High fiber grain free dog food?

[Carolyn and Sadie]

Hi,

My 1 1/2 year old cockapoo Sadie has been having issues with her anal glands having to be expressed

every 3 months or so. A mild case but still I would like to solve this problem. The vet suggested a higher 

fiber dog food since I have tried canned pumpkin and sweet potato and they both make her stool too soft. She is currently on Acana Pacifica which she does well on so if anyone has a suggestion of something I could add to this to bulk up her stool, I would try that before switching foods. 

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

It's odd that the pumpkin and/or sweet potato would make the stool softer, since they're just soluble fiber that should have the opposite effect when used in moderation.

If you don't want to switch foods to one with a higher fiber content, and the pumpkin/sweet potato doesn't help, you can try adding a little pure psyllium powder to her meals. Konsyl is the brand name, but most drugstores have a generic. I buy mine at CVS. You need to be sure that it's 100% psyllium with no added sugars or flavorings. You can try mixing a quarter teaspoon into a little bit of pumpkin or mashed sweet potato and then adding that to each meal. 

What kind of treats and chews is she getting? That could be causing a problem, too. 

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

You can also try adding a half cup of no-sodium-added canned green beans to her meals. That's just 20 calories and helps add some bulk, too. Try warming the green beans slightly before adding them, that seems to appeal to dogs more than cold beans. 

[Carolyn and Sadie]

Karen, Thanks for the suggestions. Maybe I was feeding her too much pumpkin when I tried it. I was adding 1 tablespoon per day and she is only 16 pounds. maybe I will try it again. What would you recommend for a daily serving? If I do the green beans instead how much should she get per day? Or how much of the psyllium fiber? I usually give her a small Dent-a-Bone every other day.  Her stools tend to be well formed but on the soft side. I used to give her raw carrots as a treat, would you recommend going back to those?  

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

The amounts are in my post, lol. Assuming you're feeding her twice a day (and you should be if you're not) add a quarter to a half cup of green beans to each meal. For the psyllium fiber, add a quarter teaspoon per meal, mixed into a spoonful of pumpkin or sweet potatoes.

A tablespoon per day of pumpkin or sweet potatoes is not too much at all, and shouldn't cause any problems. 

Raw carrots are fine, they're actually indigestible, and basically only provide fiber, too. 

You could also try giving her a couple of tablespoons of plain unflavored nonfat yogurt, either with her meals or as a little treat. You can add a few blueberries or dried cranberries to it, too. That might help improve the stool formation.

I'm not familiar with Dent-a-bone, but if you mean DentaStix by Pedigree, I'd stop those immediately. They're pure garbage, contain both rice flour and wheat starch, and all ingredients are imported from China. 

If you wanted to stay with Acana, but get a higher fiber content, you could try one of the Acana Singles formulas. They all contain 6.5% fiber as compared to 5% for Pacifica. And they're all grain-free.

[Carolyn and Sadie]

The treats are called Bone A Mints. Made in USA but not grain free. I will try one tablespoon canned pumpkin per day divided in the two meals. I think I was giving her the one tablespoon all at once. If that does't work and I try the psyllium fiber, can I sprinkle it on her food? Thanks again Karen for your help.

 

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

One tablespoon of canned pumpkin with each meal isn't much at all and shouldn't be causing the problem. In fact, more might help.

The psyllium fiber is really gritty. If you just sprinkle it on dry food, she may not eat the food. :(

[Carolyn and Sadie]

Have you heard of Bone A Mints?

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I had not but it turns out that the parent company makes other treats on our recommended list. From a safety standpoint, they're fine but I'd rather see you giving a pure protein treat like Pure Bites.

[Carolyn and Sadie]

Karen, If I do change dog foods, do you have any suggestions? I would like to stay grain free.