Low fibre dog food
- Thread starter Jen
- Start date
- Location
- Andorra and Spain
Hmmm.... well there are two types of dietary fibre; soluble and insoluble. Neither can be digested, but they work in different ways. Soluble fibre absorbs water and can help firm up runny poo. This is the type that is in most supplements. Think of how things like porridge oats swell up as they take on water - this is soluble fibre. Then you have insoluble fibre, which can have the opposite effect and get things moving. Fruit and vegetable peelings contain a lot of insoluble fibre.
Neither is good nor bad; it's the balance of them for an individual that is important.
The "crude fibre" listing on the packet doesn't actually tell you much about the amount of dietary fibre in the food. Crude fibre is what is left after all the soluble fibre and some of the insoluble fibre has been dissolved under laboratory conditions. So all we can tell is that there is this much insoluble fibre left over, without knowing how much soluble fibre there was to start with.
If you're happy otherwise with this food, I'd look at maybe adding more soluble fibre to his diet in the form of either whole foods (oats, bran, peeled sweet potato etc) or a supplement.
Neither is good nor bad; it's the balance of them for an individual that is important.
The "crude fibre" listing on the packet doesn't actually tell you much about the amount of dietary fibre in the food. Crude fibre is what is left after all the soluble fibre and some of the insoluble fibre has been dissolved under laboratory conditions. So all we can tell is that there is this much insoluble fibre left over, without knowing how much soluble fibre there was to start with.
If you're happy otherwise with this food, I'd look at maybe adding more soluble fibre to his diet in the form of either whole foods (oats, bran, peeled sweet potato etc) or a supplement.
When Monty's started to act up, the vet suggested adding a small handful of branflakes to his food. I would do this whenever he had looser poos as I knew that was when the glands were less likely to empty. Unfortunately he wasn't that keen and ate them as a last resort 
If Stanley's poos are really firm already, I wouldn't have thought this would make much difference. It might just be this is an ongoing issue and you get them checked and emptied every few months.
Have to say since starting home cooking , Monty's haven't needed checking so often. This might just be coincidence.
If Stanley's poos are really firm already, I wouldn't have thought this would make much difference. It might just be this is an ongoing issue and you get them checked and emptied every few months.
Have to say since starting home cooking , Monty's haven't needed checking so often. This might just be coincidence.
Quinn has always had gland issues, typically when her allergies flare but also if she's had loose poops. The only thing that noticeably helps is allergy meds, but for firming up loose poops I add a bit of pureed pumpkin to her food. I have her on a food that has oatmeal in it per the vet's recommendation, but not really seen any changes with the glands. Did you mention his hair loss to the vet? The combo of glands and hair loss makes me suspect allergies.
I’m guessing you meant high fibre food?
I find raw chicken feet make a huge difference to Snowie’s poos. When he eats them, his poos come out perfectly formed—small and hard, but not too hard. He’s already on raw meat and raw bones, so technically he should have perfectly formed poos. But he scavenges a lot, and if he eats bread, his poos come out very soft and puffy.
Yes I think there’s an allergy of some sort but the vet really didn’t think so because it’s not bothering him. I think it’s chicken but when I cut it out it didn’t clear up the bald patch so I’m unsure really.
No the bet said low fibre would firm up his poos and make them more likely to pop his anal glands when he goes. To be honest his poo’s are generally firm anyway
Definitely kickable!
Actually, that makes sense. If Snowie eats only his raw meat and raw bones, his poos come out like bullets. But if he eats lots of veg—which is most of the time in our house, he gets lots of veg offcuts when we’re cooking—then his poos come out quite puffy. And kibble is usually very high in fibre—usually lots of beet fibre filler if you look at the ingredient list.
But if you say his poos are already kickable, then I can’t see how you can improve them. Snowie used to have really bad anal glands from allergies, and his poos were hard at the time. I do think, though, Stanley would be better off if you cooked for him or fed him raw meat and bones. Its hard to know what actually goes into kibble, and it’s so highly processed.
- Location
- Vlaardingen, the Netherlands
I had Finn on Acana, it is grain free. I changed him back again to proplan after the news that dogs on Acana could suffer from DCM.....Taurine deficiency as a result of grain free kibble. I can’t find articles in English for you, my iPad shows me only Dutch websites.
Jacqui-S
Moderator
- Location
- Fife, Scotland
I would have thought a bulkier but firm poo would be better than a smaller firm poo. For "massaging" the glands.
So a higher fibre, probably more insoluble fibre??
So a higher fibre, probably more insoluble fibre??
I think a new food takes quite some time to see any changes/results - has he been on it long? It also takes ages for the hair to grow back. Quinn's hair loss lasts a few months. She loses hair on her chest and back legs every early summer into the Fall, meds or not. Probiotics have also helped firm her up (but again, glands still act up time to time).
He’s been ok salmon since March so I would have expected some improvement.
It’s a tough one because he keeps getting sore eyes aswell and I’m wondering if it’s all somehow related.
