# Lower protein/fat dog foods



## mom2bijou (Oct 19, 2006)

So I've been giving B&E Dr. H's Canine Health since around February. I've rotated w/Veg to Bowl but for the most part they like the Canine mix better. On the days I don't have Dr. H made up I would give them Acana Grasslands. All servings are 1/5 to 1/4 cup per meal. 

Problem is....I think they are getting a lil chunky. I haven't weighed them lately but they feel heavier. Also, Emma still battles her ear itching. 
So....I think it might be time to change foods. I was looking into Fromm's. And so far looks like a good choice. 

Does anyone have some suggestions for lower protein/lower fat foods? And perhaps one that could help w/Emma's itching. Her vet suggested Hill's food, but I refuse to feed it. 

I've tried scaling back on their feedings to about 1/5 cup but that hasn't seem to help either. I think the higher protein/fat is the problem. 

Suggestions??


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## aprilb (Jul 9, 2010)

Foods are so confusing. I don't know exactly what amount of protein/fat you are looking for. Are you still wanting to use a mix? Wellness makes several lower protein and lower fat foods and they do have canned. I am feeding Wellness Core grain free reduced fat. (33/9) It may not be what you are looking for. There are probably several other brands that would work. My girls started getting fat and my vet wanted them to have more protein and less fat/carbs. Maybe you should check with your vet in regards to the best amount of protein and fats for your babies. :Good luck:Fromms is a good food. That's what mine were eating when I got them but I can't get it here. My vet also told me that the grains can make them itchy.


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## Johita (Jul 10, 2009)

We recently switched back to Fromm Salmon a la Veg too. I was trying out Orijen 6 fish with Aolani but I think it was too much protein for him too and I believe he was tearing more from it. Now he's a lot better. I also give him DH Veg-to-bowl every now and then to switch it up a bit.


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## mom2bijou (Oct 19, 2006)

aprilb said:


> Foods are so confusing. I don't know exactly what amount of protein/fat you are looking for. Are you still wanting to use a mix? Wellness makes several lower protein and lower fat foods and they do have canned. I am feeding Wellness Core grain free reduced fat. (33/9) It may not be what you are looking for. There are probably several other brands that would work. My girls started getting fat and my vet wanted them to have more protein and less fat/carbs. Maybe you should check with your vet in regards to the best amount of protein and fats for your babies. :Good luck:Fromms is a good food. That's what mine were eating when I got them but I can't get it here.


 Thanks April. Suzan just brought this point up to me too...maybe it's the carbs and not the protein/fat. Ugh....I hate trying to figure this out. Have you noticed a change since switching to Wellness core?


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## aprilb (Jul 9, 2010)

mom2bijou said:


> Thanks April. Suzan just brought this point up to me too...maybe it's the carbs and not the protein/fat. Ugh....I hate trying to figure this out. Have you noticed a change since switching to Wellness core?


 They have only been on it for about 2 weeks, I would like to give it more time. There are 350 calories in a cup, if that's any help. They seem to be doing fine. They love the food. I soak the kibble before feeding it. My vet says if a food is too high in carbs, it might bring on diabetes. Live and learn...:thumbsup:


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## mom2bijou (Oct 19, 2006)

Johita said:


> We recently switched back to Fromm Salmon a la Veg too. I was trying out Orijen 6 fish with Aolani but I think it was too much protein for him too and I believe he was tearing more from it. Now he's a lot better. I also give him DH Veg-to-bowl every now and then to switch it up a bit.


 Oh very interesting Edith! Is the Fromms a pre mix or a kibble?


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## Johita (Jul 10, 2009)

mom2bijou said:


> Oh very interesting Edith! Is the Fromms a pre mix or a kibble?


The Salmon a la Veg is a kibble. You should become their fan on FB so that you can get the coupon for a free bag on Friday 11/26/10.


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## mom2bijou (Oct 19, 2006)

Johita said:


> The Salmon a la Veg is a kibble. You should become their fan on FB so that you can get the coupon for a free bag on Friday 11/26/10.


 I became a fan! Thank you! Who doesn't love free stuff LOL!?


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## princessre (Dec 23, 2008)

I'm not well-versed with too many kibbles. But if you are open to cooking a little and grinding your kibble, you could always use the same kibble and mix in some cooked green beans and veggies and a little calcium (you would only need to grind it if they don't like the veggies so that they can't be picked out). If you have a canned food you like, you could always mix in water and/or veggies.


