wt-loss for one k9, & better digestion / Absorption for the other
d
Because my dogs are high energy working lines. I like them slim. Better for joints. But one in particular, would go very thin. So used Satin Balls. A recipe used just before shows, to put sparkle into the coat. Very fattening.
Satin Balls ~~~
All ingredients are uncooked RAW and "Satin Balls" are served raw.
Satin Balls for Little Dogs --
or to try out recipe on your dog to see if he will eat it.
1 lb cheap hamburger (for high fat %)
...
Satin Balls Half Recipe
5 lbs cheap hamburger (for high fat %)
...
Satin Balls Full Recipe
10 lbs cheap hamburger (high fat %)
...
Brilliant stuff. Works in 7 days.
.
Rather than "fatten
ing" - which yes, they would be, as a steady part of one's diet - i'd just call them "
fat". :rofl:
If U want to add condition & muscle, this isn't the way to do it, IME - yes, it will give a nice shiny coat, but most any fat-source will do that, & for a dog who's intolerant of beef / wheat / oats / eggs, a big flare-up of their symptoms would result.
Feeding beef-suet, sugar, & cereal won't add muscle to a scrawny frame - just pad it with fat.
Also, a note of warning re:
sudden increases of dietary fat in dogs -
one or both of these can occur,
pancreatitis which can be quite dangerous, & / or less dangerous but highly inconvenient,
diarrhea.
Having to clean-up semi-liquid feces isn't my idea of a good time - so if U make these, give SMALL pieces to change over gradually. That the dog will, of course,
love it, doesn't mean they can have 4 or 5 pieces the 1st day! - even if the dog has no dietary intolerances / sensitivities at all, a nice big blob of fat in the diet has consequences.
To illustrate it, the most-common annual cause of what vets delicately call "gastric indiscretion" is either T-day or Xmas, when doting owners GIVE THE DOG a nice big hunk of crispy-brown, incredibly-fatty turkey skin, or ham fat - ooh, yum! :happydance: ANd the dog gobbles it up... & a few hours later, it's either on the carpet as vomit, or on the floor or in the yard, as diarrhea.
Not a good holiday memory - vivid, but not happy.
_______________________________________
I have 2 suggestions - 1 for the porky Pug-mix, to help peel off the flab, & 1 for the scrawny Aussie, to add not fat nor coat-gloss, but muscle tissue & nutrients.
For the Pug-X, add
plain canned pumpkin AKA pumpkin-puree to his meals.
This is GRAS / Generally Regarded As Safe, but I'd clear it with yer vet ahead of time, anyway.
And no - B4 U ask, there is no substitute that i know of for the PUMPKIN - not butternut squash, not nuthin'. Pumpkin contains a tremendous amount of insoluble fiber, AND it smells & tastes sweet, while containing minimal calories; all it does is bulk the diet, satiate the dog, & add few calories to their intake.
Specific directions:
- Measure every meal; don't cheat.
- DEDUCT either 1/4 or 1/3 of the volume from the dog's current regular meal; 1/4 to lose flab slowly, 1/3 to take it off a bit faster.
- SUBSTITUTE an equal volume of plain canned pumpkin for the missing amount.
- Feed the dog.
that's it! - simple, no way to mess it up. It doesn't matter if the dog eats homecooked, BARF, dry kibble, chill-packed 'sausage' dog-food... any diet; it's
volume, not calories.
Most dogs adore pumpkin, & will eat it right out of the can, as-is; stick a [clean] finger or spoon into a just-opened can, offer it to yer dog, & see how fast it vanishes.
Obviously, even a Great Dane or Engl Mastiff won't eat a whole can at one meal - so the remainder will be refrigerated, & some dogs lose their enthusiasm when it's
cold. Not to worry; give the chilled pumpkin 10 to 20-secs in the microwave [depending on the wattage of the unit, & the Am't of pumpkin] to warm it up, & restore the aroma. :thumbsup:
To make serving it as simple as possible, scoop measured portions onto a parchment-lined baking sheet, freeze till they're firm, then pop them in a ziplock bag, expel the air, & seal it tightly - they'll keep frozen for 6-mos, easily. // Take out as needed, to thaw & serve.
U can keep pumpkin as a part of the daily diet indefinitely -
for instance, 1/3 pumpkin plus 2/3 the volume of the dog's usual diet for fat-loss, then when U reach the target wt,
reduce it to 1/4 volume of pumpkin & 3/4 volume of everyday-diet, as a maintenance routine.
Pumpkin also helps to express the anal glands, for dogs with a tendency to blockage or abscess. :thumbsup:
===========================
Dog #2:
to improve her ability to maintain body-condition, & to increase her NUTRIENT absorption -
keep her diet the same, but give her both
high-potency probiotics &
digestive enzymes.
Some dogs don't secrete the amount or range of dig-enzymes they need, in order to break down their food into assimilable packets; thus they discard a lot of their food as undigested waste, in their feces.
[GSDs are especially susceptible to this issue, as well as other GI issues from IBS to gut-motility problems, "emotionally-triggered diarrhea", & other hassles, but any individual dog, of any breed or mix, can have digestive or gut issues.]
Does she ever have "gassy guts"? - audible rumbling or gurgles in her abdomen, or U can feel the gut contract or even spasm, or feel bubbles move, or she has malodorous gas? -
Dig-enzymes & probiotics can help with both the discomfort, & the outgassing; well-digested food in non-ruminant mammals doesn't produce lots of gas expelled as farts. Instead, small amounts of gas are expelled as belches, or with the stool during a BM, & there's much-less [or no] abdominal discomfort.
[Boxers & Brit Bulldogs, who are closely related, are 2 breeds notorious for room-clearing gas attacks; dig-enzymes & probiotics can help them, too.]
HIGH-POTENCY PROBIOTICS must be kept
refrigerated, or the critters will die. With
billions of microbes per capsule, the extra hassle is well-worth it, IME; open the capsule & pour the powder out, onto a Tbsp or so of organic yogurt; stir to incorporate the powder, & plop onto the food to serve.
If U drop in the capsule, it may not be eaten at all; if U pour the powder on, merely sniffing sends thousands or millions of microbes flying; hence mix it B4 serving, to get the full benefit. :thumbsup:
Here are 2 very high-quality capsules:
https://www.renewlife.com/ultimate-flora-probiotics.html
https://www.renewlife.com/digestive-enzymes/digestmore-ultra.html
Notice that if U sign-up to get deliveries on a schedule, U get 15% off the list price.
It's also possible to find these specific items [name-brand & potency, etc] on sale at various retail stores [physical & virtual].
HTH,
- terry
.
