AvoDerm vs. Wellness?

[Cypress' Mom]

Hi Guys... I am having a hard time here. Cypress has gained a few pounds and I want him to get back to his ideal weight. We have been feeding Wellness since August and he gets 2 cups a day. I have been trying to find something with maybe a lite formula with less calories so he can have more to eat during the day. I feel like he is hungry quite a bit. I picked up a bag of Avo Derm Lite yesterday and started mixing it in. I don't know that much about premium foods and such but I was VERY happy with the wellness brand and really wanted to stay with them. Can anyone explain to me how the Avo Derm compares ingrediant wise? I copied a list of them below. I just don't know what to look for and what I should be looking out for. Thanks Guys!

Avo Derm Lite:
Brown Rice, Oats, Rice Bran, Chicken Meal, Chicken Fat (Preserved with Mixed Tocopherols and Ascorbic Acid), Flax Seed, Dehydrated Alfalfa Meal, Avocado Oil, Herring Meal, Lecithin, Brewers Dried Yeast, Natural Flavoring, Monosodium Phosphate, Choline Chloride, Rosemary Extract, Sage Extract, Ferrous Sulfate, DL-Alpha Tocopherol Acetate (Source of Vitamin E), Zinc Oxide, Sodium Selenite, Manganous Oxide, Riboflavin Supplement (Source of Vitamin B Complex), Copper Sulfate, Zinc Methionine, Iron Proteinate, Manganese Proteinate, Copper Proteinate, Cobalt Proteinate, Niacin, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Vitamin A Supplement, Calcium Pantothenate, D-Biotin Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (Vitamin B6), Calcium Iodate, Thiamine Mononitrate (Source of vitamin B1), Folic Acid, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Bromelain, Papain, Dried Bacillus Subtilis Fermentation Product, Dried Aspergillus Oryzae Fermentation Product.

Wellness Super 5 Chicken Mix:
Deboned Chicken, Ground Barley, Oatmeal, Rye Flour, Menhaden Fish Meal, Whitefish, Ground Brown Rice, Ground Millet, Canola Oil (preserved with mixed tocopherols), Flaxseed, Amaranth, Peas, Carrots, Whole Sweet Potatoes, Whole Apples, Whole Blueberries, Whole Clove Garlic, Alfalfa Leaf, Yucca Schidigera, Lactobacillus Plantarum, Enterococcus Faecium, Lactobacillus Casei, Lactobacillus Acidophilus, Inulin, Fructose, Glucosamine, Chondroitin Sulfate, Beta-Carotene, Potassium Chloride, Zinc Proteinate (a chelated source of Zinc), Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Sulfate, Vitamin E Supplement, Copper Proteinate (a chelated source of Copper), Copper Sulfate, Niacin Supplement, Manganese Sulfate, Manganese Proteinate ( a chelated source of Manganese), Sodium Selenite, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Vitamin A Acetate, Riboflavin Supplement, Calcium Iodate, Vitamin B-12 Supplement, Vitamin D-3 Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Thiamine Mononitrate, Folic Acid.

Is there stuff in the Wellness that he is not getting in the Avo Derm?

Thanks guys!
Confused and frusterated Jess

 

[Cypress' Mom]

Oh yeah... and like the Chicken meal and Fish meal, are they considered a good protein source? Is that what I need to be looking for when I look for meat sources? Thanks
Jess

 

[gmacleod]

Chicken meal and fish meal are OK. Looks to me like the Avoderm reduces it's calorie count by using grains rather than meat protein sources. Personally, I wouldn't buy a dog food with the top three ingredients as grains (even though they're 'good' grains).

If you'd rather stick with the Wellness (though rotating foods is good too) how about feeding him a little less and making up the difference in bulk with things like steamed, lightly cooked or raw veges? That's what a lot of barfers do Veges are a good filler, they do provide a certain amount of nutrients but not whole a lot of calories.

