# Need alternative to Hills w/d, low fat and high fiber



## flashyfawn

Yes, sigh, I am currently feeding one of my dogs Hills w/d. She was very sick with a really bad case of pancreatitis in the middle of May and we seemed to get that under control but she had diarrhea that would not go away. All of the usual things to try did not work. She lost a significant amount of weight and is very thin now, ribs/spine/hip bones all visible. I ended up taking her to a referral vet last week for an ultrasound which turned up a few things, nothing terribly scary, but the only thing related to the diarrhea was that her intestines were inflamed. The only way to try to find an answer would be to do a biopsy which I really don't want to put her through, as she is older is this is not her only health problem. 

So just to try something else, we decided to put her on the w/d because of the high fiber. And thankfully it worked--she was getting to the point where we were considering putting her down because she was wasting away and having diarrhea for a month can't be comfortable. Since starting the w/d, her diarrhea has gotten steadily better and her poop now is totally normal. She seems to feel great and is back to her old self. Her weight is stable, I don't think she's gained any back yet but she definitely hasn't lost any more.

I would really rather not leave her on the w/d long term. But I need something that is both low fat, because of the pancreatitis, and higher than normal in fiber. I have been reading about fiber responsive diarrhea and it looks like some dogs do well with Metamucil added to their diet, but the food still needs to be something easily digestible. I am also not opposed to cooking for her, but I'd rather get a diet formulated by someone who knows what they're doing. 

I'm considering trying Honest Kitchen's Verve because she has eaten that before and did well. Maybe with Metamucil added, that would give her enough fiber, and the fat is low enough. But if anyone has other ideas, I would love to hear them!


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## Jacksons Mom

Honestly? It sounds like she's doing great on the W/D. It's not something I'd choose to feed nor want to long-term, either, but at this point, why rock the boat? It sounds like she was having a terrible time before. 

But, Wellness Core Reduced Fat came to mind... high in fiber, low fat. Wellness Simple may have a few but I'm not sure off the top of my head. But the RX diets are so much more than that - they're specifically formulated for conditions such as these, and it's not always just a matter of protein % and fat % ratios per say.

You could check out Royal Canin's RX diets. Personally I think they're better.


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## NutroGeoff

You could look into the Nutro Natural Choice Lite formulas. They are lower in fat since they are Lite formulas but they have more fiber than you would find in a regular formula. Natural Choice Lite comes in either Chicken, Whole Brown Rice, and Oatmeal and Lamb, and Whole Brown Rice. I posted links to both. I would definitely talk to your vet to see if this would be a good alternative to what you are feeding now, though. I hope it helps. 

Lite - Chicken, Whole Brown Rice & Oatmeal Natural Diet Dog Food : NUTRO® NATURAL CHOICE® Dog Foods - The Nutro Company

Lite - Lamb & Whole Brown Rice Natural Dog Food : NUTRO® NATURAL CHOICE® Dog Foods - The Nutro Company


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## SaharaNight Boxers

I would look into any weight management, lean, or low fat kibble. You could probably just add some pumpkin for fiber if needed. I think THK would be a good option too with all the vegetables in it also. I believe most of their formulas are higher in fiber. Sojos could be another good one.


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## flashyfawn

Thanks for all the suggestions and thoughts! When we first started the w/d I was using the canned only because I wasn't sure she would agree to eat the dry. But the fat % in the canned is borderline for a pancreatitis dog and it's expensive--it's $27 for 12 cans and when on the canned only, she was eating 3 to 4 cans a day. I have since added some dry w/d which is lower in fat and allows me to stretch out the canned, so it helps both problems.

The Wellness Core reduced fat might be an option, I actually have fed that in the past and she did well. For some reason my dogs get tired of Wellness fairly quickly though. But if I keep adding the canned w/d that might keep her interested. It is really difficult to find a dry food that has fiber higher than about 7%. The w/d dry is 16.5% so that's a pretty big drop. I have found a couple that are around 10%. But they also tend to be very low in calories and when I'm trying to get her to gain weight, I'd have to feed her constantly to get her gaining anything. Before her ultrasound I was adding canned pumpkin and unfortunately it did not make a difference. It seems like she just needs more than that, I don't really know. We don't have a firm diagnosis or a reason why she needs so much more fiber all the sudden so I'm not totally sure what to make of everything. Kind of just treating symptoms, I guess, which I'm okay with as long as it continues to work.

