[Bellas rescuer]

My BichPoo rescue is about 2 years old, and we adopted her about a year ago. For the past year she has had very soft poop...as a result she keeps getting anal gland infections. The Vet put her on a lowfat, high fiber Hills Science Diet which has made her poop more firm, but not hard enough to natually express her anal glands. Can anyone sugguest a different high fiber dog food that has more nutrients and is also high in fiber? The vet is saying that the best thing to do is to remove her anal glands, which I really want to be the last resort.

P.S. I have tried can pumpkin (non spicey kind), and benefiber in her water and/or her food and she won't eat either one. She has also been on the Royal Canine high fiber diet which she would not touch.

 

[Kathyy]

Had you tried simply cutting back on how much food you offer her? A whole lot of soft poop is simply caused by overfeeding. Just for a couple days cut back on the food by about 25%. She won't starve in that length of time and the effects are immediate. Dog food bags suggest feeds that are far too much for most dogs.

 

[Bellas rescuer]

Yes, she is fourteen pounds and I only give her 1/2 scoop in the am, and 1/2 scoop in the pm. She gets a lot of exercise so I don't want to scale back too much.

 

[katielou]

Raw.

Honestly science diet stuff is a terrible food for her anyway.

Dog should be getting fibre for feathers and fur not crappy fillers.

 

[Canyx]

Could you define what a "scoop" is? Because I also give my dog half a "scoop" in the morning and half at night. But he is 75 lbs and healthy. In my case scoop= the red cup I happen to use, so I imagine it is different with you and your 14 lb dog.

Edit: Oh, and I also don't advocate Science Diet. Some people (like katielou) swear by raw, but that isn't an option for everyone. Sometimes it takes a lot of trying with different brands (not too fast or all at once) until you find the one that's perfect for your dog.

You can also add fiber outside of her normal diet. I think pumpkin and sweet potatoes are good for that...

 

[InkedMarie]

Yes, she is fourteen pounds and I only give her 1/2 scoop in the am, and 1/2 scoop in the pm. She gets a lot of exercise so I don't want to scale back too much.

scoop? Use a measuring CUP, the ones for dry ingredients. As for high fiber food, try googling that.

 

[begemot]

The good quality foods tend to be low-residue and have little fiber. If it were me I would get a quality, grain-free wet food and add psyllium husk powder (like this) and a little water.

 

[theyogachick]

You can also add canned pumpkin (not pie filling) to the food and that can help firm up poop.

 

[bumblegoat]

The last thing a dog with anal gland problems need is a food with lots of fillers. Dogs don't need vegetable fiber. My dog used to have problems with his anal glands, it didn't matter what kind of kibble I fed him. A little bit over a year ago I switched him to a raw diet, and his anal gland issues are now a thing of the past.

 

[theyogachick]

The last thing a dog with anal gland problems need is a food with lots of fillers. Dogs don't need vegetable fiber. My dog used to have problems with his anal glands, it didn't matter what kind of kibble I fed him. A little bit over a year ago I switched him to a raw diet, and his anal gland issues are now a thing of the past.

Unfortunately, not all people are comfortable with feeding raw. Adding a little extra fiber will firm up the poop a bit, which may, in turn, help the issue.

Switching to a higher quality food may also help. SD is (sorry) crap.

 

[Bellas rescuer]

When I said 1/2 scoop, I meant 1/2 cup. I'm not sure what you mean by "Raw". I have tried Googling High Fiber Diet for dogs and mostly see sites that are advertising and want you to by their brands. I have heard that the Hills SD is no good, and that wet dog food is not good for them either. It is so frustrating not being able to find the right food that both healthly and prevents her from getting impacted or infected anal glads.

 

[InkedMarie]

how much does she weigh? My 35lb dog gets 3/4 of a cup, active dog.

 

[Bellas rescuer]

She's 14 lbs., and I walk her 5 miles a day.

 

[InkedMarie]

She's 14 lbs., and I walk her 5 miles a day.

to me, that seems like alot of food for a 14 pounder

 

[kafkabeetle]

I would switch her to a higher quality food. Refer to this site to learn about what's good and bad in pet food. Remember, vets are not nutritionists. I have no problem with the prescription diets they sell, so long as they are helping a specific condition, but I don't believe SD has helped your dog so it's time to try something else.

