# Low Protein --- Grain Free???



## Thaelon-Collies (Feb 19, 2009)

I am searching for a low protein grain free dog food, 

I have been feeding my rough collie girl Orijen since she first arrived which was a little over two months now but in the last month she's been eating ALOT and gaining ALOT of weight. I need to switch her a.s.a.p. to another food. 
The rest of my gang, dogs and cats do wonderful on the food, but every breed is different. It's a shame because I LOVE and so do my dogs...lol love Orijen. Great food! It's really disappointing.

I don't want to feed grains/fillers/by-products to her but it seems like all the grain foods are high in proteins!
I'm looking for one more around 30% or less in proteins and somewhere around 15% fats.

Can anyone push me in the right direction please!
Thank you!
Natacha


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## midnight mojo (Oct 7, 2008)

Why not just feed her less?


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## railNtrailcowgrl (Jul 24, 2008)

I'm with Mojo here, how much is she eating, is she free fed? I know a lot of dogs that will eat everything you put in front of them. Why not just restrict her intake?


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## saintnoel (Mar 11, 2009)

A dog will only eat as much as you feed them, the solution to this is pretty obvious.


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## BoxMeIn21 (Apr 10, 2007)

I agree with the others - I wouldn't go low protein, just feed less.


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## CorgiKarma (Feb 10, 2009)

Wellness CORE has less protein and fat. The reduced fat formula has 33% protein and 9% fat. The Original and Ocean formulas have 34% protein and 14% fat.
http://www.wellnesspetfood.com/dog_wellness_grain_reduced.html


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## PureMutt (Feb 6, 2009)

Acana Pacifica has 33% Protein and 15% Fat.


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## InkedMarie (Mar 11, 2009)

I do agree with just feeding less of the Orijen...my 33lb pbgv eats a rounded 1/3 cup per meal....that being said, here are some lower protein grain free foods. BTW, I was told that if weight is an issue, that it's better to go with a 
higher fat but low carb food.

TOTW High Prairie & Wetlands: higher fat 18%, low carb, 32% protein
(The pacific stream is higher in carbs, lower in fat & protein)

Fromm Surf & Turf: 30% protein, 19% fat, low carb

Merrick Before the Grain Buffalo, Chicken and Salmon formulas: 32% protein, 15% fat, low carb

Natures Variety Instinct Duck & Turkey and Rabbit formulas: 35% protein, 22% fat, low carb

someone already told you bout the Core, which is low carb as well

Timberwolf Wild & Natural: 26% protein, 18 % fat, low carb

TOTW Pacific stream: 25% protein, 15% fat, moderate protein
Timberwolf Ocean Blue: 26% protein, 16% fat, moderate protein
Natural Balance Duck & Potato sweet potato & fish formulas: 21% protein, 10% fat, mod protein


I hope this helps!


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## HersheyPup (May 22, 2008)

Natural Balance has several grain free foods that are in the 21% protein range.
Sweet Potato and Venison; 20% P 10% F
Sweet Potato and Fish; 21% 10%
Potato and Duck; 21% 10%

Sorry I just saw that the above poster mentioned the Potatp and Duck formula. oops


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## Cheetah (May 25, 2006)

I also agree with just feeding less if she's eating a lot. Orjen and these other grain-free foods are VERY nutrient-dense, so you're supposed to feed less to make up for it. When I feed my two the Nature's Variety Instinct, they eat maybe 50% less than they would on a regular kibble. If I fed it like a regular kibble, they'd both be morbidly obese!


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## Independent George (Mar 26, 2009)

I mentioned this on other threads, but it bears repeating - when feeding your dogs, look at the metabolizeable energy, not the weight or volume of the kibble. Follow the recommended feeding instructions on the back of the package. Use one of the many online calculators for determining your dog's energy needs. Dogs are always hungry - feed what they need, not what they want.


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## Chris / Oakley (Feb 16, 2009)

Sounds like you're free-feeding your dogs... and thats one thing you can NOT do with Orijen, most dogs will eat till they burst on the higher end stuff. It's not the high protein making your dog fat, it's the large amount of calories from too much food. Each cup of Orijen is 483 calories.

See this thread to get some ideas.


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## KAroberts (Sep 22, 2010)

midnight mojo said:


> Why not just feed her less?


