Platinum Iberico - pork?.

Dog food and feeding Dog foods
1

Hi All

I have an elderly dog (18) who picks at kibble- he wolfs down wet too fast usually and ends up vomiting…i tried a slow feed bowl and he tipped it over in his haste to get to the wet.

When adding water to the kibble he just ignores it and i end up throwing a lot away.

I saw on another site a product called iberico pork and greens and got hold of a sample, he loved it and because it is pieces of meat he couldnt wolf it and wasnt sick.

However given he has arthritis (under control with yumove and salmon oil) i am always wary about omega 6 levels and reducing omega 3 levels

Also i am unsure about pork as a main protein source?. I am sure my vet has cautioned about pork before.

The site says iberico pork is ‘healthy pork’ but doesnt list omega levels etc. I also think ‘70% fresh pork’ is only about 20% when dehydrated?

The ingredients are below, what do people think?

Thanks

Ingredients Adult Iberico+Greens dry food
Composition

Fresh pork meat (70 %, Iberian pork only), potatoes, dried fish, dried apple pulp, salmon oil, olive oil cold-pressed, flaxseed oil cold-pressed, dried vegetables (carrots, tomatoes, lucerne, broccoli), green tea, orange extract, grapefruit extract, dried brewers’ yeast, green shell mussel extract, rosemary, milk thistle seed, dried fennel, sarsaparilla root, dried wild celery, dried artichoke, nasturtium, camomile tea extract, dandelion, dried gentian, yucca, potassium chloride.

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From what I’ve researched I thought dogs generally get enough Omega 6 in their diets as its in various food groups. Where as Omega 3 which is primarily in fish oils is the one that most people will supplement so why would you want to reduce it ?

I know pork has a reputation as you can get some sort of intestinal worm (?) but I think this is when given raw or undercooked especially in US. Also it would depend on the fat content as pork depending on the cut pork can be fatty. I don’t why Iberian pork is listed I thought that was just the name of a breed of pig like you’d see wild boar. Be interested to know what other people know

3

Hi Schauday

I think i explained myself poorly, i am trying to avoid reducing the omega 3 levels when i switch food (the kibble i currently feed which he grazes on is salmon with added omega 3).

As for omega 6-- I actually think too much omega 6 could aggravate his arthritis, so dont want to increase the omega 6 to 3 ratio.

According to the web iberian pork is fed on acorns which changes its fat profile, but in what way i have no idea.

I think the parasite your talking about is roundworm? which can be present in under cooked pork as you say

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I have never used Platinum although I have a friend who fed this product for some time. IIRC she had to stop it because they were putting too much weight on. I remember reading up about it when it first came out and I understand that it was classified as a type of cold pressed product but now the description on this website is ‘semi moist’. For anyone who is interested, the review is here.

In all the years I have had dogs I have never given them pork - I always thought it wasn’t good for dogs but I dare say that in this case it is altered by the manufacturing process.

As for omega, I have recently been reading up about it and the description of both 6 and 3 and their effect on the body can be found here. From that article: “the Omega 6 excites the system and Omega 3 calms it back down – so we need the right balance.” There is a bit more information here. It would seem that (as has been said) it is a case of getting the right balance of omega 6 and 3 because too much 6 can cause inflammation. I apologise for the links coming from a commercial product but they seem helpful and as I mentioned, I’ve recently been reading them.

As for your elderly dog and diet problems, have you tried a good quality kibble with a small topper of something tasty? I do this daily for my dogs - it gives them extra protein too. However, if he likes the Platinum then at this age, perhaps it is time to let him have what he wants?

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Thanks for the links dotty i will take a look.

Yes ive resorted to using a topper right now, i mix fishmongers finest kibble with an equal amount of forthglade senior wet…which does encourage him to eat some kibble.
Plus because he tries to remove the kibble to get to the wet food it slows him down.

Its not ideal though, hes a small dog and i have to buy the small trays of forthglade to avoid throwing half of it away!..so food is costing me 1.70 a day- i suspect that is more than i would be paying for a small dog to be fed orijen etc…but i guess it isnt important.

As for pork no ive never fed it dogs either, although ive never been sure what is bad about it - to be honest i never used to worry about this sort of stuff,
and fed a middle of the road kibble for 17 years, now that my boy is showing his age at last i risk becoming obsessed with nutrition :-\

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To my mind, for an old dog fish can’t be beaten so I think you have chosen well with the Fishmongers. It’s easy to digest and all the fishy omega oils should be good for his ageing joints. I feed a fishy dried food to my lot and noticed last week that the company issued a recipe on their Facebook page. It included one of their dried products ground up and mixed with other ingredients to make a biscuit. The only reason I mention it is because I am wondering if this might be an option for you? Your dog would get the nourishment and couldn’t pick the pieces out.

With my oldie I used to pour a drop of warm water on the food immediately prior to serving in order to bring out the fishy smell. One other thing that she used to love is Fish4Dogs salmon/trout mousse. You don’t need a lot on the food and they are small sachets so don’t have chance to go off. Since then the company have produced a mackerel complete under their Finest range and I would imagine that this would be palatable for your dog as a topper. My lot have just had a tin between them and wolfed it down. Mind you, that’s no recommendation because they are right little gannets! LOL

I don’t know if your dog likes to chew but I moisten my fishy dog food and crumble it up. I then put it inside a puppy size Kong and freeze it (you don’t have to do that of course). They love their food given this way and it keeps them quiet for a good ten or fifteen minutes.

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Thanks for that dottie, i really appreciate the feedback and suggestions, and yes i can totally agree on fish oils for joints.

The difference in my dog (with respect to mobility) after 3 months of extra fish oil, green lipped mussel and yumove has been remarkable, i was always skeptical beforehand.

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8

I recently spoke to Honeys dog food regarding their raw food. One of the meats available is pork. I recall as a child (a long time ago!) my mother saying pork should be cooked well as it could contain parasities. I raised this with Honeys who said many years ago this was correct. It originated from people keeping a pig in their back garden and feeding it a poor diet. This parasite has been completely eradicated now and it is perfectly safe.

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