# Fibre?



## Meisha (Sep 21, 2020)

My lab Mattie was very fond of green beans. 
link


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## PeggyTheParti (Sep 5, 2019)

While pumpkin made her vomit, I had good luck giving Peggy a single canned green bean when she was a pup. I think canned green beans (at least where I live) are cooked, making them more digestible and more palatable.

Our vet recommends Metamucil, but I’ve never given it to a dog before. I imagine a pinch of psyllium in water or broth would have the same effect, though I’ve heard of it causing digestive woes in humans.


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## Meisha (Sep 21, 2020)

I forgot to add, if you use canned, make them the No Salt Added variety.


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## PeggyTheParti (Sep 5, 2019)

Ha! We’re on the same page, @Meisha


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## curlflooffan (Mar 27, 2020)

Evra also does better with a little extra fiber. I make her a little porridge with oats, chia seeds and ground flax seed. I cook it in 50/50 water and lactose free milk. Sometimes I add a cube of frozen homemade stock (no salt in it). Sometimes I also boil some carrots with it. 

I mix it with her dry food, wet food and supplements. Cooking the grains makes them easier to digest and my own personal experience is that soluble fiber like that in oats is better for sensitive digestion systems than non-soluble fiber from veggies. However, especially with the addage of chia seeds and ground flaxseed it is really important to measure the amounts because you can very easily give too much fiber with this mix. Dogs can't digest as much fiber as we do. 

When I make the porridge I make about 3 days worth each time.


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

Sophy gets carrots, green beans, peas, often pumpkin or sweet potato, and a little green leafy veg in the cooked mix, but they don't seem to be enough for her. I think perhaps a very little ground flaxseed and oat bran stirred into her food bowl may be the answer - or one of the commercial mixes. They are expensive given the ingredients, though.


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## curlflooffan (Mar 27, 2020)

fjm said:


> Sophy gets carrots, green beans, peas, often pumpkin or sweet potato, and a little green leafy veg in the cooked mix, but they don't seem to be enough for her. I think perhaps a very little ground flaxseed and oat bran stirred into her food bowl may be the answer - or one of the commercial mixes. They are expensive given the ingredients, though.


I would try the flax seed and oats first. Its dirt cheap and effective. But I would cook it rather than feed it raw, it makes it easier on her body.


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

Thanks - I shall do as you suggest and perhaps try freezing small portions in the good old ice cube trays. How much do you give Evra a day?


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## curlflooffan (Mar 27, 2020)

fjm said:


> Thanks - I shall do as you suggest and perhaps try freezing small portions in the good old ice cube trays. How much do you give Evra a day?


Measured dry/prior to cooking: A tablespoon of oats and a teaspoon of ground flax seed. But Evra is a dwarf poodle and is 30cm and 4kg. I am guessing that Sophy is smaller yes? so I would reduce it. Maybe start very small and see how she responds.


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

Sophy is about the same size, so that is a good starting point. But I will definitely start with very small quantities! Are those amounts for one day, or the batch for several days?


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## curlflooffan (Mar 27, 2020)

fjm said:


> Sophy is about the same size, so that is a good starting point. But I will definitely start with very small quantities! Are those amounts for one day, or the batch for several days?


Per day and I mix it with both wet food and dry food. I think the added liquid of the cooked porridge and the wet food is also important for this mix because added fiber without hydration can cause constipation. Maybe start by giving her 1/2 of the mix and see how she responds? I like to really overcook the porridge, make it much mushier than when I am cooking porridge for humans.


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## BBVidya (6 mo ago)

Yogurt loosens mine up if constipated.


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## WinnieThePoodle (Sep 1, 2020)

Winnie is the same with pumpkin, sweet potatoes etc. Small amounts or she will leave it. I have given small amounts of cooked plain oats or soaked chia seeds. Sometimes I mix in dried carrot, pumpkin or turnip. Or a mix. You can buy these online. Amazon do them quite cheaply and I add a table spoon for fibre and crunch.


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## beowoof (Dec 6, 2021)

Kirby does well with canned pumpkin, steamed sweet potato or carrot. my previous dog did not care for any veggies and so i did a mixture of cooked oatmeal or wheat bran. one of my neighbours swore by bran flakes: served cold like treats or soaked in a bit of warm water to prevent further constipation in her dogs.


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## James'Mammaw (12 d ago)

I have been adding Bernie's Perfect Poo to my grandson's pup's meals. It appears that the ingredients are all safe, no chemicals and no toxins that I have found. But his stools are normal looking finally and that is important!


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

The veg thing is interesting. Freddy will happily accept chunks of raw carrot or broccoli stalk as a treat to chew, and likes apple and other hard fruit too. Sophy and Poppy are horrified at the thought of eating them raw and Sophy will leave the cooked veg if she considers that there is too much, upon which Poppy or Fred will vacuum it up. I thought it was the bone in the meat I buy that caused her problems so switched to bone-free and ground eggshell, but it hasn't made a discernible difference. I'll get the flaxseed and oat bran ordered and meanwhile alternate her home cooked with canned gastro to keep things moving along.


