Weight loss alternative for Royal Canin Satiety Supplement prescription?

[klonz]

So I took my dog to the vet today to check on a few allergies she’s been having + an unexplainable weight gain of about 20 lbs in the last 6 months, and we were told that one possibility is that she has Cushing’s and needed to be on the Satiety prescription. The plan is that she’d try the food to see if it helped with her weight and some allergy hot spots around her muzzle, but the food is like $71 for a 17 lb bag, and that’s on top of a $1200 bill they quoted me for blood work they also want to do to rule out Cushing’s or not…

I can’t afford my other pets’ normal food that’s already inflated in price + a $70 bag that won’t last my bigger dog more than 2 weeks at her size. Does anyone have any suggestions for how to maybe find a similar alternative that’s low calorie and clean, or even a balanced homemade option that I can make? I can cook her chicken and veggies, but idk what else needs to be put into it to get her all the vitamins that she needs to be healthy

If this is helpful:
- she’s currently 98.4 lbs
- she needs to go back to 78 lbs
- vet wants her on 900 kcal/day
- on her regular food, that’s about 3 cups/day of kibble split into breakfast and dinner

 

[sanjaya1984]

@klonz I feed my corgi fresh homemade food using recipes on balance-it. He lost 3 lbs already this year from 33 down to 30. I don’t like those overpriced vet prescription food filled with poor ingredients like by products.

 

[gracegrace]

@klonz I would recommend Nutram, a Canadian company, in business since 1989, and have NEVER had a single recall. The i18 weight control formula might be good to look in to.

 

[klonz]

@gracegrace Thank you, I’ll look into it and see if someone ships their products internationally! Never having a recall sounds like a good start to my research on diet changes for my pup

 

[girlplea]

@klonz Hello animal nutritionist here,

I completely understand the financial aspect but Cushings is a serious allegation. Not deadly serious but serious enough that I do suggest getting the test ran.

Cushings can occur from overproduction of cortisol by the adrenal glands. So a change in diet might not be significant enough...

Having said that there are plenty of herbal remedies that can help. And plenty of foods you can try. Anything with ashwagandha and/or astragalus can help control steroid and glucose levels.

I saw someone mention honest kitchen which is a great suggest. Dehydrated foods are inherently lower in fat and can help with hydration. I will warn you however, a lot if dogs do not enjoy dehydrated foods.
Fat=Flavor

Good luck

 

[klonz]

@girlplea I completely agree that the blood work will be crucial, I just need to get our pet insurance company to agree to pay for it up front because I can’t afford it until I get my tax return. But if Cushings is the actual issue (the weight gain, the pigmentation loss in her fur, the red allergy patches around her nose), then I do want to do what I can to change her lifestyle and help remove anything that might be making it worse. But, you know, like a cheaper version for right now so that I can save for that blood work to be done…

I will definitely look into products with those ingredients. I did see some dehydrated snacks at Petsmart but didn’t think that my dog would eat them since they were like puff Cheeto texture, but I’ll look into them now. Is there any specific brands of either supplements, snacks, or other pet food that you recommend for what could be a potential Cushings dog?

And again, thank you for the info. I wish our vet had a nutritionist on-site that I could’ve consulted with

 

[cins]

@klonz Honest kitchen has a nice vitamin mix for home made food that might be worth trying.

You could also see if purina pro plan or hills has a similar product for less

 

[klonz]

@cins I’ll look into the vitamin mix, thank you! Haven’t tried their products before, but I’ll do some research. I’ll also see if Hills and Purina have alternatives, that’s a great idea