NutroGeoff, thank you, that was a really helpful suggestion. I have never fed Nutro (no particular reason) so it just wasn't a brand I was thinking about. As long as she will agree to keep eating the dry w/d, I plan to keep her on it until I'm sure her condition is stable before looking into changing. But this is a food on my list to try when/if I switch her.


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## Kikki

First thing that came to my mind was Wellness Core Reduced Fat as well. I just got a big bag for our older and slightly overweight girl and remember reading in the back that it was a bit higher in fiber.

Another thing, if pumpkin doesn't work and you need something with more fiber, how about sweet potato? Sweet potato has 3 times more fiber compared to pumpkin. I personally boil it and give them 2-3 mouthfuls with their kibbles if they have loose stools. The dogs like the texture and taste of boiled sweet potato much better than pumpkin puree and it works more efficiently for the cause.


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## bett

If you dont mind home cooking- "raw and natural nutrition for dogs" by lew olson.
They have sample diets in it also.
I use it to home cook for one of my boys, with liver issues.i cook about once every 8 days, for a 75 lb lab.


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## flashyfawn

She totally snubbed Wellness Core, wouldn't even consider it. Right now she is eating a mixture of the canned w/d and Natural Balance's Fat Dogs formula. She is most definitely not a fat dog but the fat and fiber fit what I was looking for and she likes it. Right now this is working great so I'm going to leave it alone for a while. She has to eat the w/d along with the Natural Balance food, if I give her just the NB dry she will have diarrhea every time. I have tried adding fiber to the NB and it does not work. Dunno, just seems like there is something about the w/d that she needs right now. I still don't love it but she is finally coming back to life again and acting like herself after a really long, hard couple of months. 

I'm not opposed to cooking for her, especially if all I needed was a low fat diet. But all the suggestions I see for adding fiber (vegetables etc.) did not work for her so I'm not sure about that. I probably would have a diet formulated for her if I go that route. I'm just very afraid at this point to change anything. And assuming she continues to do well I'm supposed to be going on vacation at the end of August, so I don't plan to make any more changes to her diet until after that--don't want to change her diet and have it not work out when I'm supposed to be out of town. And maybe once she's been on a diet for a while that works well for her, it could be that the inflammation in her intestines will go down and then she'll be able to handle a little more, I don't know.


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## Sapphire-Light

Well, sometimes we owners have to feed what it works for our dogs and not what we wish they will want to eat or their systems to accept.


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## Unosmom

what about blue buffalo wilderness healthy weight?


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## flashyfawn

Unosmom said:


> what about blue buffalo wilderness healthy weight?


You know, that one looks like it could work but a tech at my vet's office said they've had a lot of dogs come in with vomiting and diarrhea and they all eat Blue Buffalo. The dogs are treated based on symptoms (bland diet, something to help vomiting, etc) and the food is changed and then dogs are fine. Apparently it's relatively common and has been an ongoing issue. I have fed BB in the past with no issues at all and my dogs loved it and did great, but this makes me hesitate a little.


I have never heard of the Holistic Health Extension--I will look that up when I have time, thanks for the suggestion!


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## Dr Dolittle

Jackson's mom has a really good point! If the w/d is working, why rock the boat. Yes, Royal canin also makes a Low Fat High Fiber food. Wouldn't say one is better since all dogs respond differently but as she said they are formulated specifically for GI cases. You are right. It is difficult to find a similar diet in stores. Both those comapnies now make a diet specifically for pancreatitis, called i/d LowFat and RC Lowfat, but again, I'd stick with success. There are many dogs that require unique sources and unique levels of fiber to stay regular. DON'T fall victim to looking for flashy ingredient panels when ypou are feeding these types of diets. They work becasue the ingredients are chosen for their nutrient content, not to look good on the bag. And stick with dry if she'll eat it. A whole lot cheaper! My best to you both. God Bless!


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