[Oscar'sMom]

My Oscar is at least 15 years old. We rescued him 10 years ago. He is big for a toy, but small for a mini. He also has a 6 year old brother who we also rescued. I believe Kirby is a cockapoo.

Anyway, Oscar had a bad bout of pancreatitis recently. I found out hubby had been putting bacon grease on their kibble and son had snuck him more treats than usual. I think it was all the fat that did it. I fed them cooked chicken and rice and fed it to both dogs with pumpkin for over a week. Now I need to figure out what to feed them on an ongoing basis.

I need to figure out a commercial dog food that we can feed them. Ideally it would be a dry kibble. I have a couple of chronic illnesses and so whatever we do I have to count on my kids (teens) to be able to feed it when I’m not available. This is one of the reasons why I rejected cooking for them on an ongoing basis - otherwise I would consider it.

Anyway, I’m curious what you all feed and if you can give me direction. I’m assuming I should look for a high quality low fat food?

thank you
Carol Anne

 

[PeggyTheParti]

I fed my senior minipoo mix Nutro Ultra Small Breed, moistened with a little water. She digested it well:

Nutro Ultra Small Breed Adult Dry Dog Food, 15-lb bag - Chewy.com

Buy Nutro Ultra Small Breed Adult Dry Dog Food, 15-lb bag at Chewy.com. FREE shipping and the BEST customer service!

www.chewy.com

I never switched her to a senior food, having read that senior foods are typically full of poorly digested fiber fillers.

If you're looking for grain-free, Peggy gets Honest Kitchen chicken clusters as a treat, and she LOVES THEM. They're a human grade alternative to kibble, but still dry and easy to manage:

The Honest Kitchen Grain-Free Chicken Whole Food Clusters Dry Dog Food, 5-lb bag - Chewy.com

Buy The Honest Kitchen Grain-Free Chicken Whole Food Clusters Dry Dog Food, 5-lb bag at Chewy.com. FREE shipping and the BEST customer service!

www.chewy.com

 

[Streetcar]

I'm sorry to learn of the pancreatitis. Bacon grease used to be thought a good thing for dogs - I remember.

A good number of us here became concerned about grain free kibble and cardiac problems, and have shifted back to some of the traditional producers. I'm feeding Purina Pro Plan Bright Mind chicken based kibble at supper and their Focus salmon kibble for Sensitive Skin and Stomach, and Oliver is doing great on them. They may even have a weight control kibble with less fat. I did find I was giving a bit too much each meal.

Purina has expanded and improved its lines of pet foods and has solid research behind them. The two I feed aren't available in the grocery store, but Chewy has them. I have gotten both from amazon, but ended up with a bag that Oliver would not touch, and my theory is it was perhaps not stored properly.

I get the smallest bags possible to avoid food going off, and that might be somwthing to consider to avoid the fat getting rancid or mold growing. I store in the manufacturer's bags and just pour out about a week's supply into a tall Ziplok container that's stored in a closed cabinet. No idea if any of this is helpful.

 

[Streetcar]

Just adding, I do cook for him as a breakfast topper, then freeze it in little containers. But it does not have all the nutrients needed to be his sole food and he will eat without it, too. If I had a deep freeze, I might take on all his food, but don't, so just do supplemental batches that will fit in my freezer on top of the refrigerator.

 

[Viking Queen]

I recently helped a friend transition his elderly poodle/bichon to Purina Pro Plan Bright Minds and he has done very well on it....

 

[jojogal001]

I have an Oscar too that is a toy mix, about 5 pounds and 12 years old. He is an extremely finicky eater and I was cooking for him. I finally found a food he loves...

Crave with Salmon and Ocean Fish

It is grain free, but my vet said to mix rice and/or other grains in and let him enjoy it. For a toy it only takes about a teaspoon of rice. (Brown rice).

It is not specifically for seniors, but Oscar is thriving on it with a good energy level, super soft coat and normal stools. It’s the first thing he’s eaten regularly without skipping meals.

 

[Zesti_V]

Have you considered Purina ONE SmartBlend Sensitive?

Purina ONE SmartBlend Sensitive Systems Adult Formula Dry Dog Food, 16.5-lb bag - Chewy.com

Buy Purina ONE SmartBlend Sensitive Systems Adult Formula Dry Dog Food, 16.5-lb bag at Chewy.com. FREE shipping and the BEST customer service!

www.chewy.com

My mini tends to do her best on lower fat and lower protein foods, and she likes this one (and she's picky).

 

[Oscar'sMom]

Thank you everyone!
I checked out dog food advisor.com as I walked up and down the pet store aisles. I found a couple of foods to try. Jury is still out on whether or not my boys will like them. They have had purina pro plan in the past, but I wasn’t sure about it. I have read some things that Purina changed the formula and it wasn’t as good. Its all so confusing.

I may end up cooking up some chicken, rice and pumpkin and freeze it in ice cube trays. Putting one ice cubes worth in with the kibble might work to get them to eat it without being too much work for my family when I am not able to feed them.