Very low calorie dog food?

[Sparkles!]

I’m asking on here because I’m kinda at the end of my rope. TL/DR at the end for the lazy. Thanks in advance.

Our little dog requires very low calorie dog food. She is a dachshund chihuahua mix, and due to that long and low profile she cannot carry any extra weight; extra weight causes spinal issues for her. However, she so much as looks at food and she gains weight- total air fern. We have been very successful at keeping her trim on Royal Canin weight control canned food. (She prefers wet dog food because she’s approximately 492 years old and has lost many of her teeth).
Due to Covid issues, Royal Canin is having supply issues. I cannot find her food anywhere. I’ve placed orders through chewy-says it’s in stock and then I get an email saying it’s *not* actually in stock a few days later. Same with Amazon, Petco, PetSmart, and a few boutique places. Reached out to our Vet and he put her on prescription science diet R/d food but Now we can’t find or purchase that anywhere either due to them having supply issues! I am currently grinding up dry Royal Canin weight control for large dogs and mixing water in to form a gruel because that’s literally all we have been able to source. We have enough of a stockpile for 2 weeks of food currently.
Is anyone else on the same cruise ship I am?
She is limited to 175 calories a day. Any ideas for me? I am dreading having to put her on non diet food, because then she gets like two teaspoons of food in her bowl and proceeds to angrily scrounge the rest of the time.

TL/DR small fat old dog can only eat 175 calories a day and all her food brands are having supply issues.

 

[Mizzely]

Royal Canin did stop production on a lot of their lines to be able to keep up with demand for more critical formulas.

Dr. Tims makes a weight management formula that is 269 calories per cup.

Nutro Natural Healthy Weight is 231.

Those are the lowest I currently know about

 

[Sparkles!]

Thank you! The old lady appreciates it.

 

[NightOwls]

Hmm, maybe look into making your own?
Could beef the volume up with pureed vegetables and still keep the calories down. Could also use slow feeders or freeze a kong so it takes her longer to eat and she won't look to scrounge around after.

 

[tka]

She's a lovely old lady! Proper butter wouldn't melt in her mouth look - because it would get wolfed down far too quickly for that to happen!

I would look into low calorie filler that you could mix with ordinary dog food as a stop-gap. Maybe cooked oats or brown rice, mashed potato or cottage cheese? I'm not a vet or dog nutritionalist so not sure exactly what foods to advise, but I think you need to give her something that makes her feel full for longer otherwise she'll go on the scrounge. You can then keep the amount of actual dog food low and just bulk up the rest with something high in fibre and low in fat.

I also suggest making her work for at least some of her food. You can get fabric mats that the dog has to snuffle around in to find kibble. If you're making things into a paste, stuff it into a kong. You can freeze it but it's going to get a bit messy so do this in a kitchen or outside.

 

[iamwhoiam]

What is the serving: a whole can, half a can or ???
Purina makes a prescription weight management food: OM Overweight Management Wet Dog Food | Pro Plan Vet Direct
Blue Buffalo also has a veterinary diet for weight management and mobility issues: BLUE Natural Veterinary Diet W+M Weight Management + Mobility | Blue Buffalo
There are a few others that are over the counter but would have to check the calorie information and what amount of food your dog is getting.
Not sure about the caloric content of the two foods I listed above.

I empathize with you regarding trying to get special dog food. My Bichon is supposed to be eating Hill's g/d. He prefers the
canned to the dry but the canned is not available right now. I called Hill's and was told that they were having issues sourcing
ingredients due to Covid but it will be back in stock at some point in the future and I should keep checking.
The best I can do for him right now is use Hill's canned low fat i/d stew and combine that with dry g/d. Sometimes I add some Solid Gold beef bone broth
or unsalted Chicken broth.
He also gets some Lotus Senior Bites (dry food) which are low in fat and protein, not sure about the calories. They come in a regular version and a mini
version (VERY tiny pieces).
Vet recommended Just Food For Dogs hepatic low fat so I purchased that but he didn't like it.

 

[Mizzely]

Green beans are also a good topper that can help them feel more full. I've been using some with Luke because the food I bought is really high calorie and he just isn't active enough to support that, but then if I feed him the calories needed for his weight and activity, he's starving, poor guy!

