Dog Food Protein

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The following items represent some of The Dog Food Advisor’s most frequently asked questions about dog food protein.

Can a high protein diet cause kidney problems in older dogs?

Although some may disagree, recent opinion finds high protein not to be a contributing factor to kidney disease in senior pets.

As a matter of fact, it has now been shown that a low protein diet is actually unhealthy for most older pets. For more details, be sure to read our article about “Low Protein Dog Foods“.

Is a high protein diet unhealthy for a puppy?

Although there are many who still believe high protein can be a health problem for puppies, more recent studies tend to disagree.

The rapid growth which causes skeletal disorders (like hip dysplasia) in larger breeds is now believed to be more appropriately linked to genetics1, excessive dietary calcium2 or overfeeding during the puppy phase of life3.

For more in-depth information about this controversial subject (including references and footnotes), you may wish to visit our article, “Best Puppy Foods“.

Footnotes

  1. A Hedhammar, Canine hip dysplasia as influenced by genetic and environmental factors, EJCAP, Oct 2007, 17:2 (pp 141-143) ↩
  2. Richardson, Skeletal diseases of the growing dog: Nutritional influences and the role of diet, Canine Hip Dysplasia: A Symposium Held at Western Veterinary Conference, 1995 ↩
  3. RD Kealy et al, Effects of limited food consumption on the incidence of hip dysplasia in growing dogs, JAVMA, Sep 1992, 201:6 (pp 857-863) ↩
  • Hound Dog Mom

    Hi Jess –

    That is false. Feeding large breed puppies high levels of protein does not contribute to the development of developmental orthopedic disease (i.e. pano, hip dysplasia, etc.).

    From Nutritional Risks to Large Breed Dogs: From Weaning to the Geriatric Years by Susan D. Lauten, PhD

    “Currently no evidence exists to suggest that high protein intake contributes to the development of orthopedic disease in growing large breed puppies.”

    From “Growth and Skeletal Development in Great Dane Pups Fed Different Levels of Protein Intake” (a study which appeared in the Journal of Clinical Nutrition):

    “The differences in protein intake per se had no demonstrable consequences of calcium metabolism and skeletal development. A causative role for dietary protein in the development for osteochondrosis in dogs is unlikely.”

    From Why Overgrowing Your Large Breed Puppy is Dangerous by Karen Becker DVM:

    “Researchers have studied the diets of large breed dogs for over 30 years to understand the link between improper nutrition and skeletal problems.Studies have repeatedly concluded dietary protein levels have no effect on the development of skeletal problems in large and giant breed dogs. But still today, many breeders of large dogs, owners and even some veterinarians will tell you protein is the problem, even though there is no evidence to prove it. Protein excess is not the problem. In fact, it’s often a dietary protein deficiency that contributes to skeletal problems. The elements of nutrition that have been scientifically proven to negatively impact skeletal development in puppies are excessive calories and high or unbalanced mineral content, specifically calcium and phosphorus”.

  • Jess

    You can give a puppy too much protein. Especially large breeds. Too much protein in large breeds causes Panosteitis; it’s very common.

  • Jackie

    My dogs kidney protein levels were marked at a 1.4. The vet said that he would like to see her levels at a 1 or possible at an 0.8. She’s on a bland chicken and rice meal twice a day because of post op medications (had a benign tumor – she’s 4 years old). I want to put her on great food like Orijen or Acana but I am afraid of her kidney levels shooting sky high. She’s not a working dog or show dog. She’s semi active and goes on short walks due to a hyper extended ligament. I was feeding her Blue Buffalo fish & sweet potato but the brand gave her too much gas. I switched her to Castor & Pollux but then found out that citric acid can be a huge risk factor for bloat in deep chested dogs. I need some advice. If anyone can suggest or ease my mind on orijen or acana, I would greatly appreciate it. Thank you.

  • Jackie

    My dogs kidney protein levels were marked at a 1.4. The vet said that he would like to see her levels at a 1 or possible at an 0.8. She’s on a bland chicken and rice meal twice a day because of post op medications (had a benign tumor – she’s 4 years old). I want to put her on great food like Orijen or Acana but I am afraid of her kidney levels shooting sky high. She’s not a working or show dog. She’s semi active and goes on short walks due to a hyper extended ligament. I was feeding her Blue Buffalo fish & sweet potato but the brand gave her too much gas. I switched her to Castor & Pollux but then found out that citric acid can be a huge risk factor for bloat in deep Chester dogs. I need some advice. If anyone can suggest or ease my mind on orijen or acana, I would greatly appreciate it. Thank you.

