Senior dog, few teeth, feeding canned, need to bulk up stool to prevent anal gland issues! (chihuahua, bites)

[coastal chic]

I have 3 Cavaliers; one of them is a senior and over the past 3 years has had 22 teeth pulled.

When she was younger, she had issues with full anal glands. Once I switched her to premium grain free kibble, the anal gland issues stopped completely and i havent had to express them in over 8 years! I rotate between Orijen, Taste of the Wild, Fromm, Earthborn, and BB Wilderness. That is what allof them have been on for years.

Now that she has so few teeth, I have had to switch her to canned food. I am feeding premium food but her stools are now so small and she's recently started scooting, so I have a feeling the anal glands are not able to naturally express anymore so I'm trying to figure out a way to bulk up her stool.

I was thinking these are my options:

1- add in some kibble but soak it in water so it becomes softer. This isn't ideal because as soon as I put the kibble in the bowl, I have 3 whining dogs running around for 20 minutes begging for food.

2- buy a raw "pre mix" and reconstitute with water, then mix with canned. The pre mixes come with potatoes, sweet potatoes, fruits and veggies for fiber, etc. I do NOT want to feed raw- so instead of adding raw meat to the pre mix, I would just add high protein canned as the meat source.

3- add canned pumpkin to the canned food.

Any thoughts or additional tips?

[Dogmama50]

I would try the pumpkin first. You could also try dicing some sweet potatoes, green beans or any other veggies she likes into very small pieces and adding them to her wet food.

[ldydrgnfly]

I use pumpkin or unsalted green beans for adding fiber without a bunch of calories to one of my senior's food (she tends to gain weight easily).

As for soaking the kibble, I fill a container with the dry, add water, and put it in the fridge for the next meal. The current meal was already soaking in the fridge, so all I have to do is pull it out and let it warm up a bit before serving. That method might help with the mealtime "excitement" that you have with your pups.

[steelstress]

Any of the kibble you feed offer a "small breed/bites" formula? I have one totally toothless chihuahua and I give him Natural Balance Small Bites formula. He does just fine with that. No water added (though I do add canned, also).

[coastal chic]

Originally Posted by ldydrgnfly

As for soaking the kibble, I fill a container with the dry, add water, and put it in the fridge for the next meal. The current meal was already soaking in the fridge, so all I have to do is pull it out and let it warm up a bit before serving. That method might help with the mealtime "excitement" that you have with your pups.

I am trying this today, thank you for the tip!

[ZSP]

I make a "mash' to use as a topper for my dogs...they all eat Orijen and Acana Grain Free too. The mash is easy to make, keeps well in the refrigerator and adds just the right amount of bulk/fiber to keep their stools good. As a previous poster stated...I also split one can of unsalted green beans, roughly chopped, between the five...not every day but about three times a week.

This recipe lasts my five dogs for one week...they get a good sized teaspoon full every evening.

You'll need...

1 lb. carrots
4/5 medium size sweet potatoes or yams
2 apples...I use Red Delicious, Gala, Golden Delicious...whatever's on sale except NO Granny Smith's

wash carrots and slice into 1/4" slices and put on to boil in a good sized pot. While they are gently boiling, peel the sweet potatoes and slice into 1/4" slices....peel and core the apples and do a rough chop about 1/2"

Add sweet potatoes and apples to the carrots and continue boiling till the carrots and sweet potatoes are fork tender. Not mushy...just fork tender. Drain but do retain about 1/4 cup of the water...and use an old fashioned potato masher and go at it! You don't want mashed potato consistency...just a rough mash where you can see small chunks.

That's it...easy peasy. Sometimes I stir in a big tablespoon of two of coconut oil.

Let me know if you try this and if it helps the problem.

[coastal chic]

Thanks everyone. You've given some great tips! The kibble left in the fridge until dinner worked like a charm! It was nice and soft; so much so I think I can stop feeding 100% canned! This will be a big help to my budget. I'll continue to use it as a topper occasionally, but I will be trying your carrot/ sweet potato/ apple recipe- they would love that!

Sometimes it's the simplistic solutions you can't come up with on your own, and letting the kibble soak in the fridge was just the solution I needed.

[ldydrgnfly]

I'm so glad that helped! I went through a couple of weeks of microwaving the water, adding it to the kibble, letting it cool and soak on the counter with a pack of "hungry" dogs driving me crazy - before I realized that the fridge method did the same thing without the hassle!