# Pros and Cons of higher protein foods?



## AmeliaPond (Mar 25, 2011)

I'm considering putting my dog on Wellness Core. The protein content is a bit higher than what my dog is currently getting.

Can someone tell me the pros and cons of increasing the protein in my dog's food?

Thanks.


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## CavePaws (Jan 25, 2011)

Pros
More animal protein
Less carbs obviously - unnecessary parts of the diet

Cons
Sometimes they drink more water. But water is very important, so what does it matter?

Dogs are meant to eat meat. The more meat the better, generally higher protein means more animal protein.
Wellness Core is pretty decent. I used to feed it.


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## AmeliaPond (Mar 25, 2011)

Does more protein tend to effect their poop at all? (Weird question, I know.)

For a dog with skin issues...is more protein better for them? Or would it not really make a difference?

My dog is on the lazy side. She gets a daily walk during nice weather months. But that's about it. I'm wondering if Wellness Core might be a bad fit for her.


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## Serendipity (Aug 13, 2010)

AmeliaPond said:


> Does more protein tend to effect their poop at all? (Weird question, I know.)
> 
> For a dog with skin issues...is more protein better for them? Or would it not really make a difference?
> 
> My dog is on the lazy side. She gets a daily walk during nice weather months. But that's about it. I'm wondering if Wellness Core might be a bad fit for her.


Usually dogs on higher protein foods have smaller stools because there's less filler. They get their nutritional benefits from meat. 

Higher protein = more meat = more animal fat (generally). Sometimes, a lower protein fish kibble can be more beneficial to a dog's coat than a higher protein non-fish kibble, etc. I don't worry about the lineolic acid/omega 3's in a food because I just supplement with salmon oil daily. That's the best thing you can do for skin/coat health along with overall diet. 

Most dogs benefit from high protein foods and energy level does not matter, as long as you don't overfeed. Just feed less, take your time transitioning, and your dog should be fine.


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## AmeliaPond (Mar 25, 2011)

She was on Natural Balance Ultra for about two years and I really liked it but I decided to try a grain-free so we tried Natural Balance Sweet Potato and Fish. Her skin problems haven't improved at all. So maybe no food will change that. Since the Sweet Potato and Fish isn't helping...I'd like to get her back onto a food with more meat than potato. Part of me wants to put her back on NB Ultra since I know her stomach handles it fine. But another part of me wants to try a new brand to see if maybe it would help her coat.

I used to do fish oil supplements but didn't notice much of a change. Do you have a kind/brand you'd recommend?


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## Unosmom (May 3, 2009)

Core isnt extremely high unlike EVO or Natures variety which is 40-42%. If your dog has skin issues, I would go with fish formula first, it tends to work better with allergies and skin sensitivities.


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## CavePaws (Jan 25, 2011)

EVO and Orijen are other options, I think they're a tad more expensive. 
Poops are good on high protein foods with little amounts of carbs.
The fish formula has a lower protein content.


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## AmeliaPond (Mar 25, 2011)

She's on the Natural Balance Sweet Potato and Fish right now...and I'm not gonna lie...the fish smell grosses me out. So I was leaning towards just the original Core.


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## CavePaws (Jan 25, 2011)

It's what I used. I'd say it's one of the more decent kibbles.


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## SamWu1 (Oct 15, 2010)

AmeliaPond said:


> She's on the Natural Balance Sweet Potato and Fish right now...and I'm not gonna lie...the fish smell grosses me out. So I was leaning towards just the original Core.


The higher meat content foods generally will have a "meatier" odor compared to lesser foods. I like the Orijen and Acana lines of pet food and as Cavepaws has mentioned, lots of water is advised to process the high protein levels. The payoff is a healthier dog. For the coat issue, you can try fish oil capsules or a less conventional approach, spirulina tablets.

As far as the exercise regimen goes, it's practically as important as nutrition for health maintainence. I believe healthy dogs should get at least two hours of exercise per day to stay fit. Since it's so cold outside, I'm limited to two 20 minute walks outside and the remainder is done on the treadmill indoors. Here are mine..YouTube - flyspanishhoney


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## sassymaxmom (Dec 7, 2008)

I failed at EVO back when it came out. The grain free high protein kibbles are fed in very small amounts. That is a drawback for me. If you overfed the stool won't be solid or the dog will gain weight.