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## pammy4501 (Aug 8, 2007)

Tammy, I was feeding Dr. Harveys and Acana Grassland sometimes too. All of mine were doing OK. But I decided to give this a try, Only Natural Pet EasyRaw Grain-Free Dehydrated Dog Food and I (and the dogs) are crazy about it. It is a little lower in protien than most of the high end kibbles. The really miraclous part is that my Lola, as you probably know has had mutiple health problems. I'm not going to tell you that this food has cured her, but, she was up to 12 (!!) pounds after months on prednisone. But on this food she has dropped to 9lbs.!!!! She is really perky and seems happy. She is excited for her meals. Her last liver enzymes were almost totally normal. I don't know if this is what you are looking for, but we are totally happy with it.


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## mom2bijou (Oct 19, 2006)

princessre said:


> I'm not well-versed with too many kibbles. But if you are open to cooking a little and grinding your kibble, you could always use the same kibble and mix in some cooked green beans and veggies and a little calcium (you would only need to grind it if they don't like the veggies so that they can't be picked out). If you have a canned food you like, you could always mix in water and/or veggies.


 Thanks Sophia. This is similar to what I do now w/their kibble. I always add some organic veggies to make the kibble more appetizing. They eat more of Dr. H than Acana. But I like to always have a pre-mix and a kibble to switch with. Although my combo seems to be adding the pounds. 



pammy4501 said:


> Tammy, I was feeding Dr. Harveys and Acana Grassland sometimes too. All of mine were doing OK. But I decided to give this a try, Only Natural Pet EasyRaw Grain-Free Dehydrated Dog Food and I (and the dogs) are crazy about it. It is a little lower in protien than most of the high end kibbles. The really miraclous part is that my Lola, as you probably know has had mutiple health problems. I'm not going to tell you that this food has cured her, but, she was up to 12 (!!) pounds after months on prednisone. But on this food she has dropped to 9lbs.!!!! She is really perky and seems happy. She is excited for her meals. Her last liver enzymes were almost totally normal. I don't know if this is what you are looking for, but we are totally happy with it.


 We pretty much were doing the same thing Pam. This one looks like a good pre-mix. Is it raw? Or is just a pre mix w/dehydrated meat in it? So far I like this one you suggested and Grandma Lucy's Artisan. Not sure which Artisan is the one to use though. The one you suggested and Grandma Lucys seem very similar. 

I think maybe I was adding too much protein when I made my batches of Dr. H. So a pre-mix w/dehydrated meat already in it may be helpful. And then if need be have the Fromms to switch with as a kibble. 

Glad to hear Lola thrived on this food and that she is doing better!


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## Bailey&Me (Mar 8, 2010)

Johita said:


> The Salmon a la Veg is a kibble. You should become their fan on FB so that you can get the coupon for a free bag on Friday 11/26/10.


Oh!!! Would you mind posting the link for their FB page? I tried to search but couldnt find it for some reason. :blush:


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## mom2bijou (Oct 19, 2006)

Bailey&Me said:


> Oh!!! Would you mind posting the link for their FB page? I tried to search but couldnt find it for some reason. :blush:


oops it posted the link to my FB page. 

search Fromm Family and it should come up


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## Nikki's Mom (Feb 13, 2008)

Party Animal Organic makes a moderate protein/fat, organic canned food, and most of the varieties are grain-free. I've personally spoken to the owner and he is very kind and helpful. If you asked, he'd probably send you a free can. (I don't know anything about their kibble, but it has grains.) Hope this helps. 

Party Animal Gourmet Organic Pet Food


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## pammy4501 (Aug 8, 2007)

mom2bijou said:


> We pretty much were doing the same thing Pam. This one looks like a good pre-mix. Is it raw? Or is just a pre mix w/dehydrated meat in it? So far I like this one you suggested and Grandma Lucy's Artisan. Not sure which Artisan is the one to use though. The one you suggested and Grandma Lucys seem very similar.
> 
> I think maybe I was adding too much protein when I made my batches of Dr. H. So a pre-mix w/dehydrated meat already in it may be helpful. And then if need be have the Fromms to switch with as a kibble.
> 
> Glad to hear Lola thrived on this food and that she is doing better!


This is a dehydrated raw diet with the meat already mixed in. I too always felt like I wasn't doing the Dr. H's the right way with adding the oil and the protein. This is so easy. It is similar to the Artisan. It comes in beef and turkey. I think the artisan has more protein choices. but I haven't been able to locate it in my area. And I don't know about you, but I hate to have to ship food. I am never that organized. I need to be able to run out and pick it up at the last minute. LOL!


