Dog eating cat food pt. 2?

Ok, so now that I've discovered it is a bit unhealthy, I need some help. My dog is staying at my grandmother's, and my grandmother has cats. She feeds her cats a cheap-O brand (whatever's on sale at the store) and this is due to a limited in-come, and my dog has to eat high-quality food(I feed Canidae) or else he breaks out into rashes of all sorts(Flea allergy dermatitis, yeast infections, and food allergies).. My dog, for some reason, will eat the cat food when he's got a bowl full of Canidae. My grandmother can't put the cat food bowl up high because she's taught the cats to stay off of counters, etc(it is just one of her pet peeves.) I really don't want my dog to start getting all these skin problems again, how can I stop it?

Dog eating cat food pt. 2?
My parents keep the cat food in a room with a gate up so the dog can't go in and eat the cat food. Do that - find somewhere to put the cat food and block off that area so the dog can't get to it. It'll be a lot easier than trying to teach your dog to leave the cat food alone.
Reply:ohh my dogs used to do the same!if you really want your dog away from the cat food, just ask your grandma to put the dog in a diffrent room until the cats finish eating.


or


to just put the cats food in a diffrent place. theyll start looking for it whenever they get hungry.
Reply:I'm guessing that the cat food doesn't produce allergies for your dog.





As long as it's only for a while, then i think it's alright.


Also, what is harmful is the proteins in sea food, so if its a cheap brand I'm certain that the sea food level is not as high and largely substituted, in which case the risk is minimized.
Reply:My dog is on a special prescription food, so we have to be extra careful of things like that as well.





Our cats are fed on a schedule (morning and night) and get about 30 minutes to eat. When the time is up, we take the food away. That way, we are not keeping the pets separated for very long...





Now, since this is your grandmother's house, she might not be too happy if you tell her what to do with HER pets....so another suggestion would be to bring a baby gate (you can get a cheap pressure-mounted one for around $10) to her house. Gate off the room that the cat food is kept in. If you have a large dog, you could put the baby gate up high enough that the cats can sneak under it but the dog cannot go under or jump over. If the dog is smaller, just check to ensure that the cats can jump OVER the gate to get to their food...older cats may have trouble jumping.
Reply:Yes, dogs will take catfood over their own stuff - it's yummier because it's got a higher fat content.





If your Grandmother feeds the cats at set mealtimes, she can just keep your dog out the room during these times. If not, you've got a bit more of a problem - can't the cats be fed in a room the dog's not allowed in? Because basically, your only option is keeping the dog AWAY from the catfood because he won't stop eating it if he's around in, too tempting!





Chalice
Reply:Sure, your dog could easily have allergic reactions from the cat food. All it can take sometimes is a few bites...





The baby gate idea is good, and another easy and cheap one is to take a large cardboard box, make a hole enough for the cats to get through, but not the dog. (Will only work if the dog is large than the cats ofcourse ) put the kitties food in a bowl insode the box and they can go in there and dine, while your dog whines outside :)