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Old February 2nd, 2008, 04:22 PM
Merle Merle is offline
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Question Low Fat/High Protein Kibble?

First and foremost, meb999, thank you so much for all your hard work posting all the ingredients for so many dog foods.

I have a 6 year old Sheltie who has had a host of health problems for the past 3 years, visiting vet after vet with no definitive diagnosis. She was on prednisone for over a year which we believe may have attributed to her early onset of severe arthritis. She has had severe skin problems, mobility issues, etc.

One vet (a neuro) is suggesting I put her on a low fat/high protein food to help build muscle that might have been atrophied from prolonged steroid use. Does anyone know of a good dry food? In going through meb's list, I noticed Innova Evo, but it still seems high in fat. She is currently on Natural Balance Ultra Premium, along with Glucosamine supplements and Meticam. Because of mobility issues, she's not getting the exercise she needs to keep her weight down.

Any suggestions would be great appreciated. Many thanks.

Merle
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Old February 2nd, 2008, 04:39 PM
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mika140 mika140 is offline
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My favorite high protein low fat kibble is CORE reduced fat, made by Wellness. It's a good company and I like that the protein is high, but not through the roof. That's the only thing that makes me lean toward this over the EVO reduced fat, since the EVO reduced fat is even higher (significantly) in protein than their normal formula (52% I think).

Here's the CORE link:

http://www.omhpet.com/wellness/dog_w...n_reduced.html
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Old February 2nd, 2008, 09:00 PM
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gypsy_girl gypsy_girl is offline
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Did the vet say why lower fat? Is it because he/she wants less of the calories to come from fat? The reason I ask is because the overall kilocalories of a food would tell you how much you need to feed, and reducing the fat may/may not be the big picture, but an option.
To elaborate further the label on any pet food must equal 100%, and the thing that is generally missing there is the Carbohydrate content, so any time you are reducing anything in the Guaranteed Analysis, something else will have to increase, and in this case the carbs will increase.
Just something to think about!
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Old February 3rd, 2008, 12:18 PM
Merle Merle is offline
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Mika, thank you for that link, I'll certainly check it out.

gypsy_girl, food for thought, so to speak. The reason for the suggestion for low fat is to try to get her weight down a bit (she needs to lose about 3 lbs.). Being a little overweight is not helping her mobility issues at all. She has a great deal of trouble getting up from a seated position, and her legs aren't strong enough to support her on slippery surfaces such as tile floors. I'm sure if she lost a few pounds her struggles would lessen significantly (I hope!).

And yes, you make a valid point, one which I'm very aware of as a fitness fan myself - it's not the fat content as much as the overall calorie content. 400 calories is still 400 calories regardless of its source. So I suppose I should be looking for low calorie/high protein food.

Thanks so much for that thought.
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Old February 3rd, 2008, 01:04 PM
SnowDancer SnowDancer is offline
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My Eskimo eats Fromms Salmon A La Veg. It just so happens that I was thinking of mixing it up a bit - Fromms made until recently 4 varieties of Four Star that are supposedly inter-changeable without undue stomach distress, so we are going to try the Duck and Sweet Potato. While thinking about this I happen to check the Fromms website - they are now making a Surf and Turf - high protein, grain free - but the fat content is 19% - but the fibre is low. I don't know if this would work for your Sheltie - but I would definitely give less than the recommended amount. My Eskie sure gets less than recommended. I also live in Toronto and buy the food from my dog's groomer. You mentioned seeing a neuro - did the neuro have any food suggestions? Did you see Dr. Cochrane and did you go to Guelph? We had an appointment with Dr. Cochrane but my former mini Dachshund paralyzed all of a sudden and without the 24 hour workup period available we had to go to Guelph at midnight - wonderful neuro surgeon there.
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Old February 3rd, 2008, 01:28 PM
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rainbow rainbow is offline
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Wellness CORE reduced fat has 350 calories per cup and EVO reduced fat has 440 calories per cup.
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  #7  
Old February 4th, 2008, 06:27 PM
geisha geisha is offline
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I agree with Rainbow and the others who recommend Wellness Core Low Fat.
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Old February 4th, 2008, 11:46 PM
loopoo loopoo is offline
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i have a question actually. i read somewhere that fat in a dogs food should be minimum 10% anyone know if this is correct? just wondered as the low fat wellness core has 9%.. i think.. and i was looking at a low fat lamb version of california natural that said only 7%.. anyone know what the minimum fat requirements are.. aka for coat.. health in general etc?
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Old February 19th, 2008, 08:56 AM
Merle Merle is offline
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Thanks

Thank you so much all your input. I apologize for not responding sooner, I've had computer problems. We will be traveling for a week and don't want to change her food while she is being boarded, but I will look into both the Wellness and Fromm brands upon our return.

Snowdancer, the neuro didn't have any suggestions as far as brands go. So sorry to hear about your dachsund, but I hope he/she recovered. We were referred to the Veterinary Emergency Clinic in Toronto, which is also home to a slew of specialists. We were referred to both a dermatologist and a neurologist, as her condition includes both skin problems and muscle/mobility problems. Neither specialist can find a reason for her illnesses, so we're back to square one.

Thanks again, and I'll report back on the results of the new food when we get back.
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  #10  
Old April 9th, 2008, 10:15 AM
Merle Merle is offline
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Wellness Core

Well, we've had our Shelties on Wellness Core low fat for about a month now. Both dogs seem to enjoy it and I like the fact that the kibble is a little harder than what they were on before, so it must be better for their teeth.

I weighed both of them on March 20th, and again today, April 9th, and was a little dismayed that my female has gained a pound and my male is also up slightly. Funny, because both my husband and I were convinced our male was losing weight, because he seems to feel a little more "defined".

I'll play around with portions, but I'm always afraid of under-feeding them as well. As far as treats go, they get very few, so I don't think that's contributing much.

My plan was to switch them over to the regular Core food when the weather warms up and our walks become longer. However, I'll keep weighing them and hope to report back with more positive results.

Just wanted to update all and thank you again for all your input.
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Old April 10th, 2008, 12:47 AM
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gypsy_girl gypsy_girl is offline
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Can you clarify when you say you are worried about underfeeding? The reason I ask is that if you are underfeeding your dog will be too skinny, overfeeding and your dog will get too fat. The feeding guidelines are bags are simply guidelines, and if you dog is not loosing weight, then you need to decrease the amount you are feeding. Usually 20% is a good place to start.
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  #12  
Old April 10th, 2008, 08:03 AM
Merle Merle is offline
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Hi Gypsy Girl,

Thanks for your input. When I worry about underfeeding them, I'm more concerned that I'm depriving them of nutrients. If I'm depriving them of essential vitamins, minerals, etc., because I'm decreasing their food, then I have to watch for signs of deficiencies. So yes, I am decreasing the food amount quite gradually. But as I mentioned, now that we're able to go for longer walks, I'm hoping the calorie output will balance out the calorie input.
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