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## jpupart (Jul 19, 2010)

Tammy,
my dogs are all on Fromm's Surf and Turf and have been for several years. After I got Candy I switched her to it as well. It is the only grain free Fromms kibble and the kibble is VERY tiny which they really like. It is slightly higher in protein than the other Fromm's but not much more. Occasionally I try to change kibbles, but they refuse to eat anything else-so back to Fromm's I go. they also don't like the other Fromms as well as this one,either. I do sometimes add a teaspoon of Tiki Chicken to the kibble, or Wellness lamb.


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## mom2bijou (Oct 19, 2006)

Nikki's Mom said:


> Party Animal Organic makes a moderate protein/fat, organic canned food, and most of the varieties are grain-free. I've personally spoken to the owner and he is very kind and helpful. If you asked, he'd probably send you a free can. (I don't know anything about their kibble, but it has grains.) Hope this helps.
> 
> Party Animal Gourmet Organic Pet Food


 Great info Suzan! I'm gonna research more into this one. Thank you! You always have great info!


pammy4501 said:


> This is a dehydrated raw diet with the meat already mixed in. I too always felt like I wasn't doing the Dr. H's the right way with adding the oil and the protein. This is so easy. It is similar to the Artisan. It comes in beef and turkey. I think the artisan has more protein choices. but I haven't been able to locate it in my area. And I don't know about you, but I hate to have to ship food. I am never that organized. I need to be able to run out and pick it up at the last minute. LOL!


 Pam...was it hard transitioning to raw? Yes I hate having food shipped too. I'll order Acana on Petfooddirect but I hate paying shipping. 


jpupart said:


> Tammy,
> my dogs are all on Fromm's Surf and Turf and have been for several years. After I got Candy I switched her to it as well. It is the only grain free Fromms kibble and the kibble is VERY tiny which they really like. It is slightly higher in protein than the other Fromm's but not much more. Occasionally I try to change kibbles, but they refuse to eat anything else-so back to Fromm's I go. they also don't like the other Fromms as well as this one,either. I do sometimes add a teaspoon of Tiki Chicken to the kibble, or Wellness lamb.


 Thank you Jocelyn. I was looking today at this one and comparing the levels to the Fromms duck. How much do you feed at each meal?


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## Nikki's Mom (Feb 13, 2008)

Tammy, If you like to use your own protein, you might want to consider Dr Harvey's Veg to Bowl. When I use it, I don't use his recommended amount of protein (4oz per day) but cut it to 3oz per day. It seems to work out okay for Nikki and Keiko. 

Also, my friend has been feeding her Malt Weruva canned food and he is thriving on it. IMO, it appears to be a good-quality canned food. They have several protein varieties, and some contain grains, while others are grain-free.


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## The A Team (Dec 1, 2005)

Tammy thanks for bring this up, I am loving this thread so far!!! My dogs LOVE the Dr. Harveys but Archie is getting too heavy!!! He's gained three pounds in the past two or three years and that's a lot!!! ....and bad for a pup with bad legs to boot. 

Darn, I'm leaving town soon and won't be able to do anything till I get back but I definitely will be looking into some of these suggestions.

A few months back I gathered all these sample foods, can I just feed it to them without upsetting their tummies??? I've been afraid to try them so far.


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## CrystalAndZoe (Jul 11, 2006)

jpupart said:


> Tammy,
> my dogs are all on Fromm's Surf and Turf and have been for several years. After I got Candy I switched her to it as well. It is the only grain free Fromms kibble and the kibble is VERY tiny which they really like. It is slightly higher in protein than the other Fromm's but not much more. Occasionally I try to change kibbles, but they refuse to eat anything else-so back to Fromm's I go. they also don't like the other Fromms as well as this one,either. I do sometimes add a teaspoon of Tiki Chicken to the kibble, or Wellness lamb.


I carry the line of Fromm's at my store and their Beef Fritatta is also Grain Free. They have some grain free lines of canned food as well. :thumbsup:


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## jpupart (Jul 19, 2010)

mom2bijou said:


> Great info Suzan! I'm gonna research more into this one. Thank you! You always have great info!
> 
> Pam...was it hard transitioning to raw? Yes I hate having food shipped too. I'll order Acana on Petfooddirect but I hate paying shipping.
> 
> Thank you Jocelyn. I was looking today at this one and comparing the levels to the Fromms duck. How much do you feed at each meal?


Tammy,
Mindy gets a heaping 1/4 cup twice a day-she weighs around 15 pounds. Cocotini gets slightly less than 1/4 cup twice a day and many times doesn't quite finish her food. She weighs 8.6 pounds. Candy gets 1/8 cup 3 times a day and more if she wants it which she usually doesn't. I think she's around 3 pounds now and almost 6 months old.