  • Bexx

    Thank you so much :) I did email you. Aww – Audrey is a wee little girl! A chihuahua mixed with a Boston – sounds cute! :)

  • Shawna

    Morning Bexx,

    Audrey’s mom is 1/2 long haired Chihuahua and 1/2 Boston Terrier. Her dad is 1/2 short haired Chihuahua and 1/2 Poodle. There were six pups in the litter and Audrey was the tiny little runt. The breeder, a relative, almost lost her at about four weeks of age because she had a collapsing trachea and couldn’t get enough nourishment from mom. She was syringe fed til she could eat on her own.. I was there visiting her when she took her very first lick of liquid food from a spoon I was holding… Even at such a young age she was obsessed with water. She would sleep in the water bowl when it was empty.. :)

    I’d be happy to share anything I can with you. Probably best to do it offsite though. You can reach me at the following email address shawnadfaemail@yahoo.com.

  • bexx

    Hi again Shawna –

    I missed this post earlier! I stopped giving all of my dogs vaccinations a few years ago, as I am not a fan of vaccinations for dogs or people! It is state law to get rabies but I ignore that. :) My dogs aren’t out running around and there hasn’t been a case of rabies here since like 1900 or so. Thank you for the tip on the household items! I make all my own cleaners EXCEPT I have a Swiffer mop I use on ocassion. Not anymore.

    After talking with my husband about it, we think we are going to avoid the prescription food and try doing it ourselves with just raw meats and the extras added in (with supplements) with NO commercial dog food added in this time. There is so much information out there and it seems like so many people have had better luck doing it this way. I’m searching all over and reading so many things and just need to do what’s best for my boy.

    I would love and appreciate it if you have any time and could give me some input as to your daily feeding habits/recipes and supplements you give on a daily basis. So far I’ve written down the Standard Process renal support, ground egg shell, fish oil, and I’ve read that Vitamin E and B can be beneficial.

    Just out of curiosity (and because I just love dogs) – what kind of dog is Audrey? :)

  • bexx

    Thank you, thank you!! I cannot express how much I appreciate this. When our beagle passed away it happened so fast. Six months previous he had surgery and all blood work was great and in 6 days he went from fine to not eating (of course we though it was a stomach bug for the first couple of days) to vomiting to the vet shaking his head and telling us he was too far gone for anything to be done. The normal warning signs such as heavy drinking/urinating were always present as he had Cushing’s and was always a heavy drinker. So I will do what it takes to not have that happen again and I take all of your advice very much to heart. I’ve written a bunch of stuff down, going to research all the stuff you gave me and figure out a plan of action. :)

  • Shawna

    I completely understand!! I REALLY REALLY do.. We HAVE to do what is in the best interest of our fur kids despite our own hang ups :) ..

    Honestly, I think the Hills canned food could be a good base diet that other low phos foods could be added to..

    I also found that acacia fiber and burdock root along with Garden of Life Primal Defense probiotics had the best affect on nitrogen trapping in Audrey. Acacia fiber is the only ingredient in a product made for humans called The Fiber 35 Diet Sprinkle Fiber. If Audrey begins to seem like she is feeling a bit off, I give her a probiotics and 1/8 tsp of the Sprinkle Fiber and it pulls her right out of it. Burdock root is the “blood purifier” of the herb world. It can be purchased as a supplement or in the produce section of Whole Foods (at least my Whole Foods). Looks like a long, think, beige(ish) carrot.

    I have also found with Audrey, may not work with all, that adding a small amount of diluted apple cider vinegar to her food helps with digestion when she needs it. The very few times, maybe 4 her whole life, she has had an upset tummy I dilute apple cider vinegar with water 50/50 and syringe in about a tablespoon or two. Within only a few minutes she feels better.

    The BUN is dependant on food while the creatinine is less so. Because creatinine is going up too (not just BUN) it would, in my opinion, be worth checking into the Standard Process Canine Renal Support and/or the Five Leaf Pharmacy product.

