Wet dog food question

Vanessa, do you not have access to Orijen out there?  If you do, you should really check it out.  It exceeds Eagle Pack as far as I'm concerned and they do have a fish formula, though i'm not sure its ok for pups. May be something to look into in a few months though.  And the other thing I thought I'd mention is if you do decide to go canned, remember teefies!  Even with dry, you gotta get em cleaned some other way.  A nice chicken wing every week would help.

And yes, a tablespoon of oil a day is a ton of fat added, no matter how healthy the fat.  I'd give Crusher about that much, maybe a bit more and he's 86 pounds!   

Okay, so 1/2 tsp a day of Salmon oil, gotcha. What if its canned Salmon with no salt added, still only 1/2 teaspoon like the oil or how much?

I don't unfortunately have Orijen here. My city is not the largest, so the only 2 brands we have here that I would ever consider feeding her are Natural Balance and Eagle Pack (we have kirkland, pedigree, and other icky foods here I don't like...well kirklands decent, but not as good imo), and I'm not a fan of Natural Balance (made Missi really sick).  DH said he doesn't want to strictly feed her canned, because he said it costs too much money. So I'm just going to mix a little in with her meals (like a teaspoon per meal or something).

I was wondering about bones, the Breeder told me to wait until she is older before I give her any. Not sure why, but she thinks its best I wait. Aisha is only 9weeks old at the moment. But I DO want her to have bones at some point, because it does wonders for their teeth, and we all know poms are prone to icky teeth if not watched carefully.

 I meant salmon oil, not salmon itself.  If you give her actual salmon, I'd feed about as much as the canned food you would normally feed, possibly a bit more as canned food is pretty calorie dense and salmon isn't huge on calories.  Crush the bones up well with a fork while she's this little though, they can be a real throat irritant if they get stuck.  Speaking from personal experience and not from what my dogs have told me. LOL

Canned food does not always cause loose stools. It really depends what type you're feeding and on the dog itself. Ginger's first owner fed her grocery store canned food, which gave her soft stools. After we adopted her we put her on dry food, which helped, but then she developed megaesophagus, so she cannot have solid food any longer.  We ended up choosing Natural Balance canned. Started with Duck/Potato, but then settled on Venison and Sweet Potato, for no reason other than she enjoys it (but then, she enjoys ALL food). The wetness factor varies on the different formulas. The duck was far more 'moist' than the beef formula. The venison is somewhere in the middle. Of course, we have to mix hers with water anyway, so it doesn't matter much  She does not have any loose stools, even eating nothing but canned. And she's an 8 lb very fluffy Poodle/Chi mix, so things do also stick to her back end should she have a problem. 

I got the salmon oil from our local Vet. and per 5lbs is 1/2 tablespoon a day [as recommended by her Vet]. Since she's about 8 - 9 pounds I fill up almost a full tablespoon. :o) It has improved her diet greatly as well as skin & coat.

I take almost a half of a tablespoon and mix it in with canned food & kibble. After mixing and stirring it around I then serve it. This processes is then repeated in the evening.

You can't compare all fish oils to one another. For instance what sparked an interest in salmon oil to begin with was talking to someone at a Pet Store about it in the supplement isles. There were many different ones to choose from but each required different doses. I called my Vet later to confirm and discuss this change in her diet [Kayla has a lot of food allergies so I am extremely procautious]. He told me to come in and he'd give me a remedy for now and eventually I can work my way up to a certain brand he recommended at the store. [this obviously means that what I was provided has less fat, etc than accounted for in the stores; he wants a gradual transition to see how she does; we are almost done with the little bottle so soon enough we'll be using the stuff I bought at the store (as recommended) which I do believe by the way is 2 tsp per 20lbs. So we'll only be giving less than half a tsp a day (since it's so strong)]

Liv

I was wondering about bones, the Breeder told me to wait until she is older before I give her any. Not sure why, but she thinks its best I wait. Aisha is only 9weeks old at the moment. But I DO want her to have bones at some point, because it does wonders for their teeth, and we all know poms are prone to icky teeth if not watched carefully.

