In search of an affordable low fat dog food for my elder dog with high cholesterol

[emotionlesstruth]

My boy, Jim, is a mellow 14 year old chihuahua-terrier mix who weighs 15 pounds. He gets 3 walks each day. He has slowed down somewhat the last 2-3 years due to arthritis, so it wouldn’t hurt him to lose a pound. He takes Cosequin and fish oil for arthritis and cognitive improvement. They seem to help.

Three weeks ago he rapidly tapered off and then stopped eating the dry food he’d been eating for a couple of years (Fromm - various flavors - from the vet). We picked up some canned food (Nulo Medal Series adult chicken) and he gobbled that up so we don't think it's a dental issue. His teeth were cleaned in February.

Labs indicated his cholesterol (382mg/dl) and triglycerides (519mg/dl) were pretty high and globulin and neutrophils were elevated. The lab for Valley Fever showed 1-8 and he has no symptoms so the vet said to just keep an eye on him for now.

The vet recommended a low fat diet. From past experience Jim will not eat Hills ID (Rx) so we got some Purina ProPlan EN (Rx) and he seems okay with it. (Initially the labs were listed as feline so the PrecisionPSL which checks for pancreatitis showed he had that but fortunately the canine range showed he was in the normal range (108U/l). Maybe that’s why the vet initially was very concerned about the low fat diet.)

Cost is a big factor. I am on a tight budget due to my own health issues and Purina EN is over $4 per can. For Jim that’s $120/month up from $20/month for dry. I love my little buddy and want to do right by him, but I can’t afford that long term.

I have been scouring the Internet and pet stores. If I could find a healthy low or lower fat dry food that softens nicely in water in about 15-20 minutes that he will eat that would be great. (Fromm is still a rock after an hour.) He is a picky eater. For low fat food we have tried Natural Balance Fat Dogs that does soften nicely, but he won’t go near it. I even tried mixing a few cut up pieces in with the Purina EN that he likes in hopes that can stretch out the canned food a bit, but he refuses to eat anything with NB Fat Dog in it. Fat Dog not supposed to be a long term food anyway. We’ve also tried the more affordable Authority Mature canned, but he won’t eat that either. Other canned food like Royal Canin Weight Care are about the same price as the Purina EN.

I’ve noticed most dog foods only list crude fat minimum without stating the max so that is a bit frustrating. Also, since Jim doesn’t have pancreatitis perhaps a low fat food is not necessary. Perhaps just a lower fat food. The Fromms dry food he had been eating was 17%. He was also taking ¼ teaspoon of fish oil 2x/day.

Does anyone know of a lower fat dry food that softens nicely that a picky guy might be interested in?

A softer/chewy kibble might work too. I’m not sure he will go back to hard dry at this point although I am now concerned that eating soft food will increase his chances of dental issues.

 

[theropod]

@emotionlesstruth Hill's Perfect Weight, or Hill's Perfect Weight and Joint Support have reduced fat.

 

[emotionlesstruth]

@theropod Do you know if they soften well in water? I've come across several dry foods that do not so gotta ask.

 

[theropod]

@emotionlesstruth I feed one of my dogs the perfect weight and joint, I'll test it in a couple hours. Do you just use water to soften it?

 

[emotionlesstruth]

@theropod Yes, just water. Thank you!

 

[theropod]

@emotionlesstruth Hello,

I used warm water and left it for 15 minutes. Half of them were soft enough you could push your finger through with ease. The other half were mostly soft but had a hard inside still.

 

[emotionlesstruth]

@theropod Hi,

Good to know. I just might give this on a try first now that I know it will soften up. The Fat Dog dog food did the same thing. Half completely softened up in 15, and the other half took another 10.

Thank you very much!

 

[theropod]

@emotionlesstruth Just get a small 4lb bag that's only like $25. Hopefully it works for yall. You'd save a bunch.

 

[jen2174]

@emotionlesstruth Blend it, add it to a scoop of wet or just add water he won’t know the difference. We had to do that with my old man!

 

[brennanskates]

@emotionlesstruth I dont have much advice on what food to buy, but i want to say something that many many MANY people dont understand.

the percentage on the bag is by weight, not by energy density. You can not compare diets with their weight.

https://vetnutrition.tufts.edu/2017/08/nutrient_converter/

you would have to use this calculator (or you can do it by hand, but this is easier) to determine the g/100kcal or g/1000kcal to have any idea of how much fat is actually in the diet, and even still, just as you said, the fat amount is listed in minimum, not maximum.

some things to consider, is that most weight loss diets are naturally lower in fat. If you figure out the g/1000 or g/100kcal, anything below 4g/100kcal (or 40g/1000kcal) is considered low fat. The prescription diets (Royal canin GI low fat, Hills i/d low fat, and EN low fat) are all around 1.8-2.5g/100kcal and its difficult to get that low with an OTC diet.

Also realize that wet foods are naturally higher in fat than dry.

In general, many otc Hills diets are naturally low fat. The hills Adult Light foods are around 2.5g/100kcal… While Royal canin OTC diets tend to be higher in fat

 

[emotionlesstruth]

@brennanskates Ah, yes. I figured that up for calories to get an idea of how much to start feeding him when I switched him from the dry to wet, but I didn't even think about the by weight vs energy density issue.

And me being a math nerd! *facepalm*

Thank you for the link to the converter. I bet I'll be using that quite a bit over the next few days.

 

[myjesus777]

@emotionlesstruth Surely your vet suggested some food other than canned food? In humans high cholesterol can be managed not only by a modification in diet but exercise is another way too. Can you increase the number of walks he gets in a day? Going for longer walks might not be helpful but short frequent walks might be better.

 

[homesteadme]

@emotionlesstruth So, it's important to understand the relationship between fat and cholesterol. Saturated and trans fats can contribute to LDL cholesterol (which is typically the "bad" cholesterol), but unsaturated fats can contribute to HDL, which the body can get rid of through the liver so overall has a lowering effect on cholesterol. Fish oil is a good example of an unsaturated fat, so I wouldn't be stopping that or counting it as part of the fat intake you want to reduce.

Much like in humans, it seems like plant sterols may help to manage cholesterol. They are available as fairly affordable supplements in various forms, so that could be a potential avenue you may wish to discuss with your vet.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0739724021000072

 

[emotionlesstruth]

@homesteadme Thank you for the clarification.

 

[kjs000]

@emotionlesstruth I had my Aussie on Victor Senior Healthy Weight. It softens very nicely and he seemed to really enjoy the taste. It has added glucosamine and chondroitin for joint health and was budget friendly. They only sell it in 40 lb bags so that might be too much to buy at one time for a dog your size. I recently switched him to Pro Plan Weight Management because I wanted him on a diet that met WSAVA guidelines. You could also look into Beaverdam Skipper’s Choice, it’s on Chewy. I’ve never fed it or heard anything about it, but it could be an option for what you’re looking for.

 

[emotionlesstruth]

@kjs000 Thank you for the suggestions. I have not run across those products so I will look into them. I, too, hope I can find something my little guy likes that meets WSAVA.

 

[livethelife]

@emotionlesstruth I'm going through the same problem with trying to find a good low fat dog food. Hope Jim is doing ok. It's a trial and error for me and everything is so expensive.