High Protein/Low Protein HELP

Poor Sheltieguys head must be spinning by now!!:uhoh:. Like it has been mentioned before, if you ask 15 people what they feed there pets and why, you will get 15 different answers. Some on here might think Royal Canin is not a very good food or that Science Diet is bad, etc, etc. It boils down to what YOU feel is best, and what your furbaby will thrive the best on :wink2:. Just my two cents worth :yes:
 
danisgoat said:
Your BEST bet of preventing the loss of another dog to kidney failure is to do a routine analysis of your dogs kidney function. That is the ONLY definitive way.

This is near and dear to my heart as well, since my Cedar died of renal failure one year ago on December 26th.
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I made my mistake because I did not get annual blood work done on my dog. I just didnt know this was a common practice and my vet never brought blood work up unless they saw some kind of problem (which by then it is too late) .. Since then I found a new vet that better suits my needs. I learned from my mistakes and my new pup will benefit from it.
 
SheltieGuy said:
I made my mistake because I did not get annual blood work done on my dog. I just didnt know this was a common practice and my vet never brought blood work up unless they saw some kind of problem (which by then it is too late) .. Since then I found a new vet that better suits my needs. I learned from my mistakes and my new pup will benefit from it.
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Same here. It breaks my heart all over again reading about this, analyzing it, and just wishing I knew to do more :cry:
 
I just wanted to chime in on a personal note. I have Systemic Lupus (SLE) and among other health issues, my Kidneys are shot. Since finding out 2 years ago, I have spent the better part of that time making medicine (all aspects of it) and understanding it my passion. Personally, I can only have less than 10% - 15% protein a day. (Rules out Atkins for me, lol). However I have done so much extensive research on nutrition, and although there are distinct differences, animals and humans are not that different as far as their nutritional needs.

A diet of 25% - 35% protein (sometimes higher) is very healthy as a whole, IF the proteins are basically LEAN. Only if you are either prone to Kidney problems or develop and illness that affects the kidneys should you examine your protein intake a little more closely. I tend to believe that our happy, healthy furbabies can digest and process a diet of 30% protein (mostly lean) without any problems, and it is really one of the best things that we can do for them.

However, each dog is different, and like humans, not one diet fits everyone. I think that taking into consideration our animal’s medical history and current health, we as their parents, along with our Vets, can decide what the best diet for our dogs is. The bottom-line, I believe, is that there is no ONE perfect diet for Shelties, or Labs, or Beagles, or Llamas!! (You get my point) The diet needs to suit the animal (or human) needs. And, I think that most healthy, well, active and disease-free dogs will respond well to a diet that is in upwards of 25% Protein (Lean and Fatty).

Just my experience and 2 cents....
 
Chris said:
(And I am so sorry about your health issues, Katniss.)
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Thanks and no worries Chris I am doing really well. :smile2:! I worked with my vet a lot over the past 5 years with my past two babies and both were on a higher protein diet until their last year or so when the kidneys became an issue with one of them. Like I said, it's something for the owner, the vet and the pet to figure out what works best for them and their lifestyle. Thanks for the link though, it was very informative and gave me something to consider.
 
Sorry to interrupt... but what is ethoxyquin? Some kind of preservative? What kind of negative effects does it have?

Has anyone found a good adult food that has around 20% protein?

Thanks!
 
Diana said:
Sorry to interrupt... but what is ethoxyquin? Some kind of preservative? What kind of negative effects does it have?

Has anyone found a good adult food that has around 20% protein?

Thanks!
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I would like to know more about ethoxyquin also as I feed the totw pacific stream .
 
Katniss said:
I just wanted to chime in on a personal note. I have Systemic Lupus (SLE) and among other health issues, my Kidneys are shot. Since finding out 2 years ago, I have spent the better part of that time making medicine (all aspects of it) and understanding it my passion. Personally, I can only have less than 10% - 15% protein a day. (Rules out Atkins for me, lol). However I have done so much extensive research on nutrition, and although there are distinct differences, animals and humans are not that different as far as their nutritional needs.

A diet of 25% - 35% protein (sometimes higher) is very healthy as a whole, IF the proteins are basically LEAN. Only if you are either prone to Kidney problems or develop and illness that affects the kidneys should you examine your protein intake a little more closely. I tend to believe that our happy, healthy furbabies can digest and process a diet of 30% protein (mostly lean) without any problems, and it is really one of the best things that we can do for them.

However, each dog is different, and like humans, not one diet fits everyone. I think that taking into consideration our animal’s medical history and current health, we as their parents, along with our Vets, can decide what the best diet for our dogs is. The bottom-line, I believe, is that there is no ONE perfect diet for Shelties, or Labs, or Beagles, or Llamas!! (You get my point) The diet needs to suit the animal (or human) needs. And, I think that most healthy, well, active and disease-free dogs will respond well to a diet that is in upwards of 25% Protein (Lean and Fatty).

Just my experience and 2 cents....
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First of all Good Luck with your health issues. I will send some prayers your way!
Secondly .... That is a well thought out informative answer !! Thank You for responding.
I think I am forming an opinion now (lol) I think higher protein is good if it is "Quality Protein" ( Not chicken throats and cow feet).
 
king buddy said:
I would like to know more about ethoxyquin also as I feed the totw pacific stream .
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Ethoxyquin is an artifical preservative that is add to to pet food diets to prevent the fats from become rancid and to extend the shelf life of foods. It can cause liver enzymes elevation and is a possible carcinagen(mostly kidney cancer).

It is allowed to be in pet foods in levels up to 150ppm. The FDA in the last 1990's asked that pet food companys lower the levels to 75ppm(levels of 0.5 to 5ppm are allow in human food). It was not mandatory be but around that time a lot of company started replacing it with tocopherol, a natural preservative and source of Vit E. The shelf life of these foods were not as long by they did a good job. The big companies who had a large production batches and warehouse food such as Science Diet, Euknuba, Pedigree Iams etc were slow to remove it and some still use it. If the compnay adds it it must be on the label.

Most nautral foods do not add ethoxyquin. But some fishing company indenpendent of the pet food company spray it on the fish to preserve it during long trips at sea. If the pet food company does not add they are not required to list it on the label. Overall, levels of ethoxyquin in those natual diets are very small, especially if it is not a fish based diet. The question is whether those small trace small will have any effect. Most likely not but you never know. A selling point of many organic or natural food companys is ethoxyquin free fish sources. If they have it they usually let you know.:smile2:
 
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