Should I take my dog off Nutrisource Weight Management?

[lhthe]

Hello all,
My large breed SD has been on NutriSource Weight Management Dry Dog Food- Chicken and Rice for Large Breeds for about 4 years now. The Banfield vet and a couple trainers at the time suggested it to help him lose some weight and then to keep him on it with a maintenance amount to help him maintain the ideal Weight.

I read on the FAQs page of r/AskVet that Nutrisource is one of the brands of dog foods not recommended but that was listed under the information about Grain Free. This formula is not grain free, it even says on the bag that it includes wholesome grains.

So now I'm worried I'm hurting my pup!

Should I be feeding him something else and if so, what is actually recommended?

Details: Large breed Poodle, male, neutered, 29.25" tall at shoulders, 36" at top of head. Currently 90lbs. Fed 2x a day, 1.5cups each feeding (sometimes we give him a cooked egg with his food as a treat). I'm not sure what other info may be needed.

Thank you!!!

 

[sevilodorf]

@lhthe Yes. These companies rushed “wholesome grains” and “ancient grains” and whatever else to market once the tides turned against grain free food. They fixed none of the underlying problems (no feeding trials, no expertise on staff, no research) that caused the problem in the first place. There are better science-backed weight management options.

While grain free diets are disproportionately implicated in the dilated cardiomyopathy issue, grain inclusive diets from boutique brands that do not invest in expertise or research have been implicated as well.

Companies like this just haven’t demonstrated within any evidence that they are appropriately and safely formulating food

 

[lhthe]

@sevilodorf Thank you, I had no idea! Do you have recommendations on what to switch him over to for his breed and size and age? He's 6yo, idr if I put that in the post sorry.

 

[sevilodorf]

@lhthe I’d pick Purina (one or pro plan are both good) or Hills weight management if it were me. They’re both generally widely available

Royal Canin is great as well, but can be more expensive.

If you are NOT in Europe/UM Iams and Eukanuba can be added to the list of good choices as well and they both have a good healthy weight option (they’re owned by a different company and operate differently in Europe and the UK).

https://www.reddit.com/r/DogFood/wiki/index/start/

 

[lhthe]

@sevilodorf Thank you so much. I'll start researching those, I'm in the US, so Iams and Eukanuba I'll look at too.

 

[kasie]

@lhthe I have my lab mix on science diets weight management food.

Science diet, purina one and royal canin are all WSAVA compliant with research backing that they provide a balanced diet. So any of those would be a good choice.

For the specifics of age and size, the choice is a little murkier. My boy is 70ish pounds and 9 years old but bc he had a broken hip before I got him that healed improperly, I have him on the large breed formula because it has the added joint supplements. Science diet has a 6 years+ formula, but my dog is still on the standard adult as he does well on it and so far isn't showing signs of any age-related changes.

For your pup, their large breed standard adult weight management makes the most sense, I think.

Also a tip, if your pup is acting hungry between meals but you can't add more kibble because they're at their calorie limit, plain cooked veggies as a topper can help them feel full. My boy likes green beans, broccoli and carrots especially and gets so excited when I add them to his kibble. They make great treats uncooked as well.

 

[desiringgod7]

@lhthe I have mine on Hill’s Science Diet Perfect Weight.

 

[ernestcop]

@lhthe Yes, you should consider switching. It doesn’t meet WSAVA guidelines and isn’t formulated properly. Stick with Hill’s (I’ve used the perfect weight formula with great success), Royal Canin, Purina, Iams, and Eukanuba.

 

[lhthe]

@ernestcop I was told Purina is the equivalent of kibble just more expensive. I'll checkout the other brands. I'm so scared about switching him tho bc we tried to switch formulas within the same brand even, gradually last time and he vomited and had diarrhea until the vet gave us some meds and told us to switch back :/ I'm not sure if I just did it wrong or what.

 

[kasie]

@lhthe When you switched did you do it gradually or all at once?

If you did it all at once, next time follow a process like -

Day 1-2: 75% old kibble, 25% new kibble

Day 3-4: 50% old and new kibble

Day 5-6: 25% old kibble, 75% new

Day 7: 100% new

If during this process you notice any tummy upset, continue at the same levels until your pup normalizes.

 

[amd358]

@lhthe It's amazing that dog food companies can sell "weight management" foods lol. Just feed less food

 

[sevilodorf]

@amd358 Just feeding less can reduce the volume of a diet so much that a dogs stomach is uncomfortably empty or they can miss out on key nutrients because they aren’t eating enough.

Diets that provide lower calorie bulk and a higher nutrient concentration are very very important for successful weight loss in many dogs.

It’s like telling someone to just eat a quarter of a chicken breast instead of a full salad.

 

[amd358]

@sevilodorf 1: if you're worried, consult your vet before changing diet

2: common sense would apply, gradually reduce the amount of food, not all in one day

 

[sevilodorf]

@amd358 Obviously everyone should consult their vet

It doesn’t matter how slowly you get down to a quarter chicken breast, that volume is never going to be enough to fill your stomach or nutrient dense enough to provide what you need to thrive

 

[lhthe]

@amd358 I already did, they're the ones that recommended nutrisource to me bc once his weight is where we need it consistently we could switch "flavors" and type within the same brand without issues.

 

[othersteeve]

@amd358 Maybe you should quiet down since you clearly have no clue what you're talking about