Once Aisha eats the dry kibble well (to strengthen her teeth) start providing her with little bones. Certain/most dental bones have wheat gluten in them which is a huge no no for our house so we avoid them all now. I brush her teeth often and we play with rope toys which can help to floss, strengthen, and improve good oral hygiene.

Liv

Okay, so 1/2 tsp a day of Salmon oil, gotcha. What if its canned Salmon with no salt added, still only 1/2 teaspoon like the oil or how much?

Like I just posted before this, (as with any diet) consult your Vet first and foremost. If not on each bottle there will be a weight chart of how much to feed per (x) amount of pounds. Some remedies even require you to add water? There are a lot on the market so just do some research and check it all out. You are the one who will know Aisha the best and what her lifestyle needs.

I suggest wild salmon oil in general, but since she is not my dog & I'm not sure which product you are using, I can not tell you how much to provide.

grab01

Canned food does not always cause loose stools.

This is true.

grab01

We ended up choosing Natural Balance canned.

I also use Natural Balance (Sweet Potato & Vension) which looks almost like a Vet bland diet. In comparison with other canned foods I have supplied NB is the least wet/moist I have seen. Kayla has no problems with this brand & canned food as well.

When I think "wet food" I think... NUTRO Chicken Meal which is chucky, wet, and juicy (texture & product is very different from NB canned).

No matter what brand you like, no matter what food you choose, always start in moderation. With Poms this is easy since they only eat about 1/2 cup of food a day or less. Each dog is different with different needs.

Thanks for the info Pom

I'm trying to go with the general consensus, but I will still ask my vet about this as well. I don't want a chunky pom running around lol. 

When I mentioned bones however, I was talking about Raw bones from the butcher. I think they work a heck of alot better for their teeth than dentabones and such.

So far I have been unable to find any salmon oil of any kind thats for dogs. Aisha has a vet appointment middle of next month, and I'm going to ask him where I can find some.

Thanks again for the information everyone  

 icelandpure.com is where I usually get mine. They also have pouched salmon that's no salt added (you'd use the kitty size) and plain fish treats. Very good stuff.

 Dog.com carries Salmon oil too.  Most pet supply places do - just google "pet supply."  Grizzly brand salmon oil is a common one you can find.  It's not crazy expensive and  has a handy pump dispenser. 

If you give fish oil, you also need to supplement vitamin E.  I don't know whether someone has already said that.  You'd have to use a dropper for your little one.  Or, Seapet makes a top notch product that is already balanced with the correct levels of vitamin E.

Thanks for the information. Dog.com doesn't ship to Canada, but I have been looking at Grizzly oil and the Iceland Pure- is there a difference?

I didn't see anyone say anything about vitamin E,  why would I need to give that to her as well? 

Liv

Dog.com doesn't ship to Canada, but I have been looking at Grizzly oil and the Iceland Pure- is there a difference?

The main differences between salmon oils will be due to a) where the salmon is from, and b) how it is processed. Most top-quality American/Canadian brands of salmon oil are sourced from Alaskan (wild) salmon; this yields a high level of fatty acids (EPA and DHA in particular). The Iceland salmon would be from ... Iceland. :)

It is very important that the information put out by the manufacturer/company states clearly that they monitor contamination levels. Salmon can accumulate PCBs and other nasties, and these need to be filtered out if necessary. So that's one of the main criteria I have when shopping for salmon oil.

BTW, the IcelandPure producer also makes excellent doggie treats, which I (rather: my dogs) rate highly: Snackfish Treats http://www.icelandpure.com/dry_dog_treats_unit.htm

I didn't see anyone say anything about vitamin E,  why would I need to give that to her as well? 

 

Vit E acts as a strong antioxidant - it counteracts the inevitable oxidation of oils and release of harmful free radicals (see http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/infocenter/vitamins/vitaminE/ ). So, as a rule of thumb - the more Omega fatty acids you add to the diet, the more Vit E is needed. Fortunately, Vit E comes in high concentrations (in capsules). For toy dogs, a small capsule (100 to 200IU) per week will likely cover their needs.