheese, yogurt and whatever the fridge was hiding if it's good.

[kelpiegirl]

It's 425 kcal/250 ml cup. I also add whatever I have eaten for my meal, and other stuff like yogurt, cottage cheese, etc. It's a heck of a lot more I give him than my Kelpie and he's just a tad bit more active than she. He's got that rackish look.

 

what is the KCal in the Acana? I feed TOTW, all varieties and have no issues with weight loss. I also supplement with raw meat and oatmeal, as well as cottage cheese, yogurt and whatever the fridge was hiding if it's good.

[Journey]

Rackish may be normal for his age. Has he sprung his ribcage yet? You may look at a grain food won't hurt to try it for a couple of months. OTOH, in the summer my gang is cut back due to heat, a bit thinner now than they were 2 months ago.

[kelpiegirl]

The last time he was this thin was when he was dx'd with Giardia. I had them on healthwise, but since the company was bought by P&G, I decided to switch. Any suggestions on good grain included foods?

 

Rackish may be normal for his age. Has he sprung his ribcage yet? You may look at a grain food won't hurt to try it for a couple of months. OTOH, in the summer my gang is cut back due to heat, a bit thinner now than they were 2 months ago.

[Journey]

Why grain free? Here's one I am about to switch to - Primitive Natural

[kelpiegirl]

I'm okay with grain included foods, I just don't want something that P&G owns. This food looks good, but not sold near me.

 

Why grain free? Here's one I am about to switch to - Primitive Natural

[Journey]

Yeah, I can't get it here either. I am going to grab 5 or 6 bags when I am in Fl next month and give it a try. I have a good supplier here if I really want it she'll order it for me. I like the high(er) Kcal and the fat ratio looks good too.

[juliepoudrier]

I think one reason dogs might lose weight on grain free is because carbs (grains) provide more calories per unit amount (in general) than other sources of nutrition (meat). After all, that's the reason the low-carb diets work. It's also why I have to cut back on sweets if I want to lose weight!

 

But mostly I think it depends on the individual dog's ability to utilize the nutrients contained in a particular food. My old Boy lost weight on Timberwolf Organics, but not on other similar foods. Clearly he just couldn't metabolize the TWO as well....

 

I use mostly Diamond products because they are reasonably priced and my dogs do well on them. I was feeding Healthwise, but in order to make it affordable I had to order in bulk and in my financial situation I couldn't fork over that much money at one time, so I went back to Diamond.

 

Ranger is skinny too, but he isn't a big eater either....

 

J.

[workindogs]

I transition to different kibbles depending on the age and current level of working stress the dogs are under. During the winter, most of the dogs are on a high quality kibble with some level of carbs (some get Innova regular and others get Diamond Lamb & Rice or Diamond Extreme Athlete...or a mixture of L&R and Extreme).

 

As work stress/demands increase in the Spring and through the Summer, I transition my hardest working dogs to either grain free or high protein kibble (currently Innova Evo for hard conditioning Open dogs or Diamond Extreme Athlete of young dogs in training....previously Orjin or TOTW). I think high protein helps their stamina and conditioning. However, I do find that they lose weight over time, so I add fat to supplement calories. Their condition and work peaks toward late summer and fall when the trialing season peaks. I try to time peak conditioning with this time.

 

If I continue to feed grain free, they become very skinny in the Fall....increasing kibble and fat does not seem to put weight on them. Inevitably, I return them to a high quality carb kibble or mixture of carb/no carb kibble (for a higher protein mixture that contains some carbs) to get some weight on them.

 

I've had people argue with me that I need to feed them more (I do) and add fat (I do)....but they get to a point that more kibble and fat just doesn't do it, so I switch them back to a high quality regular kibble and they return to a better weight.

 

I know others who don't share my experience.....but I've had this happen with several dogs.

[Journey]

I've had people argue with me that I need to feed them more (I do) and add fat (I do)....but they get to a point that more kibble and fat just doesn't do it, so I switch them back to a high quality regular kibble and they return to a better weight.

 

I know others who don't share my experience.....but I've had this happen with several dogs.

 

Yep, I agree. After almost 2 years here on the new place I can't feed enough to 2 of them. They need the carbs. Aside from trying Primitive Naturals I will most likely mix it up with Chicken Soup kibble.

[kelpiegirl]

Thanks guys! I will look tomorrow for something high end, with carbs. He's got good stamina and handling the heat well, but oddly enough my Kelpie is not handling the heat as well as she usually does... Maybe we are just a carb needing family ( I know I would die without them!).

[RFB]

We tried many different grain free foods all causing digestive problems. Thought Miley needed the grain in her food. We started her on Nature's Variety Prairie (with grain) which she did well on, but wasn't helping her dry, flaky skin and coat as much as I would like. The NV rep was at the pet store and gave me a sample of Instinct (grain free). No problems with digestion. She's been on it for 2 months now and her skin and coat problems are slowly getting better. She has improved energy and is not overheating as quickly in our hazy, hot, and humid summer. Can't recommend Nature's Variety enough.

