# Novel Protein Dog Foods



## NutroGeoff (May 15, 2013)

I spoke with a vet in one of my stores today who mentioned to me that she was not a fan of having foods out there that use novel proteins such as duck or rabbit for dogs that don't have any sensitivities or allergies. She was saying that the fact that there are more foods out there that use these novel proteins that it could cause issues with dogs that do have these allergies because they might have already been fed this food and it could make it to where these foods wont work for the allergy issue dogs. It seems to me like that could be an issue. Would you agree with that or do you think it wont be as big of an issue?


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## ChicagoDog (Jul 18, 2013)

Yes, I think that can be an issue. I would always try my dog on chicken, lamb, etc. before trying some novel food. Plus I would think those kinds of kibble would be more expensive. About the most novel/exotic food I've seen was kangaroo.


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## bett (Mar 15, 2012)

I honestly am not following what you are saying.


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## Celt (Dec 27, 2010)

I'm kind of perplexed on this really. If you think a dog is allegric to X then you just have to cut that out of the diet to "test" for it, so why change the whole diet and I don't think it's possible for a dog to be allergic to "every" meat out there. Ime, there are 2 kinds of allergies: the "born with it" or developed due to "overexposure" kinds. if your pup was "born with it" then you've already (hopefully) have deleted it from the menu and I doubt most pups would get fed exclusively (or even majority) a novel protein due to cost. Of course, if your pup is fed a novel protein and develops a food allergy then I guess you would just use "regular" protein. hope this made sense


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## NutroGeoff (May 15, 2013)

I agree, my first recommendation is a chicken or a lamb formula first for dogs. If they have sensitivities I recommend those two first then a venison or fish formula after that. She was saying, though, that if there are more novel protein foods out there, more people will buy these foods, even if they don't need them, and they will have less options if these dogs develop intolerances to the foods. I will continue to recommend chicken and lamb first but I know that there will always be those who want to give their dogs a variety and will buy foods with duck or rabbit in there.


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## InkedMarie (Sep 9, 2011)

I've heard this but I don't see duck as a novel protein. Kangaroo, ostrich yep but duck?


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## NutroGeoff (May 15, 2013)

Well I would say that the duck is not as novel as the kangaroo and things like that but as far as kibble food goes there are only a couple of foods sold in Petsmarts or Petcos that do have the duck in them.


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## dog (Feb 23, 2013)

I think Celt is thinking the same thing as I am. By definition a "novel protein" means a new or unfamiliar protein. So, if you feed you pup kangaroo from day one it is not a novel protein. If said pup develops an allergy kangaoo and has never consumed chicken, then chicken is a novel protein to that dog. 

You can feed your dog whatever you want. Many people believe it is a good idea to reserve a few protein sources as "novel proteins" so you have those novel/new options to turn to down the road. Usually people choose to feed cheaper protein sources and leave the most expensive protein source as novel. 

Personally, I believe that most allergies are actually sensitivities from overexposure to the same protein source. I prefer to feed my dogs a large variety of proteins sources. I feed Orijen on most weekdays. I rotate from the Adult, Six Fish, and Regional Red formulas. On the weekends, I feed a different raw protein source every weekend. Usually one of these: beef, bison, duck, goose, goat, lamb, rabbit, and deer. 

I'd be hard pressed to find a novel protein for my dogs, but if I run into trouble I can always perform a sensitivity test on my dogs from Nutriscan - Dog Food Sensitivity Kit and just stop feeding the offending protein.


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## Dr Dolittle (Aug 2, 2013)

NutroGeoff, Your vet is right. The very first novel ingredient diet came out back in the early 70s by Hills. It was Egg and Rice and than later Lamb and Rice. Very few dogs were exposed to lamb as a protein or rice as a carb. Worked great! Today, over 25% of foods are lamb and rice, so a hypersensitive dog has probably been exposed so would need something else like duck or venison. So the choices are getting smaller. Most vets now use hydrolyzed protein diets form Hills, Purina, or Royal Canin. The protein molecule is broken down, much like baby formula, so the immune system doesn't know it's there and doesn't respond. A great diagnostic tool to be sure it's a food allergy, clear up ears, skin GI, etc, then try another diet to see what happens. unfortunately, as someone mentioned, a dog can develop a new reaction to the new protein source over time. That doesn't happen with hydrolyzed proteins. Hope you're not suffering with a hypersensitive pet. It can be pretty frustrating!


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## bett (Mar 15, 2012)

Dr Dolittle said:


> NutroGeoff, Your vet is right. The very first novel ingredient diet came out back in the early 70s by Hills. It was Egg and Rice and than later Lamb and Rice. Very few dogs were exposed to lamb as a protein or rice as a carb. Worked great! Today, over 25% of foods are lamb and rice, so a hypersensitive dog has probably been exposed so would need something else like duck or venison. So the choices are getting smaller. Most vets now use hydrolyzed protein diets form Hills, Purina, or Royal Canin. The protein molecule is broken down, much like baby formula, so the immune system doesn't know it's there and doesn't respond. A great diagnostic tool to be sure it's a food allergy, clear up ears, skin GI, etc, then try another diet to see what happens. unfortunately, as someone mentioned, a dog can develop a new reaction to the new protein source over time. That doesn't happen with hydrolyzed proteins. Hope you're not suffering with a hypersensitive pet. It can be pretty frustrating!


honestly, hills?
if you read the labels of some of the hills special foods-there is no or very little protein.
and most vets i know , admit knowing little about dog food.very little.


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## Dr Dolittle (Aug 2, 2013)

I wasn't promoting Hills. just stating a fact that they made the first novel ingredient diet and those ingredients aren't novel anymore. here are many novel ingredient diets out there but any dog that is hypersensitive may develop an allergy to the new protein over time. If you ever find a diet deficient in protein, let me know! We can sue them and I won't have to work anymore! the does a lousy job of regulating pet food but they do protect us from nutrient deficiencies. even the vet diets that are low in protein in comparison have to be high enough for normal dogs, just lower than what's commonly fed. we American pet owners have been fooled into thinking our dogs need so much protein. And since the protein is usually the allergen in these dogs, offering just what they need and no more is a good idea, good for the kidneys too.


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## Kikki (Jul 27, 2013)

dog said:


> I think Celt is thinking the same thing as I am. By definition a "novel protein" means a new or unfamiliar protein. So, if you feed you pup kangaroo from day one it is not a novel protein. If said pup develops an allergy kangaoo and has never consumed chicken, then chicken is a novel protein to that dog.
> 
> You can feed your dog whatever you want. Many people believe it is a good idea to reserve a few protein sources as "novel proteins" so you have those novel/new options to turn to down the road. Usually people choose to feed cheaper protein sources and leave the most expensive protein source as novel.


I agree too! Been thinking about "saving" a protein or 2 in case anything ever happens but I think doing a allergy test should be efficient enough to find out what exactly it is the dog can't eat.


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