    Adding organic, extra virgin coconut oil is an excellent option as it increases the calorie content of the diet and is very medicinal. Also adding spirulina, in my opinion, is helpful. It is a very digestible, HIGH quality source of protein along with other benefits.
    I really really do know what you are going through. I lost my 18 year old Toy Poodle, Tut, to kidney disease. That was hard!! BUT, Audrey was just a baby and I was devistated with her diagnosis.. I set out to learn everything there was to learn — not sure I did it but I sure learned a lot :) …
    Again, VERY BEST OF LUCK AND GOOD HEALTH with/to your boy!!!

  • Shawna

    Sorry, I had an afterthought… It is important with kd pets to not introduce additional toxins into their systems. For this reason consider the following—-

    1. Only give filtered, preferably reverse osmosis, water.

    2. NO shots of any kind. If your state allows you should even be able to get an exemption from any further rabies shots. Audrey, because she had kd from birth, has NEVER had a rabies shot. She is legally exempted for life. She has only had one set of vaccines, while at the breeders, her entire life. She also doesn’t get flea/tick or heartworm meds.

    3. Check the cleaning products etc around your house to make sure they are kidney friendly. I looked at the Material Safety Data Sheets and/or the Center for Disease Control on all products in my home when I learned of Audrey’s kd. Swiffer mop – gone. Clorox and all clorox products like their ready mop – gone. Frangranced candles, perfume, air freshener etc – gone (there is a chemical, or family of chemicals, in these products called pthalates that is damaging to the kidneys). Particle board furniture (pressed wood) gives off formaldehyde for the life of the piece — its in the glue that holds the planks of wood together. Formaldehyde is damaging to the kidneys. It can also be in new carpeting.

    There are, of course, certain things that can’t realistically be changed but it is worth investigating and changing those that can be changed. At least in my opinion :) ..

  • bexx

    Hey Shawna – Thank you for the lengthy and very detailed response. I really appreciate it. I guess I wasn’t clear, now that i go back and ready my own post – I did have him on a good kibble, but then did a raw homemade diet after the first kidney results came back. Just had him tested yesterday and the BUN and creatnine levels were higher than they were the first time. But I am going to look over the websites you gave me and see what I can do. I absolutely ABHORE the thought of putting him on Hills k/d. I am not a fan of Hill’s food in the least and think vet’s push it because they get paid to do so. That being said, if it comes down to it and nothing else is working, it will be something I turn to – to at least try. I don’t want to put him on it, but I also don’t want to see his kidney function keep getting worse if I can’t find a better/more natural recipe anywhere else. :( Thank you again.

  • Shawna

    Hi Bexx76 ~~ When it comes to kidney disease “high” quality protein actually means non-kibbled foods. When proteins (animal or plant) are cooked some of the amino acids in the protein are damaged and no longer available. They can be added back in but the body, I JUST read, uses synthetic individual amino acids differently than those found naturally in foods.

    So here’s what happens — the food is eaten and the amino acids are absorbed. The body then uses the amino acids in sets or groups. Example — glutamine and cystein (from memory) are used to make an antioxidant called glutathione. After the body uses all the amino acids it can (by pairing and grouping them) what is left over becomes BUN. Because of the damage to certain amino acids (like lysine) from cooking and processing, there is fewer for the body to use and more becomes BUN. So the best diets to prevent BUN are lightly cooked or raw.

    I would NEVER feed my kidney dog Audrey a kibble diet.. It would be her demise I am sure.. Audrey gets raw with a protein content of anywhere from 45 to 54% depending on the day and what product I am feeding. She has been on this same high protein diet for seven years.

    What supplements are you using for nitrogen trapping. I’m not fond of the ones that come from the vet…

    I’m not trying to talk you out of doing what you think is in your pups best interest because you are the one that has to live with your decision. Just giving another point of view… Also I would HIGHLY HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend feeding the canned prescription diet over the kibble. The first ingredient in the canned Science Diet KD foos is water and then egg white. The first ingredients in the kibble KD is brewers rice and port fat.

    Have you read any of the material on kidney disease on the dogaware.com website. GREAT source of info if you haven’t.. If you really want to avoid the prescription foods, she has alternatives that you could try including homemade recipes, premixes that are low phos that could be added to lower phos meats/animal proteins, topping k/d diets etc. http://www.dogaware.com/health/kidney.html

    Lew Olsen of b-naturals.com also has some great info on kd diets. Both Mary Straus (from dogaware.com) and Lew Olsen are nutritionists and both have been moderators on one of the Yahoo Kidney Disease groups. They both have also had kd dogs do wonderfully on higher protein home made diets. However, home preparing is not for everyone so again, just mentioning not trying to persuade you away from prescription canned foods.