A couple of non Rx canned options:

262 per 13oz can: IAMS ProActive Health Senior With Slow Cooked Chicken & Rice Canned Dog Food, 13-oz, case of 12 - Chewy.com

306 per 13oz PURINA PRO PLAN Focus Adult Weight Management Turkey & Rice Entree Morsels in Gravy Canned Dog Food, 13-oz, case of 12 - Chewy.com

I would see though if you can get an Rx for Purina or another Rx brand just in case! No telling how long Hills and Royal Canin are going to be having issues.

 

[Sparkles!]

Thank you guys for all the advice!!
Besides all her old age related health issues (she’s what would be termed legally blind in humans, has no molars left, and a fair bit of dementia has set in) her body is in fantastic shape and we’d really like to keep her around for as long as possible. We are going to search for a slow eat food dish in a bright color that isn’t too difficult for her, we’ve thought about it before but hesitated; the old lady does not do well with change and the vision issues are a real thing. She really enjoys eating though- enough to get her butt out of her bed! She might go immediately back to her basket and sleep the rest of the day, but 100% she never misses breakfast.
Kongs frustrate her. If it rolls away she can’t always find it. Or maybe she forgets that she even had one… she’s unfortunately done that too.
Only getting the allowed 175 calories total in a day is awful. We looked into cooking for her, but a half a cup of rice is about 100 calories and half a cup of cooked 93% lean beef is like 200! So to keep her under 175 calories she could only get like 1/4 cup of a ground beef and rice mix twice a day and that’s not even getting to add veggies in with it. It’s just a darn good thing she will still exercise and go outside with the big dogs when the weather is warm. I can only imagine her calorie allowance if she didn’t!

 

[Sparkles!]

262 per 13oz can: IAMS ProActive Health Senior With Slow Cooked Chicken & Rice Canned Dog Food, 13-oz, case of 12 - Chewy.com

This one might be our best bet, because if I can math correctly, each can would be 1.5 days worth of calories. That equals out to be 4.3 ounces roughly of food then in her dish each meal. A little over half a cup. That volume in her bowl would make her heart happy. Thanks!!!

 

[iamwhoiam]

More info on the Purina OM: OM Overweight Management® Dog Food | Purina® Pro Plan Veterinary Diets®
245 kcal ME/13.3 oz can

 

[iamwhoiam]

Also Hill's w/d

HILL'S PRESCRIPTION DIET w/d Multi-Benefit Vegetable & Chicken Stew Wet Dog Food, 12.5-oz, case of 12 - Chewy.com

Buy Hill's Prescription Diet w/d Multi-Benefit Vegetable & Chicken Stew Wet Dog Food, 12.5-oz, case of 12 at Chewy.com. FREE shipping and the BEST customer service!

www.chewy.com

201 kcal/12.5 oz can

 

[Mizzely]

Does she like to lick? Some people use licki mats to give dog food Pate

Example: FRISCO Silicone Treat Lick Mat, 2 Count - Chewy.com

 

[Sparkles!]

@iamwhoiam
Hills science diet is having supply issues too, and when I called Purina they said they were in the same boat although perhaps not as bad as Royal Canin and Hills science diet. But I *super* thank you for your suggestions!!

 

[iamwhoiam]

According to Purina Pro Plan Vet Direct the OM is in stock:

Purina Pro Plan Veterinary Diets OM Overweight Management Canine Formula (Canned)

Pro Plan Veterinary Diets OM Overweight Management wet dog food is high in protein and fiber, low in calories. Specially formulated to help dogs lose weight while maintaining muscle.

www.proplanvetdirect.com

I've ordered through them before and had excellent customer service.
In fact, when my dog would no longer eat the UR they refunded me for the canned and dry I had purchased.

 

[Sparkles!]

According to Purina Pro Plan Vet Direct the OM is in stock:

Purina Pro Plan Veterinary Diets OM Overweight Management Canine Formula (Canned)

Pro Plan Veterinary Diets OM Overweight Management wet dog food is high in protein and fiber, low in calories. Specially formulated to help dogs lose weight while maintaining muscle.

www.proplanvetdirect.com

I've ordered through them before and had excellent customer service.
In fact, when my dog would no longer eat the UR they refunded me for the canned and dry I had purchased.

We use Purina pro plan exclusively for the Labradors. We are part of the Breeder’s Circle blah blah blah… so we can buy food at events and trials etc. And when I asked about that product, their reps said they’re having the same supply issues as Science Diet. Weird!