Grain-free foods
- Thread starter pogopup
- Start date
If high protein leads to hip problems in large dogs, my guess would be that it would lead to hip problems in shelties, too. I don't know that much about dog food for young dogs, since all my shelties are in heaven now, but I do know that when they got older and fatter the vet put them on a high fiber diet, which helped them to lose weight, get more energy back, and have firmer stools. They also didn't act like they were starving to death, like they did when I served them smaller portions of their usual food. Let us know what you find out about the % of protein, okay?
What reviews are you looking at? I am not being defensive, just curious.
I've been reading on this site:
http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com
It's an independent site, not associated with any food company, and an extension of boxerworld.com
Well, I looked at the "Dog Food Analysis" site. Maybe I'm old fashioned, but I don't know why good whole grains would be bad for dogs. Dogs have been with people and eating the same as people for 10,000 to 15,000 years and I would think that they would have adapted to our diets by now. That would mean that whole grains, vegetables, and fruit, along with a small amount of protein is best for people and dogs. My older dogs acted like they were starving when I cut back on their regular food because they were getting fat, and the grains seemed to make them feel full. I think that corn meal is probably as bad for dogs as it is for people. But like I said I'm not an expert on dog food. Good Luck to you all!!!
I've spent so many hours (almost obscene) trying to figure it out.
One one hand, people say do not feed your puppy a high protein, for example Orijen or EVO, because it's too much for them and can cause bone/joint problems in the future. And here I thought it was genetics or careless breeding that caused hip displaysia. Another argument I found against grain-fee kibble is that it promotes fast growth (esp. in larger breeds), which, contributes to the above skeletal problems.
With that said, I have found just as many arguments favoring grain-free and plenty of people say it's helped their puppies and older dogs thrive (I've seen them both for small and large breed). Their argument is that it's not so much the protein level, but the calcium/phosphorus ratio levels that ultimately causes the above problems.
Of course, both sides say that the key to any food is portion control. If you overfeed any food to any breed, it will contribute to problems down the road.
I'm dealing with some loose poop right now, but that's because we are transitioning foods. Hopefully it will firm up once both their systems get used to it-if not, we will try something else.
One one hand, people say do not feed your puppy a high protein, for example Orijen or EVO, because it's too much for them and can cause bone/joint problems in the future. And here I thought it was genetics or careless breeding that caused hip displaysia. Another argument I found against grain-fee kibble is that it promotes fast growth (esp. in larger breeds), which, contributes to the above skeletal problems.
With that said, I have found just as many arguments favoring grain-free and plenty of people say it's helped their puppies and older dogs thrive (I've seen them both for small and large breed). Their argument is that it's not so much the protein level, but the calcium/phosphorus ratio levels that ultimately causes the above problems.
Of course, both sides say that the key to any food is portion control. If you overfeed any food to any breed, it will contribute to problems down the road.
I'm dealing with some loose poop right now, but that's because we are transitioning foods. Hopefully it will firm up once both their systems get used to it-if not, we will try something else.
I looked at the site too and I found Premium Edge. It had good reviews. I have no idea how good the site is or how reliable the information is. You can look up any product in the world and you will get conflicting information on if it's good or bad, harmful or healthy. Opinions change over time as well. I am 52 and I remember so many changes over the years in what is supposed to be healthy to eat and healthy to do that I couldn't possibly keep track. It changes constantly.
When I was a kid, our St. Bernard got cheap dog food, no vaccinations, no heart worming and lived to be 15, as healthy as a horse right until the end. No hip problems, no skeletal problems, nada. We had a standard poodle--same thing.
You do the research and at some point you just have to go with your instincts. I have chosen to go with what my pup's breeder recommended because I have seen her dogs and I like what I see and see knows SOOOOO much about nutrition it could fill a book. She prefers feeding raw over anything else, but she knows I can't afford to do that, so this is her recommendation. You can drive yourself crazy doing research and you will get differing opinions on the subject as you can see.
When I was a kid, our St. Bernard got cheap dog food, no vaccinations, no heart worming and lived to be 15, as healthy as a horse right until the end. No hip problems, no skeletal problems, nada. We had a standard poodle--same thing.
You do the research and at some point you just have to go with your instincts. I have chosen to go with what my pup's breeder recommended because I have seen her dogs and I like what I see and see knows SOOOOO much about nutrition it could fill a book. She prefers feeding raw over anything else, but she knows I can't afford to do that, so this is her recommendation. You can drive yourself crazy doing research and you will get differing opinions on the subject as you can see.
Ann
Moderator
I fed Taste of the Wild for quite some time, it came highly recommended by my vet who is well versed in holistic stuff and I had great results with it. I recently switched to Innova since Taste of the Wild has skyrocketed in price here.
I'm very interested in the protein content question and found in doing research (for what it's worth) that although puppies can benefit from a higher protein food, a very high protein food is generally not needed and in some cases, not good for them. One of mine can't handle the high proteins...at age 3, she has an elevated kidney value so I've had to put her on a "light" food with a protein content of less than 20 percent. The prevailing school of thought, depending on which nutritionist you talk to, is that protein levels in the 20's are OK, but much higher than than could be too much stress on their systems in the long run, especially their kidneys.
I've had good luck with the Innova line, and not so good luck with the Wellness products although I know people who love it. I found Wellness created loser stools and more of them. Eagle Pack Holistic is another good one, as is Canidae.
That same website that rates these things also recommends switching food at least every 3 months to avoid allergies, and because dogs DO like variety (was it Science Diet that claimed they can eat the same food day in and out for all their lives and never need a change? I can't remember, but I read that somewhere and never believed a word of it).
That certainly takes the pressure off any decision. I'm going to try the TOTW Wild Pacific, and then something else next time. I'll check into Innova too, but the Innova EVO I looked at had 42% protein, so maybe they have different lines. I find the site very informative, and they do address the question of feeding high protein to puppies in the FAQ section, saying there are also studies that say it ISN'T harmful. So it's not conclusive yet. Maybe it's harmful for some dogs, but not for others. For now, I'll try to stick with the lower protein foods just to be safe.
That certainly takes the pressure off any decision. I'm going to try the TOTW Wild Pacific, and then something else next time. I'll check into Innova too, but the Innova EVO I looked at had 42% protein, so maybe they have different lines. I find the site very informative, and they do address the question of feeding high protein to puppies in the FAQ section, saying there are also studies that say it ISN'T harmful. So it's not conclusive yet. Maybe it's harmful for some dogs, but not for others. For now, I'll try to stick with the lower protein foods just to be safe.
HopeShelties
Forums Enthusiast
I feed the Taste Of The Wild pacific stream variety, and the dogs really love it. I also feed Wellness to the puppies, as we don't have any grain free puppy varieties sold around here, and I've found it to be the best of the available options. A word of caution, if you're switching over from something with a lot of grains, or something with a lower fat/protein content, you will notice loose stools at first, but over time, as they adjust to the food, the problem goes away.
BarbV
Forums Celebrity
I tend to agree with you. I think a balance of grain and protein is just fine - and yes, I've heard make sure no corn meal.
I've always felt that if the pup is eating, active, eyes are clear, coat is healthy, stools are firm then whatever food they are on is probably just fine.
The only caveat I make to this statement is the protein issue. If indeed too much protein in adult dogs could lead to bone problems later on, then I would certainly want to know this NOW! Because, obviously, I can't measure this in the here and now!
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