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## CrystalAndZoe (Jul 11, 2006)

I find it so interesting that several of you have had trouble with your fluffs gaining weight on Dr. H's Canine Health. My Zoe lost weight when I transitioned her to the Dr. H's (and she needed to!) and then was able to maintain beautifully for almost 3 years. When I switched over to G'ma Lucy's Artisan, they all dropped weight...and none of them need to. So now I'm working to get weight back on them.

The only difference that I can tell is that mine ate only the Dr. H's. I never added kibble into their diet. I used the full amount of protein Dr. H recommended for the Canine Health. However with the Veg-to-Bowl, I felt it was too much protein and cut it back.


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## jpupart (Jul 19, 2010)

Crystal&Zoe said:


> I carry the line of Fromm's at my store and their Beef Fritatta is also Grain Free. They have some grain free lines of canned food as well. :thumbsup:


Crystal, I forgot about the beef frittata- it's fairly new,isn't it? My specialty dog food store did tell me about it although they haven't brought it in. Mindy has a slight intolerance to beef so I usually avoid foods with it. I've never tried any of their canned foods, but I would imagine they are good,too. My dogs love,love, love, Tiki canned food. Their favorite is the chicken in the chicken consomme-huge shredded pieces of chicken in it. My husband has actually tasted it and says it is really good!!


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## The A Team (Dec 1, 2005)

jpupart said:


> Crystal, I forgot about the beef frittata- it's fairly new,isn't it? My specialty dog food store did tell me about it although they haven't brought it in. Mindy has a slight intolerance to beef so I usually avoid foods with it. I've never tried any of their canned foods, but I would imagine they are good,too. My dogs love,love, love, Tiki canned food. Their favorite is the chicken in the chicken consomme-huge shredded pieces of chicken in it. My husband has actually tasted it and says it is really good!!


My dogs LOVE the Tiki canned food too!!! It's human grade and even looks delicious!! But it's so expensive and I can't find it around here.


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## wooflife (Aug 8, 2007)

Tammy, 

Suzan had a good point. Carbs typically contribute to weight gain. Going with a moderate protein low carb food might me something to consider. 

I am currently using the Honest Kitchen Preference which is fairly low carb and I use the recipe with 50/50 mix to protein ratio (moderate protein). I did this at the same time I started using coconut oil. My three are all in the perfect weight range and Izzy's tearstains cleared up and went away. I actually had to start feeding more when they started coming to the store with me and got a bit more active. 

I have had very good luck with the Honest Kitchen Preference. I have also put a Fat little Chihuahua on this diet and he went from 13 to 9lbs in a few months.

Note: None of my kids are asymptomatic MVD. Izzy had high ALT levels but I give her milk thistle and she is back down in the normal range. Except for that they have normal blood values and are healthy.


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## Bailey&Me (Mar 8, 2010)

mom2bijou said:


> oops it posted the link to my FB page.
> 
> search Fromm Family and it should come up


Thanks, Tammy! I was actually able to find it after I asked you for the link. My mind was completely fried yesterday at work and I don't know what I was thinking but I was typing in "Addiction Foods" instead of Fromm :smilie_tischkante: :smilie_tischkante: Excited about using the coupon tomorrow!


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## CrystalAndZoe (Jul 11, 2006)

wooflife said:


> Tammy,
> 
> Suzan had a good point. Carbs typically contribute to weight gain. Going with a moderate protein low carb food might me something to consider.
> 
> ...


Leslie, I don't remember you ever doing BAT's on your 3. You can have normal ALT & AST #'s but still have a high BAT. That's when you do further testing like with a Protein C test to see if there is a liver shunt or MVD. If there is no shunt and are no symptoms, then they are asymptomatic MVD.

Carbs maybe a contributing factor however my Zoe, when needing to lose weight lost weight on Dr. H's Canine Health. I really wonder if it is the mixing of kibble that some are doing with the Canine Health that is leading to weight gain. Also mine are dropping weight on G'ma Lucy's which has starchy carbs...just no grains. So maybe we need to differentiate between carbs and grains?

I do feel that even the good grains, like in Canine Health may lead to more staining in _*some*_ dogs. Like I said earlier, Zoe really doesn't stain no matter what she's eating, (except when G'pa is giving her some of his own food that is full of artificial colors....grrrrr...but we've got that under control again lol) but I noticed an improvement in both Callie and Jett with staining when switching over to G'ma Lucy's which is grain free but has good carbs but no grains.


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## mom2bijou (Oct 19, 2006)

I haven't forgotten about this thread. I had such a busy weekend that I wasn't able to get back on SM. I appreciate all the feedback and will reply to each post in a little bit. Just dropped on here really quick.


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