    There are a couple supplements that I would encourage you to look into. I use a product by Standard Process called Canine Renal Support – it helps prevent inflammation to the kidneys and nutritionally supports them. I haven’t used it but I’ve spoke with several others that had excellent results with a product made by Five Leaf Pharmacy http://www.caninekidneydisease.doggreens.com/Contact_us.html

    Also, I’ve heard that the time of day the blood work is done can have an impact on the numbers. Always get the blood work done at the same time of day just to be safe.

    Good luck with your baby!!! I hope you have many many more happy and healthy years with him!!

  • bexx76

    I really think high (good) protein diets are good or bad depending on the situation and the dog. My dog had high levels on his last blood tests and he is on a good quality, high protein, grain free food. I wanted to be more natural and changed up the diet to incorporate higher quality proteins and supplements for nitrogen trapping/phosphorous binding. Just had another blood test yesterday and was very hopeful. But his levels have gotten worse. :( I had a dog die from kidney failure two years ago and it makes me ill to think of going through this again. I HATE to try the low protein/low phos/prescription diet but nothing else is working and I have to do everything I can to try to help his kidney function. So, we will try the low protein food and see what happens once we have another test run.

  • Johnandchristo

    Labs ….

    A troll is a troll is a troll.

  • LabsRawesome

     LOL. Isn’t it funny when someone can’t “win” an argument, that they then resort to posting as “someone else” and then agree with themselves, to try and give their argument some validity. lol So lame.

  • Shawna

    I just got a chance to look at the article you linked to..  It is VERY important to factor the “quality” of the protein when evaluating a diet for kidney disease.  A protein with a high biological value will create less nitrogen then the same amount of lower bioavailable protein..

    SO, it was no surprise to see that the lower protein diet (which they don’t describe the contents of) produced less BUN then Purina Dog Chow Senior, Royal Canin Mature Medium Breed and Eukanuba Senior Maintenance..  Go figure…  None of these are quality foods with “high quality” proteins..

    In my opinion, this research was poorly designed and likely intended to come to the conclusion that was found..  Lowering amounts (based around the BUN) of “high quality” proteins is the gold standard for treating kidney disease.  IF, I say once again, nitrogen trapping is implemented even higher amounts of quality protein can be fed…  However, I have found, most vets don’t know about nitrogen trapping. 

  • http://DogFoodAdvisor.com/ Mike Sagman

    Jester,

    According to our commenting policy:

    “…the use of multiple identities or other deceptive tactics designed to mislead readers are strictly forbidden.

    So, if we suspect you’re posting fraudulently, be prepared to verify your email address or to confirm your real name by providing your Facebook, Twitter or other established social media identity.”

    Anonymous posting is a privilege – not a right. Please be sure all your future comments obey this important rule.

    Thank you.

  • Shawna

    What??

  • Shawna

    I didn’t get any of that from your posts Guest.  You “implied” that protein was damaging to kidneys.  There is nothing further from the truth.  Protein keeps the kidneys (and every other cell of the body) healthy..
     
    Protein is not “bad” in kidney dogs..  As I said, higher protein diets can be fed if nitrogen trapping is utilized.  AND the more bioavailable the protein the less nitrogen is produced.  Less nitrogen means less for the kidneys to do..  It is poor quality proteins like chicken by-product meal, corn gluten meal, soybean meal etc that cause larger amounts of nitrogen. 
     
    Phosphorus is higher in organs (aka by-products) then in muscle meats.  You would also be surprised, I think, at the amounts of phosphorus in grains.  Example — 1 ounce of 70% lean ground beef (raw which is what I feed) has 37mg of phos and 6.7mg of calcium.  While 1 ounce of medium grain cooked brown rice has 21.6mg of phos and 2.8mg of phos.  Raw egg whites, 1 ounce has 4.2mg of phos and 2mg of calcium.  I think we can all figure out which of these are better for dogs.  This comes from http://www.nutritiondata.com.  Tripe is a food that is high in protein, low in phosphorus and has other wonderful benefits.. 

