# Vet says lower protein food for puppy.



## momof3 (Nov 24, 2007)

I took our 10wk old pup in because his system was a wreck from deworming and then getting some cat food to eat. The vet said do pumpkin and boiled chicken/rice for a couple of days. He also said that I should look for a food that has less protein in it than TOTW. I was looking at the dog foods and everything seems to be pretty high in protein the premium brands. Can anyone suggest a good food that is lower in protein and is low on grains?


----------



## mom24doggies (Mar 25, 2011)

momof3 said:


> I took our 10wk old pup in because his system was a wreck from deworming and then getting some cat food to eat. The vet said do pumpkin and boiled chicken/rice for a couple of days. He also said that I should look for a food that has less protein in it than TOTW. I was looking at the dog foods and everything seems to be pretty high in protein the premium brands. Can anyone suggest a good food that is lower in protein and is low on grains?


 TOTW is one of the lowest protein-yet-still-grainless foods out there...I'm not sure if you are going to find anything with both low grain AND low protein. BUT, I could be completely wrong about that.  Blue Buffalo is my favorite of all the foods with grain...I feel like it's not too high in grain, has enough protein, AND I like the little antioxidant/vitamin/mineral bits in it. When my Lhasa was on it, his tear stains were nonexistent (his face was crystal clear white, I kid you not! I'm pretty sure it was the antioxidants...the food he is on now is almost the same ingredient-wise besides the antioxidants, and yet he has tear stains.) and his coat was gorgeous, as were all my other dogs' coats. The only reason I switched from BB to TOTW was that I felt like grainless would be better. I have to say that the muscle tone on my dogs has been amazing ever since the switch. I'm not sure if BB is what you are looking for, but IMO it's a very good food.


----------



## momof3 (Nov 24, 2007)

The vet didn't say I should feed grain free,I may give BB a try. This is a little hairless Chinese Crested so to me it would seem he would burn off the calories keeping warm but maybe I'm wrong. The vet says he feels the protein being so high is not helping his loose stools.


----------



## Willowy (Dec 10, 2007)

The lamb (Sierra Mountain) and fish (Pacific Stream) formulas of TOTW are lower in protein than the other 2 formulas. So if you want to stick with TOTW that could be an option. Did the vet give you any guidelines on what protein level to look for, or did he just say "lower"?


----------



## flipgirl (Oct 5, 2007)

Wellness Core is grain-free and lower in protein than most grain-free dog foods. If you don't care whether it's grain free, you could try Wellness' Super 5 Mix puppy food. I don't think it's super high in protein. However, you don't want to go too low or choose a food with too many grains. Many foods will have more grains (watch for ingredient-splitting) because they are cheaper but they do not provide as high quality protein as meat does (i.e. all the necessary amino acids your dog needs). You don't have to feed grain-free but make sure a specified meat and/or a specified meat meal (e.g. chicken meal, turkey meal etc.) comprise the first three ingredients at least. 

Canidae also offers grain-free and with-grain formulas and they are not super high in protein. My friend feeds it to her dog and has had great results.


----------



## momof3 (Nov 24, 2007)

Nothing over 30% he said standard puppy food protein would be best. If I look at some of the cheaper food they seem to say they are around 25-27%. I do not want give to many grains. I have read on several Crested sites that foods with soy in them sometimes can cause reactions in this breed so I was looking for something with no soy and no corn if I can stay away.


----------



## mom24doggies (Mar 25, 2011)

momof3 said:


> Nothing over 30% he said standard puppy food protein would be best. If I look at some of the cheaper food they seem to say they are around 25-27%. I do not want give to many grains. I have read on several Crested sites that foods with soy in them sometimes can cause reactions in this breed so I was looking for something with no soy and no corn if I can stay away.


 The only TOTW formula with over 30% is the High Prairie...and TOTW has puppy formulas now too. Here's a list of their products and you can take a look at the protein levels: http://www.tasteofthewildpetfood.com/products/


----------



## Jacksons Mom (Mar 12, 2010)

I always thought puppies needed MORE protein. It could be something in the food bothering him more so than just protein numbers.

For example, two dog foods can both have 30% protein, but one can be full of corn, soy, wheat, and the other can have four meat ingredients and sweet potatoes. So it's really hard to say "oh his stomach gets upset on more than 30% protein" unless EVERY 30+ food affected him the same way.

With that said, if you don't care about grain free, Fromm is a VERY nice food all with moderate protein and fat, but adequate meat and a really great company and good ingredients. They do have 2 grainfrees (I think around 30% protein) and two new ones coming out next month.

Also, I believe Now! and Go! (made by Petceruan foods) all would have formulas you are looking for.


----------



## hamandeggs (Aug 11, 2011)

I agree, the protein might not be the problem and the food might not even be the problem at all. Biscuit had frequent loose-ish stools until we started giving her Claritin (for other allergies) and a spoonful of yogurt every day, the food seems to have made no difference whatsoever. Have you tried a probiotic like (fat-free plain) yogurt? Worms and deworming can do a number on the intestinal flora.


----------



## karrot (Dec 20, 2011)

http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/
this website has a pretty detailed analysis on the ingredient content of many brands! I believe it has the percentages of Protein, Fat, and Carbs.
use this as a tool if you're looking to switch dog foods.


----------



## momof3 (Nov 24, 2007)

So I haven't switched foods yet. I also thought that maybe I should wait due to the deworming and the cat food. His poo is still very mushy so today I am going to go get somethign else to try. He is small so the food will last me even a small bag so I can try pretty much any brand. I didn't even think about the yogurt. I will grab some.


----------



## agility collie mom (Jan 26, 2008)

Thinking that your vet is concerned with this.....http://scvim.com/memberpics/75396Pancreatitis.pdf hence the lower protein.


----------



## Little Wise Owl (Nov 12, 2011)

Maybe try giving probiotics with her food? Protein really shouldn't be the issue... Maybe try feeding less?


----------

