# low protein food



## hvtopiwala (Feb 26, 2013)

i had my guy on raw food for quite some time, but he has just been diagnosed with liver shunts and requires a low protein/easy digestible protein diet. all the specialist i have talked to said less then 18% on a dry matter basis. right now he is on Royal Canin Hepatic Diet (obviously not the best stuff out there), so what recommendations do you guys have for good food with low protein?


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## Dr Dolittle (Aug 2, 2013)

hvtopiwala said:


> i had my guy on raw food for quite some time, but he has just been diagnosed with liver shunts and requires a low protein/easy digestible protein diet. all the specialist i have talked to said less then 18% on a dry matter basis. right now he is on Royal Canin Hepatic Diet (obviously not the best stuff out there), so what recommendations do you guys have for good food with low protein?


Not the best stuff out there? Well, there are 2 liver diets out there from Royal Canine and Hills. This is one of those times that you need to decide nice sounding ingredients or the nutrients you pup needs> Anything you feed your guy that is not formultaed to address this condition will actually be harming him every time! Liver issues are extremely complicated compared to other conditions but I want to warn you its not just lower, higher quality protein you have to be concerned with. You also want higher vit K to avoid the deficinencies that come with liver issues. L-Carnitine is a fat burner, actually approved by the FDA for humans, that helps the liver metabolize fat into energy so is very helpful as well. There are particular fiber sources also helpful in reducing ammonia production and absortion. What I am getting at is don't just look for 18% protein on a dry matter basis. And no, I do not work for royal Canin, and they have some diets I don't like but listen to your vet. If your pup won't eat it, try the Hills diet. Either way you are doing the best for your guy. I am sure you are freaking looking at the ingredient panel but thats becasue we have come so far from choosing ingredients based on the nutrients they provide and are letting pet food companies lure us into spending a fortune on wonderful sounding ingredients. I wish you the best! God Bless!


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## Shamrockmommy (Sep 10, 2009)

Solid Gold has holistic blendz which has 18% protein. Many of the "light" formulas might be around that percentage as well.


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## PDXdogmom (Jun 30, 2010)

Would home-cooking, by following advice from a holistic vet and/or pet nutritionist, be a possibility?

That way, you could feed lower % protein but better quality protein. It would also lessen the load of the body needing to detox from all the chemicals in processed dog food. If not home-cooked - perhaps canned.

I wish you luck in figuring this all out.


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## LilasMom (Mar 10, 2012)

Wouldn't the protein from raw be okay since it is being diluted by all the water? Hope someone can chime in on this. Overly processed dog foods are going to be hard on his body too, Hills or Royal Canin should never be a long term solution.


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## InkedMarie (Sep 9, 2011)

I agree with PDXdogmom, work with a holistic vet.


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## hvtopiwala (Feb 26, 2013)

see the problem i have with hills or royal canin (all commercial foods for that matter) is that my guy just doesnt do well with them, he will always have soft runny stools...which is why he was on raw for such a long time, he always had solid consistent stool. i dont like the dam vet saying "u just have to deal with soft stool because there is no other food u can try", i will DEFINITELY love to give him home cooked meals as long as its not going to do more harm than good.


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## bett (Mar 15, 2012)

i have a boy with liver issues, tho different from yours, and i home cook a liver support diet, sam-e, milk thistle and chinese herbs. his levels are now normal.
much to the amazement of two vets-one an internist who told me a year ago june, that he was in liver failure.
it was due to toxic diamond food.
look into home cooking a liver support diet (i use a book by lew olsen, "raw and natural nutrition for dogs" )and with the help of a holistic vet-40% protein (usually salmon, white fish, beef boiled or turkey boiled), 40% cooked soft veggies (organic, if i can find) and 20 % organic sweet potato or carb.


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## hvtopiwala (Feb 26, 2013)

i am actually in contact with the university of Tennessee where Dr. Tobias (aparantly a liver shunt expert), is coordinating with their nutrition center to create a home cooked diet for him. hopefully that goes well.


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## Jan Fred (Jul 23, 2013)

> Wouldn't the protein from raw be okay since it is being diluted by all the water? Hope someone can chime in on this. Overly processed dog foods are going to be hard on his body too, Hills or Royal Canin should never be a long term solution.


 Good, that you have asked this. I 'm also skeptic when it regards to this concern.


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## Shamrockmommy (Sep 10, 2009)

Home-Prepared Dog & Cat Diets Poke around in the renal section and see if anything would work. Obviously you can multiply the amounts to make a larger batch.

I fed these diets for years.


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## Dr Dolittle (Aug 2, 2013)

LilasMom said:


> Wouldn't the protein from raw be okay since it is being diluted by all the water? Hope someone can chime in on this. Overly processed dog foods are going to be hard on his body too, Hills or Royal Canin should never be a long term solution.


hey LilasMom, Since we always seem to disagree I thought I would chime in to agree with your premise. A raw formula with real meat is probably much lower in total protein than a dry form. That is correct. But if we are treating renal disease there is a whole lot more than lower protein. lowering the protein is actually done to lower the nitrogen waste in the blood that causes muscle wasting and the pet to feel ill. there are things like pastas sim citrate to help buffer the acidosis common with kidney failure, not very natural but totally safe. the phosphorus number is actually more critical than total protein. Sodium is also critical since hypertension will usually always accompany renal disease as it progresses. Omega 3s have also been added to all vet renal diets since research shows it reduces the progression of renal failure. Not sure what processing is so hard on these animals since I know all 3 brands have been extremely successful in managing renal failure and allowing these animals to live for years with the condition. I don't have a favorite but they are all pretty amazing. but anyone can try something and then have the vet check the bloodwork. If the diet is working, the BUN and cream time levels will come down. If that's a homemade diet that does it, by all means stick with it! just remember, food can be very harmful to a renal dog or cat if it is not made especially for that condition. God bless!


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## Jace (Oct 3, 2012)

> But if we are treating renal disease there is a whole lot more than lower protein.


I think she is speaking about liver shunts, not CRF. Decreasing copper and increasing zinc also seems to be helpful, as zinc reduces copper absorption. Hepatic diets are designed specifically for this issue, and unless you want to do a properly formulated raw or home cooked diet, I would hesitate to recommend a non prescription food.


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