    The science you are finding may say that a prescription kibble is better then a maintenance kibble but I will NEVER by the data that “quality” protein is damaging to a dogs kidneys.  As mentioned before, I have a dog that has had kidney disease for 6 and 1/2 years, is healthy, unmedicated (except vitamins and nutraceuticals) and has been eating HIGH protein raw since being weaned..  By the way, symptoms of polyuria and polydipsia were noticed when she was about 6 weeks of age.

  • Guest

    Thanks for clarifying my point. In stages III & IV protein restriction is advantageous and may be in stage II since phosphorous and protein often go hand in hand. I am not saying that protein is necessarily bad in unaffected senior animals, only those with CRF. That said there are papers that support reduced protein in senor pets without evidence of renal disease, although they are not as robust as those with CRF. See:
    http://jarvm.com/articles/Vol5Iss2/Frantz.pdf 

  • Pattyvaughn

    Shine a little light on the troll and they disappear, apparently.

  • Jester

    Actually Shawna protein can harm a dogs kidneys… The key to protein is where it come’s from. Protein from a “muscle” meat source is great and will never harm a dogs kidneys. But protein from “”other sources”" most defiantly CAN harm dogs, “if”, it is to high. I have been researching meals, such as chicken meal and others and am quite surprised to find how much bone is in any type of meal. Protein from bones is unfounded if it is good or bad. I fed Orijen and I am feeding less kibble and working hard on adding more meat to my dogs diet… I have located a local butcher for more meat and a local Asian store for more fish. Both are under 2 bucks a pound. 2 bucks a pound is about what Orijen cost’s in my area. I have been able to reduce the amount of kibble from 4 cups to 3 cups due to these finds. Everyone feeding any kibble with a meat meal only ingredient or ingredient’s only, really should get on the stick and do some research. Chicken meal really has very little, if any, meat in it at all. Tyson chicken meal is a joke…

  • Shawna

    Or maybe this one — Nestle Purina 2008

    “The ability of excess dietary protein to induce renal pathology was studied in both dogs with chronic kidney failure and older dogs without kidney failure. Numerous studies have confirmed that protein does not adversely affect the kidneys. However, phosphorus- and protein-restricted diets are clinically beneficial in dogs with existing chronic kidney failure. Protein restriction for healthy older dogs is not only unnecessary, it can be detrimental. Protein requirements actually increase by about 50% in older dogs, while their energy requirements tend to decrease. When insufficient protein is provided, it can aggravate the age-associated loss of lean body mass and may contribute to earlier mortality.”  http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18656844

    PS — I didn’t link to the Merck Vet Manual because the links don’t work when copy/pasted.  But anyone can google “merck vet manual chronic kidney disease” to read the page I quoted from.

  • Shawna

    “Protein” doesn’t damage the kidneys even in late stage chronic kidney disease.  However, lowering protein does control the symptoms making the animal feel better — which happens in the later stages of the disease.. 

    Additionally, if you utilize nitrogen trapping efficiently you can prolong protein restriction even longer..

  • Shawna

    Does the Merck Vet Manual work for you?

    “In Stages I and II, animals usually have minimal clinical abnormalities…  Animals in this stage should be fed standard, commercially available maintenance diets, unless they are markedly proteinuric (see below). All affected animals should be reevaluated every 3-6 mo, or sooner if problems develop….

    In Stages II and III, the principles for management of complications are the same, except that the animal should be evaluated every 2-3 mo….   Measures that may slow this progression include dietary phosphorus restriction (dogs and cats), dietary fish oil supplementation (dogs), antihypertensive agents (hypertensive dogs and cats), and administration of ACE inhibitors. Dietary restriction of phosphate and acid load is essential in this stage, and specialized diets for management of kidney disease should be fed.

    In late Stage III and Stage IV, all of the principles of managing the preceding stages apply, except that the animal should be evaluated every 1-2 mo. Dietary restriction of protein may relieve some of the signs of uremia. High-quality protein (eg, egg protein) should be fed at a level of 2.0-2.8 g/kg/day for dogs and 2.8-3.8 g/kg/day for cats.”

    “Protein” restriction isn’t recommended until the dog is azotemic which is in the later stages of the disease..  However, phosphorus restriction should happen as early as stage II or III.