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## curlflooffan (Mar 27, 2020)

I just wanted to add that another reason why I cook the porridge in batches is because I like to give Evra eggs for extra protein and calories. However, since she is so small a whole chicken egg is a lot of extra fat and stuff for one day/meal. So I make 3 day worth of porridge, then mix the egg with it so she is getting 1/3 of an egg per day.


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## Los Gatoan (Jun 1, 2021)

fjm said:


> Not exactly for a poodle, but I thought this would be the best place to ask. I home cook for Sophy and Freddy, but Sophy needs rather more fibre than Freddy these days - too little and she is a bit constipated, by the time the mix is right for her Fred's poos are getting too soft. I have used canned pumpkin frozen in ice cube portions in the past but it can be hard to find in the UK; cooking squash or sweet potatoes is another option but while she will accept small quantities she eats round it if she thinks there is too much.
> 
> Any recommendations on palatable sources of soluble fibre that may do the trick for her? And that are readily available in the UK?!


Try a little psyllium husk powder in their food. It was our vet's recommendation and I add it to the raw diet I make. Works like a charm for our toy poodles.


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

I've been a little wary of bulking agents like psyllium as Sophy rarely drinks water - which no doubt contributes to her costive tendencies - and fibre without sufficient fluids risks making matters worse. If I add too much liquid to her food she decides it is sloppy and won't eat it. She is not particularly faddy about ingredients but is decidedly so about texture - sloppy or claggy is inedible! I will try the porridge idea, with stock to make it more palatable, and see how we go.


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## Los Gatoan (Jun 1, 2021)

You're right, if she does not drink much water. Zoe and Mochi's food has quite a bit of water due to the grains/legumes and vegetables. Plus, they do drink during the day, especially after playing. 

Before I knew about psyllium, I used Weruva Pumpkin Patch Up and they love it. My husband found a 'healthy pumpkin cookie' recipe for dogs and he makes these cookies for them. Let me know if you want the cookie recipe, and I'll post it.


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## PeggyTheParti (Sep 5, 2019)

I’ve stopped giving Peggy daily wet food and her already good poops have gotten noticeably firmer. I do wonder if this is because of the reduced moisture in her diet. It’s also possible her wet food contained some stool-softening ingredients. Maybe the potato starch? Or xantham gum?

Sophy might actually benefit from some of the ingredients which we try to avoid giving Peggy. Vegetable glycerin, for example.

Then again, stool softeners and laxatives could create new problems with the anal glands. Something we know far too much about around here!


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## BBVidya (6 mo ago)

The magic bullet for constipation I have found is frozen banana chunks, like you would use to make a smoothie. She thinks they’re a big treat.


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

If only... I can just picture Sophy's face if offered banana in any shape or form! Perhaps very well disguised in dog ice cream, but it's too chilly for that at the moment. 

Alternating home cooked and Royal Canin canned gastro is working well for now, and I have ground flaxseed and oat bran on its way - I couldn't face a trip into town for it when I could add it to my regular whole foods order.


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## curlflooffan (Mar 27, 2020)

fjm said:


> I've been a little wary of bulking agents like psyllium as Sophy rarely drinks water - which no doubt contributes to her costive tendencies - and fibre without sufficient fluids risks making matters worse. If I add too much liquid to her food she decides it is sloppy and won't eat it. She is not particularly faddy about ingredients but is decidedly so about texture - sloppy or claggy is inedible! I will try the porridge idea, with stock to make it more palatable, and see how we go.


Oh I think Sophy and Evra could have a very good conversation about how their humans MUST GET THEIR FOOD ABSOLUTELY CORRECT!

If it is too sloppy for her you can mix in dry food in it and let it absorb, that reduces the slimy texture.


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## curlflooffan (Mar 27, 2020)

@fjm also a heads up. I had been too sick for the past weeks to make Evra her oat mix. I made it again yesterday after she had soft stools. I woke up to a little brown accident on the floor. Even though she had done a Nr2 just before bed. I think the fiber messed up the butt schedule a little. BUT it was a very nice firm poop. So you win some, lose some


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

I have an agreement with Sophy about the bath mat in "emergencies" - we do differ a bit as to what constitutes an emergency, though. I will accept my failing to wake up, heavy snow, driving rain and fireworks, but I don't think the path still being wet from yesterday's rain should qualify...!


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## BBVidya (6 mo ago)

Yogurt is loosening too


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

I made up a batch of ground flaxseed and oat bran simmered in chicken stock and have frozen it in teaspoon sized portions. Two in a meal proved too much, although I think it may have coincided with a rather large chunk of liver - I will go back to cooking and pureeing the liver before adding it to their food, I think! I will try one blob a day and work up from there.


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