 

Rob

[DeltaBluez Tess]

I used to feed Diamond and my dogs did pretty well on it. I did notice a few dry coats but gave fat to those dogs and that helped. But I was not overly impressed with it after a while....for my trial dogs....it seemed like it took a long time for it to digest and the dry coats was another factor.

 

I was a Flint River dealer for a long time and went back to that and the results were great. Shiny coats, etc....but I wanted more and then found Dynamite. I feed the dog the Super Premium. It doesn’t have any corn and NO harmful Preservatives (vitamins C and E are added as antioxidants. Protein 28/fat 18

 

That dog food is the best and I see a huge difference in everyone. Tess gets only one cup a day and the poops are smaller. The dogs with the sensitive stomachs do not have an issue and very glossy coats, no dryness and more energy. The old LGD is a lot less stiffer and he bounces around a lot more. He likes to try to play wiht the Border Collies and he is 10 , which is old for a LGD!

 

The company also has other dog products which I use such as Tranquil (better than rescue remedy). Nan who FREAKS OUT at gunfire and fireworks, laid at my feet during July 4th, getting clicker trained and treats….normally the clicker training during fireworks doesn’t work. Roo who shakes and his brain fries before his runs, I see the edge is off and he response great. I gave it to Tess and she fell asleep (she didn’t need it but I tried it on her to see what happens). I also use the Free and Easy for Tess as her shoulders are very stiff and she can’t jump on the bed. Now, she can vault on the bed and over the gate. I had her on Total Joint Care before and it is equal to that product. I also have her on the Yucca as well as me for which has yucca as well as natural steroid saponins, which are similar to steroids.

 

Dynamite also has a died raw dog food which I haven’t tried yet. I have heard it is good and probably will put Tess on it later this summer. It has no grain in the. Protein 34/fat 22

 

The super premium dogs food which I feed has: Chicken Meal, Rice, Barley, Chicken Fat, Feeding Oatmeal, Lamb Meal, Pea Fiber, Flaxseed Meal, Herring Meal, Dried Tomato, Natural Flavor, Dried Carrots, Dried Peas, Dried Apples, Dried Yucca Schidigera Extract, Brewers Dried Yeast, Dried Celery, Dried Beets, Dried Parsley, Dried Lettuce, Dried Watercress, Dried Spinach, Vitamins [Vitamin E Supplement, Ascorbic Acid, Betaine, Vitamin A Supplement, Niacin Supplement, Calcium Pantothenate, Beta Carotene, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Riboflavin, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Thiamine Mononitrate, Biotin, Folic Acid], Minerals [Zinc Proteinate, Calcium Carbonate, Iron Proteinate, Copper Proteinate, Manganese Proteinate, Calcium Iodate], Dried Chicory Root, Direct Fed Microbrials [Dried Lactobacillus acidophilus, Dried Lactobacillu casei, Dried Enterococcus faecium], Lecithin, Rosemary Extract.

 

The dog food is NOT cheap so I signed up to be a dealer. The dealer rate is $49 for 40 lbs. If I buy it in ¼ tonnage is it about $44 or so…I don’t know the exact numbers. When I first signed up, the shipping was free so I got lots of dog food. I could not afford it at the retail price so signing up as a dealer was great. I also have the first-aid kit which is great. Tess cut her paw and I put wound balm on it and it healed quickly.

 

In additon, I feed raw 2x a week as well as bones. The dogs teeth are nice and clean.

 

However, I buy Energy Edge which is owned by Angie, for my dogs to take after their runs or a workout. It helps with them not overheating. Dynamaite has a product similar but I LOVE Energy Edge and sticking with it.

 

I finally found a dog food that works great for me....it's been a long journey.

[Rave]

My dogs lose weight on grain-free and certain proteins (e.g. lamb).

[urge to herd]

If I continue to feed grain free, they become very skinny in the Fall....increasing kibble and fat does not seem to put weight on them. Inevitably, I return them to a high quality carb kibble or mixture of carb/no carb kibble (for a higher protein mixture that contains some carbs) to get some weight on them.

 

I've had people argue with me that I need to feed them more (I do) and add fat (I do)....but they get to a point that more kibble and fat just doesn't do it, so I switch them back to a high quality regular kibble and they return to a better weight.

 

This is definitely a depends on the dog situation. When Shoshone was much younger, we tried everything to stop her itchies. One of the things I did for several months was follow a carb free diet, (Volhard) that consisted of carefully weighed and measured meats and excruciatingly exact amounts of supplements. Shonie lost so much weight that my dog savvy friends were commenting on it. She continued to lose when I upped the amounts I was feeding to twice the recommended amount for her ideal weight. Her coat, breath, and overall demeanor were lousy.

 

When I started her on a good kibble, her coat/breath went back to normal, her weight came back up, and she started acting more like a healthy 3 or 4 yr old dog. And she never stopped itching while on the grain free.

 

You really have to experiment to find what's going to work for your dog.

 

Ruth