I agree with Mojo. You may need to just regulate how much she eats by not putting so much in front of her...


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## ricardol (Jun 7, 2010)

I am in the middle of switching my puppy from Blue Puppy to Blue wilderness grain free .. but with more protein.

Either way this thread caught my eye.

So feed less protein rich food. But how do you calculate it?

I realize that there are online calculators but how do you know when you are feeding too much protein rich food?

Does protein fill them up more with less food?

My puppy has always been hyper but I have noticed that she is a little more hyper after her meals.


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## Chris / Oakley (Feb 16, 2009)

Protein is vital for muscle, doesnt necessarily fill them up more, but i do believe it assists in them feeling full. The main thing to worry about is calorie intake. A fat puppy is hard on the forming joints. I highly recommend avoiding Orijen or anything with more then 30 to 35% protein. My dog, Oakley nearly had his kidneys shutdown, as there was too much urea for him to process (waste product from processing protein). This has been noticed in many dogs, as dogs are like us, omnivores, that benefit from a balance diet (much unlike cats, which are carnivores)

The rules I like to use are, no by-products, no preservatives, 30-35 protein, balanced ingredients, low fillers (rice, grain, etc) and no corn. Oh, and one other thing I noticed, I generally only see advertisements for food that is of lower quality, as they need to force feed the masses on just how good their food isnt. (Purina, Beneful, etc, etc, etc.)

One of my dogs eats Fromm Gold Select, the other eats Acana Large Breed. (They would both be on Acana, but Oakley gets diarrhea on it, so we had to switch to Fromm and pay a little more.)

As long as it's not Alpo, you're doing better then 50% of north america. (The power of Walmart)

Good Luck, and remember to switch foods SLOWLY, 3 days at 75% old, 25% new, if no diarrhea, 3 days at 50/50, if no diahrrhea and dog doing well, 3 days at 25% old, 75% new, and finally if the dog is still doing great, switch to 100% new food, or if you're cheap like me, 25% old, 75% new until old food is completely gone.


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## TorachiKatashi (Sep 29, 2010)

One of the biggest mistakes people seem to make when switching over to a high-quality food, is that they keep feeding their dogs the same amount that they were feeding the sub-par stuff. One of the pros of good food is that you feed less because there's more good stuff in it, and you don't need to feed them four cups of food per meal just to give them enough energy to function. But when that good stuff isn't being used, it gets stored, and your dog gets fat. The guidelines on the bag can be a helpful starting point, but from there you have to learn to get your hands on your dog, see if/how well you can feel those ribs, and judge for yourself whether your dog is the right way, or needs to gain or lose some. My 45lbs boy is only fed 1 cup of TOTW a day, and we're still working on getting him to drop some weight. If I fed him the amount recommended on the bag for his size, he'd be dead by now.


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## Kathyy (Jun 15, 2008)

The feeding guidelines are too high for most dogs. My one and only fail on kibbles was back a few years when I tried EVO. I gave him half of the guideline amount and it was still too much so he had loose stool and I gave up on it. He is now eating prey model raw and doing great but if I dried his food it would be about the same volume as the EVO and I know I would think I was starving him.

Dogs need protein and fat, not carbs. If fed kibble they need lots of water. I don't think it was the high protein that felled your dog but dehydration. BUN climbs if dog is dehydrated.


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## Chris / Oakley (Feb 16, 2009)

Kathyy said:


> Dogs need protein and fat, not carbs. If fed kibble they need lots of water. I don't think it was the high protein that felled your dog but dehydration. BUN climbs if dog is dehydrated.


Trust me, it was not dehydration... his over abundance of hydration and urination is what alerted me to the problem. He would drink so much that he had to urinate a dozen times a day. (And i'm not talking little squirts, but large puddles)

Since changing foods he has been fine, blood levels have returned to normal and his stools are consistant, versus having 1 loose stool every day.


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## Bart (Jul 15, 2010)

Orijen is already low protein grain free. It has potatoes. Potatoes are the starchy carbs that kibble makers substitute for rice or corn so they can say their kibble is "grain free." A carnivore's diet should not have those starches and carbs and would replace those calories with more protein and fat.

For this dog, I would say it needs more exercise.


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## Spiv13 (Aug 24, 2012)

Getting a 12 week old bernese Mountain dog and low protein (less than 26%) suggested to promote slowm stable growth


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