kibble choice for pom or dogs with hypothyroid/Cushing's?

    • Silver

    kibble choice for pom or dogs with hypothyroid/Cushing's?

    My last pom was diagnosed Cushing’s disease and hypothyroid when he was 5 years old.  Now my other 5 year old pom has the same diagnosis.  While still resisting my current vet’s recommendation of Science Diet/Royal Canine, I am getting uneasy on the diet.  I’ve been feeding my Pomeranians Innova, TOTW, Orijen, etc.  I usually rotate every 3-6 months, and be very honest, can’t tell any difference.  Are there pom owners or any dogs with hypothyroid/Cushings who are happy with certain brands?  Homecooking and raw diets are out of the questions due to my lifestyle.  L
     
    Many thanks in advance!
    • Gold Top Dog

    One of my dogs is hypothyroid and does well on the high end foods: Taste of the Wild, Go!, Now!, Prairie, etc.  We don't do Innova any more since P&G bought them, and I would never put my dogs on SD.  If the dog has aggression issues, I'd go for the lower protein varieties of the top foods.

    • Gold Top Dog

    I have an elder hypothyroid dog who takes meds daily for it.  He was on TOTW Salmon for a long while, then started having some mobility issues, so now gets Hills JD.  Ratio: 3/4 JD + 1/4 TOTW. 

    • Gold Top Dog

      Welcome to the forum.Big Smile I'm sorry your dog has these health problems. As I'm sure you know, Cushing's can lead to kidney and heart disease, as well as liver disease and diabetes. Dogs with Cushing's are more likely to have calcium oxalate stone formation in their kidneys. They can also develop pancreatitis because of a change in the way their body metabolizes fats.

      You can be proactive in preventing some of these problems by choosing the right diet. Feeding a diet with low oxalate foods and never supplementing the diet with vitamin C will help prevent calcium oxalate stones. A diet with high quality proteins will help the liver, but it's important not to feed excessive amounts of protein or phosphorus in order to protect the kidneys. Choosing a diet that's lower in fat can prevent pancreatitis.

      I don't know of a kibble that meets all of these conditions, but you may be able to find one. You said home cooking is out. The information I gave you above is from a book called " Optimal Nutrition" and was written by Monica Segal;     http://www.monicasegal.com/   

     She can formulate a diet for your dog that would meet all of the conditions above; she designed a diet for my dog when she was diagnosed with chronic pancreatitis and my vet said the diet was excellent. It's not hard to work this into a busy lifestyle; you can cook the food once a week, every two weeks, whatever, divide it into daily amounts, and freeze it.

     I hope my suggestions about diet are helpful. Good luck with your Pom; I hope you can keep this disease under control.(((hugs)))

     

    • Silver

    Thanks for all the tips.  I'll get TOTW salmon next time.

    I'll look at the possibility of homecooking this summer when I have more time to relax.  Thanks again!