However, while it didn't happen during the few months of EVO, Max gained muscle and strength on a raw diet. That is a huge plus for me. He is a senior dog who doesn't get a huge amount of exercise and never had much muscle mass.

She may not have a food allergy at all and no food will help if the limited ingredient food didn't help. There is a new grain free just released that is far simpler than most of them, you might try it. Nature's Variety, there is a short thread on it down the first page. I looked into simple grain free kibble back when Artie was visiting and EVO and Before Grain were simpler than the rest of them.


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## CavePaws (Jan 25, 2011)

I like the way Orijen smells...When I was in the kennels and people came in with various kibbles I was always happy to fill up a bowl of Orijen...I don't know what it is about it that I liked so much. So if smell gets to you buy Orijen. 

I'm just kidding though, I really do think you'll like Wellness CORE the original version if you try it. I haven't tried Orijen, EVO, or ACANA, but they're all top notch as well so I've heard and last I checked ingredients wise.


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## AmeliaPond (Mar 25, 2011)

Thanks for all the suggestions.

Right now, it's looking like I will give Wellness Core a shot. I transition super slow (at least 14 days.) But I think I'll be waiting a while. We just opened a brand new (large) bag of her current food and since it's so expensive, I don't want to waste it. So I'm going to wait until we use up a lot of it first.

Plus, we may have to kennel her for a few days soon. I want to make sure I time her transition so it doesn't overlap with kenneling her.


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## Unosmom (May 3, 2009)

I dont find core fish smell to be overwhelming(unless you stick your nose in the bowl), you should get a whiff of EVO salmon, thats some strong stuff, smells like fish market.


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## 3Musketeers (Nov 4, 2010)

The "weight-loss/lowfat" core is also a real nice choice. I believe the only thing they do is cut out some fat, but they still have a great meat content.
Personally I don't like Natural Balance (unless your dog has severe allergies) because of how much potatoes/sweet potatoes they use, not to mention NB likes to use potato and pea protein. Dogs should not be getting plant proteins, at all.

As long as the majority of the proteins are coming from animal sources I wouldn't worry too much about the protein levels. Avoid plant proteins/glutens, for example "corn gluten" "rice gluten".

The protein level for Core isn't too too high, it's around 34%, some foods go up to 40 and higher. Don't worry too much about the caloric content, dogs being carnivores are more likely to fatten up from an overload of carbs. Not sure exactly how it goes, but I believe they prioritize fats as energy as opposed to humans prioritizing carbs, or something along those lines.

Less filler in the food means less poop, as for the dry coat, you could add a salmon oil supplement to the kibble, it would greatly help as most, if not all kibbles are lacking in Omega-3 content.

On the more expensive side there's Orijen, Acana, EVO, Nature's Variety.

About the same as Wellness Core there are Merrick Before Grain, Blue Buffalo Wilderness, and TOTW.


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## AmeliaPond (Mar 25, 2011)

I went to both Petsmart and Petco today.

At Petsmart I got some Wellness treats (chicken and cheddar) and a new nylabone. Petsmart doesn't carry Wellness Core or the other flavor of treats I was looking for.

At Petco I got a small bag of Wellness Core original and a box of Wellness treats (peanuts and honey.)

When we got home, I have Lucy 1 piece of the food and she liked it.  I won't start the actual transition just yet though (for reasons mentioned earlier.) She LOVED the chicken and cheddar treat I gave her though!


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## 1605 (May 27, 2009)

Our GSP is very active, so the EVO fit right in with his needs. Because it's so protein/carb rich, you give them much less than on lower grade foods: he used to have 4 cups of another brand & is now getting 2 1/2 cups of Evo Turkey/Chicken.

Occasionally we supplement his kibble with canned salmon. But he also gets "treats" in the form of Mother Hubbard mini-biscuits which are a great bribe when the time comes for him to take his allergy medicine. 

And if we have any good leftovers (chicken, pork) he will get that with a reduced amount of kibble. 

While his coat was good before, it's even better on the EVO. He's also gained muscle mass and is a very "solid" dog at about 58-60 lbs.


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