# Food for Sofie - getting too "fluffy"!



## Sofie's mom (Mar 8, 2013)

I am just now trying to use this app. I hope this is posting right. I am a first-time Chihuahua owner of a rescue. We have had Sofie for a year, and she was probably 10 months old when we rescued her. The vet tech said she's "fluffy", and of course I was offended! The vet said she could lose a little. So after two weeks on a new food (Purina Pro, which had a really good rating on a scientific site), she has GAINED weight! She is not a typical Chihuahua, I don't think. She weighs 9.8 pounds! (photo attached)

She is ALWAYS hungry. She is like a beagle! She does her cute twirly thing all the time. We have been cutting down from 1/3 cup of dry food morning and night to less than 1/4 cup morning and night. She seems truly hungry in between meals. 

She had her teeth cleaned yesterday and two baby teeth extracted. They said she probably wouldn't eat last night. I gave her I/d canned to avoid tummy upset. Well, she DID eat last night. I gave her a little, and she begged for more; I gave her more, and she twirled for still more. She probably had between 1/8 and 1/4 of the can! She LOVED it. But she pretty much loves everything!

SO, what is the best dry food for her. I don't want to do wet food, because it's not as good for her teeth, right? Any advice is appreciated! THANK YOU!!!


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## Chiluv04 (Dec 19, 2013)

One of my chi's (Bailey) will eat and eat and eat and eat until he explodes. And he gets plenty of food too. 1/4 cup twice per day, not including treats. Don't let your chi start guilting you lol and making you think she is starving. As long as you are feeding her the recommended requirements for her weight/age, then I would ignore her constant begging. Purina is not the greatest dog food. You can go to dog food advisor or dog food analysis to get an accurate review on the food you're feeding and any other food you may become interested in. A few really good 5 star brands include Fromm, taste of the wild, merrick, orijen, acana. I've recently started my crew on freeze dried in addition to their kibble (Fromm) we mostly use Stella and chewy's but we also have some primal. And they love it. I would suggest to keep feeding the 1/4 cup twice daily, take her on 1 or 2 walks per day and engage in 10 minutes of playtime a couple times per day to help her burn some calories. Also coconut oil is great for maintaining a healthy weight as well as encouraging weight loss. You can even try to give her a small chew stick to keep her busy after meals. I'm sure others will chime in with more useful advice. Good luck!


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## Huly (Mar 5, 2012)

I am not sure what Purina Pro she is on but none are rated highly. Check these out:

Purina Pro Plan Focus Dog Food | Review and Rating
Purina Pro Plan Savor Dog Food | Review and Rating
Purina Pro Plan Select Dog Food | Review and Rating
Purina Pro Plan Sport Dog Food | Review and Rating

Cutting her food is not going to help but keep making her hungry with all the carbs and you are not going to see any weight loss. 

I would look into Fromm or Acana or if you want to go freeze dried Primal, Ziwi Peak, or Stella and CHewy


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## Sofie's mom (Mar 8, 2013)

All great advice! Thank you so much. I am on a mission! I hope petsmart has Fromm and freeze dried too. I will try to ignore how cute she is when she twirls for food!!!!


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## Chiluv04 (Dec 19, 2013)

Sofie's mom said:


> All great advice! Thank you so much. I am on a mission! I hope petsmart has Fromm and freeze dried too. I will try to ignore how cute she is when she twirls for food!!!!
> 
> 
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Lol.... You're not alone. Bailey does the same thing. He cracks me up. That dog could eat me out of house and home and will still want more. As far as I know, pet smart stores don't usually carry Fromm, I think pet supplies plus does but I'm not sure. Your local pet boutique may more than likely have all of the 5 star kibble, as well as freeze dried 


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## Huly (Mar 5, 2012)

I know Petsmart Carries Blue Buffalo Wildreness and it is 5 stars
Blue Buffalo Wilderness Dog Food | Review and Rating


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## Wicked Pixie (Oct 14, 2011)

She should feel more satisfied on a smaller amount of a better quality food.
As for her teeth, it is a myth that kibble keeps their teeth clean. Look at the teeth of an old dog who was fed kibble exclusively, it is not a pretty sight!
The best way to keep her teeth clean is to feed a low carb, high meat content diet, as the carbs are turned into sugars which attack the teeth, just like in people.Traditional kibbles like Purina are very high in carbs. Combine this with healthy chews such as raw meaty bones or bully sticks and regular brushing and her teeth will be in great shape.


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## pigeonsheep (Nov 8, 2008)

She def. Needs to lose a little judgin from that picture  all great advice from members! <3 we are a huge fan of primal hehe. Sadly none of those high quality foods are in local big chains like PETsMART or petco except for the food blue buff which we tried as well before and failed in. Freeze dried is also much easier on the teeth since u just rehydrate it and its totally soft and nommy


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## Sofie's mom (Mar 8, 2013)

So, I spoke to the vet today. She looks pretty young so is not very long out of vet school and should be up to date. She told me to look for a food that has LESS than 20% protein. She says there's no science behind the idea of all of the high-protein foods. What do y'all's vets say?


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## Wicked Pixie (Oct 14, 2011)

A dog is designed to get its energy requirements from proteins and fats, it is a carnivore. Dogs can adapt to using carbohydrates as an energy source, but it puts a lot more strain on their digestive system. The idea of feeding dogs on grains arose from the waste products of human foods, they are cheap. This doesn't mean they are a good thing to feed dogs on.
Unfortunately most vets are woefully under educated in canine nutrition, what education they do receive tends to be funded by the big pet food manufacturers so is biased towards kibble.
Do your own research, Google dogs as carnivores (as opposed to the old idea that they are omnivores) grains in dog foods, species appropriate nutrition etc.


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## lulu'smom (Jan 4, 2012)

Vets are fabulous when you need them for medical purposes. Whether they have recently graduated or been practicing for a while, your traditional vet has had usually one course on nutrition, and it is sponsor by pet food companies. Pet food companies also offer them enticements in many instances. In other words, vets know what the major pet food companies like Purina or Science Diet want them to know. If you talk with a holistic vet or a vet that combines holistic with traditional and looks past many of the usual held beliefs, they will tell you something much different concerning food.

I would encourage you to look at the websites dogfoodadvisor.com and thetruthaboutpetfood.com. There should start to answer some questions you may have. Also, please feel free to ask questions here, everyone here is very helpful. 

To answer your question on an acceptable food at Petsmart--that's going to be Blue Buffalo Wilderness or Wellness Core or Castor and Pollux Natural Ultramix Grain-free. If you have a Pet Supplies Plus nearby they have a much better selection of 4 & 5 star dog foods. It would be much better to go with a grain-free dog food if at all possible if you are intent of sticking with kibble.

Good luck! Let us know how she does! She is a real doll, but give her hugs and cuddles when she's dancing around--she'll love that just as much!!


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## Huly (Mar 5, 2012)

That the vet knows nothing about nutrition!


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## TinyTails (Jun 24, 2011)

Petsmart also carries Wellness which is a good brand. I wouldn't recommend Blue Buffalo - a lot of people have issues with them and they are not a very trustworthy company. When picking a dog food it's also important to look at the company not just the ingredients.


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## Huly (Mar 5, 2012)

I didn't realize they carry Wellness. Lol I guess you see how much I even look at their foods lol


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