 

[Cypress' Mom]

OK... I can try more vegies but he really didn't like the green beans that I did for him. He kept chewing them for a minute then spitting them all over. I am also looking at an other one called Regal. They are a local company and seemed OK. If I go with the Avo Derm is he missing any important nutrients? Does cutting out or useing less meat protiens have an adverse affects on him? I posted the ingrediants for the Regal food below as well. I saw there was corn in the list... Is all corn bad? Thanks!

Regal Lean Bites:
Lean Bites
Ground Rice, Turkey Meal, Corn Meal, Whole Eggs, Poultry Fat (turkey and chicken fat preserved with mixed tocopherals - natural vitamin E), Chicken Meal, Oatmeal, Fish Meal, Brewers Yeast, Beet Pulp, Lecithin, Fish Oil, Vegetable Oil, Natural Flavors, Sea Salt, l-lysine (essential amino acid), dl-methionine (essential amino acid), vitamin C, plus 14 vitamins and 21 minerals.Sensi Bites
Turkey Meal, Ground rice, Oatmeal, Beet Pulp, Vegetable Oil, Lecithin, Fish Oil, Natural Flavors, Calcium Carbonate, Sea Salt, dl-methionine (essential amino acid), l-lysine (essential amino acid), Olive oil, Choline Chloride, vitamin C, plus 14 vitamins and 21 minerals.

Thanks! Jess

 

[gmacleod]

Yep, a senior formula is another way to go. I think Canidae also make one, and that's a pretty good kibble.
In the ingredient list you've posted above, the things that would bother me a little are the corn and beet pulp. Both tend to be allergy problems (not such an issue if your boxer isn't a sufferer though).

The best way of getting weight off though, is more exercise. Does Cypress get plenty of that right now, and is it possible to give him more? Much better for him than a diet. Another thing you should look at is treats. you'd be amazed at the calorie content of many dog treats - so if he gets a few of those, it could be worth reducing his intake and looking at home-made low calorie alternatives.

Here's a previous thread that you might find useful: http://www.boxerworld.com/forums/showthread.php?t=63316

 

[Cypress' Mom]

Oh... thats great! Thats awesome that they are coming out with a lite formula... do you know how soon? I was looking at the Senior formula but have you noticed a significant reduction of calories? Cypress will be 6 in April so I have no qualms about feeding him a senior forumla. I just didn't see that much difference in the calorie counts between the two formulas but if you have noticed a dif. I'll go ahead and give it a try. I gotta tell ya that makes me feel a whole lot better cause I LOVE Wellness! I was getting upset when I was thinking I had to switch from the Wellness... your post made me feel a lot better. I'm gonna go check out the OHM web site. Thanks!
Jess

 

[Cypress' Mom]

Yeah... I am aware that he doesn't get much exercise. I hurt my back and tore up 2 disks so it is pretty painful for me to get around so Cypress does not get much exercise. We try to walk at least once a day but depending on my pain level sometimes they are pretty non existant or short. And I cannot run with him at all. I have been trying more though even when I am sore to get him out so hopefully we will keep it up and he can take off some more pounds. He was about 61 and he has gone up to about 69-70. We need to watch the treats though... Thanks guys for all the info. and tips!
Jess

 

[BaxtersMommy]

Wellness has already come out with a Lite Formula. They have it at Petfooddirect.com.

 

[BaxtersMommy]

Wellness has already come out with a Lite Formula. They have it at Petfooddirect.com.

 

[Albie]

I'm from Centreville, VA too, and from the brands you mention, I bet you buy your food from Weber's. I really like that store, although now that I feed raw, I only go there for treats. My mom feeds her dog the Regal lamb & rice. It's a really nice food. Years ago, I fed our first boxer the Regal Sensi-bites. It also was a nice food. Avo-Derm is a good food too. If you want to go the reduced-calorie route, I would try a bag or two and see if you notice any results and/or notice a difference in Cypress' coat, etc. I'm pretty sure Weber will take back a bag of food if it doesn't work out. Prior to feeding raw, I fed either Pinnacle or Eagle Pack holistic select, both of which I bought at Weber's.