# Low Protein Grain Free dog food?



## animalfriendz (Oct 15, 2011)

My 7 yr old cocker spaniel is having surgery to remove a bladder stone that is too big to dissolve naturally. The vet want's me to change her diet to Royal Canin S.O., but everything I'm reading says she needs to be on a grain-free low protein diet for prevention. I read the ingredients on the Royal Canin & it's chock full of wheat, wheat gluten & corn. When I try searching the web for grain free low protein diets I get so many results on just grain free or low-protein and I am overwhelmed. Figured I'd post here to see if someone can help me. She was previously eating Solid Gold's Holistique Blendz, which is low-protein, but it does have grains (not wheat tho). The grain-free food that Solid Gold offers is high-protein (30%, vs the 18% she's been eating) HELP?!


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## StellaLucyDesi (Jun 19, 2008)

First off, I'm not a vet, so what I'm telling you is just information about food and not a diagnosis. Natural Balance has some lower protein, grain free foods. So does a food called NOW! made by Petcurean. When one of my dogs had some kidney issues, I used a food called Canine Caviar Special Needs. It's not grainfree, but it has a very low phosphorus percentage for commercial food. I also added canned food for moisture. Some Wellness Stews and Canidae Platinum and Blue Buffalo Family Favorites all worked pretty well for my girl to top her kibble with. None of them are grain free, though.


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## eviestevie (Jun 8, 2011)

i like to keep my dogs on a grain free diet. i also have an older dog who wouldn't do well on anything high in protein. a lot of the foods i found that are grain free have protein percentages in the high 30's and sometimes 40's. a couple of good foods that i found that have protein percentages in the 20's are Natural Balance's "Alpha" line and Taste of the Wild's fish formula {i think it's called rivers and streams?}.


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## Miss Bugs (Jul 4, 2011)

I dont know if yopu have First mate there, but their pacific ocean fish formula is grain free and 21% protien.


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## sassafras (Jun 22, 2010)

What kind of stone is it?


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## flipgirl (Oct 5, 2007)

Depending on the type of stone it was, there are other nutrients to consider. Calcium, magnesium, phosphorus and to some extent protein play a role. Also, the ph of the urine is important. Based on the type of stone, the ph should either be more alkaline or more acidic. Water is most essential so giving canned food and adding water to the food will increase water intake. You want the urine to be less concentrated. Exercise also plays a role in preventing crystals and stones. Sometimes an infection accompanies crystals (more likely with struvite crystals) which causes the crystals joystick together and form stones. It also causes the crystals to stick to the bladder wall and cause irritation of the bladder wall.


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## animalfriendz (Oct 15, 2011)

The results came back and it was a Calcium Oxalate stone. Biggest the vet has ever seen, so I'm guessing she's had it for many years. I've only had her for 2 years. Her previous owners took her in to the vet to have her put down bause she was overweight and having behavioral issues (she was extremely overweight at 51lbs). I ended up fostering her and putting her on a diet, rehoming her, but then that home ended up in divorce so she came back to me... and well, here she stays! she does have some seperation anxiety issues, but nothing that can't be handled. anyway, her surgery went well. i bought a bag of the royal canin SO and have been feeding her it. i finally got a day off from work and am able to sit at the computer and do some research. I definitely do not want to keep her on the royal canin SO, which is full of corn and wheat. I can just feel the ear infections coming on!


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## theyogachick (Aug 2, 2009)

Gracie has struvite crystals...and we had the same issue that the vet wanted us on Royal Canin forever and I couldn't do it, so I went to a new vet for another opinion. My holistic vet has her on 1000 mg of vitamin C a day (to help keep the urine acidic) and she is on Taste of the Wild Sierra Mountain. It is grain free and has 25% protein.

I don't have any experience with Calcium Oxalate stones...I am fairly certain that those are the opposite of what Gracie had (she had triple phosphate ones), so your treatment will be different...so don't do anything until you talk to a vet.

I did find this website that gives some tips: http://www.macatawa.org/~wilcox_k/custom.html

Just remember that none of us are vets and we can't really give you medical advice--we can only tell you what has worked in our situations.


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## Kathyy (Jun 15, 2008)

Read this article. Script foods don't make any attempt to reduce the amount of oxalate in the kibble and that is the second step to avoiding those nasty calcium oxalate stones. First, good hydration!
http://www.dogaware.com/articles/wdjcalciumoxalates.html

Leslie Bean is getting her feeding system published, not sure when it is coming out. She is a moderator on K9KidneyDiet, a yahoo group if you want any input from her on how to develop a diet that helps with oxalate issues.

Monica Segal has a couple of diets in her book, Optimal Nutrition, as well. That book has the latest NRC levels listed which is a huge plus if you think it best to balance a diet to the levels needed in kibble. Many fresh food feeders don't think it necessary to worry about that if the diet is varied enough.


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