    Dogs and cats with acute kidney disease or elevated proteinuria should have protein restriction while in crisis stage.

  • Guest

    The key difference is the 99 paper is one guys ramblings. The 2000 and 2002 papers are prospective case-control studies with multiple authors and real-world cases (pets); quite a difference. Check out wikipedia for definitions of this study types versus a review paper (which was still written before the two cited papers which are considered definitive).

  • Shawna

    I will also note that they do know that “protein” (even high protein) does not contribute to kidney diesease NOR damage the kidneys once disease has set in.  However, phosphorus does. 

    Additionally, the original research that implicated protein as a cause —- it was done on rats not dogs…

  • Shawna

    So a paper from 2000 and 2002 are better then a paper from 1999??? 

    An important factor in these two you sited — the renal diet was compared to a “maintenance diet”.  Assuming the maintenance diet is kibble, possibly poor quality proteins etc.  ALSO, the cats in the one diet lived 633 days versus 264 days on the standard diet…  Neither are very good results if you ask me especially in cats..

    I’ll stick with my high protein (45 to 54%) raw diet I am feeding my pup with congenital kidney diseaes..  She’s been on the same diet for 6 and 1/2 years and still doing GREAT..  No meds, no sub-q fluids etc..  Six and one half years and still her only symptoms are polyuria and polydipsia..  I bet those eating a prescription kd diet aren’t having those same results..??

  • LabsRawesome

     Senior pets need even higher amounts of species appropriate protein, because their aged systems have a harder time processing it. And I am talking about healthy senior pets. In some RARE cases/illnesses there may be a reason to limit protein, for some sort of illness.

  • Guest

    I beg to differ with the statement:  ‘recent opinion finds high protein not to be a contributing factor to kidney disease in senior pets’. I wouldn’t call a 1999 op-ed style paper in a supplement to a 3rd tier journal recent or definitive. Review these studies for life changing data on low protein diets and life expectancy in dogs and cats:

    -Median survival times of 633 (low protein diet) versus 264 days (standard diet) in cats with chronic renal failure  http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1748-5827.2000.tb03932.x/abstract
    -Compared with the MF [maintenance formula-high protein], the RF [renal formula-low protein] had a beneficial effect regarding uremic crises and mortality rate in dogs with mild and moderate renal failure. Dogs fed the RF had a slower decline in renal function, compared with dogs fed the MF.
    http://avmajournals.avma.org/doi/abs/10.2460/javma.2002.220.1163

  • Shawna

    I disagree..  Especially when high quality, balanced raw foods can be purchased at the same stores that the high end kibbled foods are purchased at…

    “Dry food”, even the high end ones, is simply fresh food that has had all the nutrients processed out of it.  To the point that they have to add fake nutrients back in..

    I would also question “balance”.  Food balance is based on what science currently knows to be accurate.  New data is coming out all the time.  Ten years ago, as an example, omega 3 was not supplemented in processed foods.  They still aren’t encorporating all of the 8 known forms of vitamin E.  Some feel that calcium carbonate is an inferior source of calcium.  etc etc etc

  • BryanV21

    I use the term because I think it’s better than saying “omnivore”, because I don’t believe the word “omnivore” is correct. While dogs can digest/process some non-animal foods, they are designed to get nutrients from animal sources. 

    So I understand that you can use the two terms interchangeably, I will not use or accept the word “omnivore” for a dog.

  • aimee

    Bryanv21,

    What is/ are the metabolic differences between a facultative carnivore and an omnivore as I the term used interchangably and no clear distinction between the two.  

  • BryanV21

    You’re wrong, but don’t worry… you’re not alone on this subject. Look up “facultative carnivore”.

  • Boogiefromcur

    dear barbara I tend to agree with you but the problem with hygiene issues, the cost/time issues, obtaining fresh meat etc etc outweigh the “raw” feeding pro’s much more than feeding a quality dry food which is additionally balanced with after aftermarket supplements.

  • Boogiefromcur

    dogs are not carnivores they are omnivores my friend…get your facts right

  • Dieselle

    I have an 11 year old dachshund who just spent two weeks with undiagnoised stomach issues where she started vomiting and then she refused to eat and drink….Vet found nothing in blood work or x-rays.  With a lot of patience we managed to get enough food and liquid into her to start bringing her back… now she has returned to “normal” healthy and hearty appetite but we need to re-introduce her to dry food.  The Vet suggested we put her on a more easily digestible senior wet (canned) food.  However, she prefers dry dog food. 