In your case I am NOT convinced that more fiber is what your dog needs. Too much fiber can actually CAUSE loose stools, because dogs have a hard time processing plant material. What you are feeding currently is made of mostly corn, so it's just shooting right through her system, primarily undigested. Dogs are carnivores, so in order to have healthy, firm stools they need a higher percentage of meat in their diet.

I recommend you try a grain-free food like Taste of the Wild or Blue Buffalo Wilderness. There are many other grain-free foods out there, so you'll just have to research this and see what you can find in your area.

Some people have suggested decreasing her food a bit, and you seem resistant to that. But let me just tell you that overfeeding even slighting can really make a difference in your dog's stools. My 20 pound dog gets 1/3 cup of Taste of the Wild twice a day. That doesn't seem like much, but grain-free foods tend to be higher in calories (which is a good thing) and therefore you have to feed less of them. If I increase her food to 1/2 cup twice a day she gets loose stools. It's all about finding the balance for *your* dog, whether or not it seems like the right amount of food visually.

Hope this helps.

 

[katielou]

When I said 1/2 scoop, I meant 1/2 cup. I'm not sure what you mean by "Raw". I have tried Googling High Fiber Diet for dogs and mostly see sites that are advertising and want you to by their brands. I have heard that the Hills SD is no good, and that wet dog food is not good for them either. It is so frustrating not being able to find the right food that both healthly and prevents her from getting impacted or infected anal glads.

Raw as in raw meat and bones. But i will actually advise against this for you until you have done a ton of reserch into feeding dogs.

I agree with pretty much everything kafk said above.

Switch to a good food, TOTW, Orijen and feed LESS!

 

[Kathyy]

Sassy had a minor issue with her anal sacs when she ate kibble and she always had firm poop unless she had gotten into something which happened a lot. When she was 13.5 years old and developed kidney disease I put her on home cooked chicken and rice. It is a low fiber food, about 1%, that created a firm poop but consisted of the same main ingredients she always had. The monthly squeezing went down to once a year AND only one squeezing was actually necessary.

Try less food. Try a simple kibble like one of the Natural Balance limited ingredient or Wellness Simple Solutions or Blue Buffalo has some now in case it is something in the kibble bothering her.

I thought the anal sac problem was one of simple mechanics, soft poop or too small a pore or it was in the wrong spot or something. Now I think a slight irritation caused the pore to be swollen and it was difficult to evacuate the sac properly during elimination.

I doubt 'high fiber' is what is needed. Firm stool is needed and fiber isn't necessary to create firm stool. You need to find a food and an amount of food that will do this. It could be you are overfeeding. It could be something in the kibble doesn't suit. Try cutting back. Really, if it works it works in a day. You can feed less for one day. I doubt firm stool will help the anal sac issue. I think there is something in the kibble that is irritating the area just a little and unless you go to a simple food the condition will continue.

 

[luvntzus]

I think a cup of food a day is way too much for a 14 pound dog. My 11 1/2 pound dog eats 1/2 cup per DAY.

Good foods for a reasonable price:

Canidae PURE
Taste of the Wild
Chicken Soup for the Dog Lover's Soul

Other pricier foods (I have no idea what your budget is, so I thought I would break it down to hopefully make it easier)
Orijen
Acana
Blue Buffalo
Merrick

Those foods are only available at small pet shops and feed stores, except for Blue Buffalo, which you can find at Petsmart.

 

[DaisyDukeCS]

Often with a 'pricier' food your dog ends up eating less so it works out to be less expensive in the long run. For example, if I feed my 28lb CS Nature's Variety Turkey she gets about 1.5cups/day. On Royal Canin CS breed specific food she would eat 3cups/day. Sure NV bag is more but I feed half the amount!

 

[zeronightfarm]

I'm with every one else. Switch to a beter food. I can't say that she is eating to much because my Jack is 20lbs and he gets 2 cups a day, BUT he never stops moving. Remember you should be able to see a waist on your dog. If you don't then she is most likely fat.

I feed Taste Of The Wild. I love it since I can change out the flavors with out any tummy upsets.

This is a chart so you can see where her weight should be

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_83OotDXqd...AAEu0/hx1l-dKi1_I/s1600/dog_weight_chart1.jpg