    Any recommendations for either or both? 

    I know we must introduce very slowly… right now we prepare her chicken and she loves raw and cooked veggies and fruit, which we have started giving her in tiny quantities.

  • http://www.facebook.com/haughpaw Barbara Haugh

    This is worth considering….I had a litter of shepherd pups that I fed raw until I placed them at 6 months. All the pups grew at a much SLOWER rate then they did when I transferred them to bagged food to assist in placing them. I agree with the statement that calcium/ph is more likely what causes bone malformations than high protein content. All the pups were lean and healthy on raw. Once on bagged food they started growing like mad. Something to think about when we are told that bagged food is the only way to go.

  • http://www.facebook.com/haughpaw Barbara Haugh

     No

  • http://www.facebook.com/haughpaw Barbara Haugh

     Protein is based on ALL sources not just animal protein on a per cup basis.

  • http://www.facebook.com/haughpaw Barbara Haugh

     Have you tried raw?

  • Wingmaster01

    Anybody that would think that Meat Based Protein is not good for the Dog/Canine is seriously misinformed or they have been mislead by others. That said, it is my wish that these dog food producers learn to produce a meat based protein food that does not give my dogs the runs. Weems the higher the meat protein content the more loose the stool becomes.   

  • BryanV21

    Personally, I would never recommend a vegetarian diet for a dog.

    Sure, there may be instances where a dog’s got an illness in which it can’t have any meat, but dogs are carnivores and should get the majority of their protein from meat sources… not things like peas.

  • dixon_mason

    This is a myth spread by vegetarians, who think even dogs should get by on carrots and lettuce. Blah! My Scottie is happiest when he’s tearing into some fresh roast beef!

  • Marilyn

     I would recommend Orijen. Do some research on it.

  • http://www.dfwpugs.com/ sandy

    Assuming the mixing process in kibble-making is complete, it will be per kibble.  If your dog eats 1 cup of food a day, he is getting 38% protein.  If he eats 2 cups a day, he will still get 38% protein.

  • Rheseyj

    Thank you but that was not what I meant . I will use orijen adult as an example it has 38 % protein . Is that per kibble , per bag , per cup . How much would my dog need to eat to achieve that 38 % protein level . Would she need to eat a kibble , a whole , bag , a cup ?

  • http://www.dfwpugs.com/ sandy
  • Rheseyj

    How do they judge the protein in the food ? Is it per price of kibble , cup , bag ? How ?

  • Dward22

    I notice most high quality dog foods have fish listed as a protein source. It does not state what kind of fish, but a lot of fish contain toxins. I used to feed my lab and 2 goldens Solid Gold Wolf King with menhaden fish. I dont think they use the menhaden fish any longer and are now using a different type of fish, unspecified, so I am discontinuing Solid Gold and looking for a non fish dog food. I also had them all on Cosequin which contains glucosomine condroitin which is also a fish substance. I am now doing homemade and adding extra virgin olive oil and organic ground flaxseed and bone meal(human grade). Also, I feel that  a lot of problems which cause allergies are in dog treats. I have found some excellent dog treats recently made by blue buffalo that contain yogurt,pumpkin, apples and cinnamon( no corn syrup or other garbage.) I just started making homemade using ingredients listed on the web from a dog food @www.luckydogcuisine.com

  • http://www.dfwpugs.com/ sandy

    Joe Jackson,

    I don’t know what a Bordoodle is, but (1) if it’s still considered a puppy, it needs certain levels of certain nutrients for a growing body and (2) if it’s a large breed, they have a special calcium to phosphorus ration that they should be getting for proper bone growth.

  • Joe Jackson

    I have a 8 month old Bordoodle who is relatively finicky.  She will not usually gobble up her kibble.  I’ve tried Castor & Pollux , TOW and finally tried Wellness CORE.  She finally seems to like the core, but I see that it isn’t recommended for dogs under 1 year due to the high protein.  But after looking at protein content of other “all life stages” food, some have just as high if not higher levels of protein.  Should I not be feeding her the Wellness CORE?

  • Eileen Postings

    I have heard that too high a protein content in dog food causes itchy skin. Is this trus?