# Is Too Much Protein Harmful?



## Poodlebeguiled (May 27, 2013)

Oh woops, I think this should have been put in the food section. Feel free to move it if you wish Mod.




> Is too much protein harmful?
> 
> Old wives tales about dry dog foods high in protein causing kidney disease run rampant both on and off the internet and many people deprive their dogs of what they crave most for fear of damaging their health.
> 
> ...


The Dog Food Project - Is too much protein harmful?


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## Caddy (Nov 23, 2014)

That was very interesting, than you for sharing. I feed mostly home cooked and acana dry, recently I was told acana is too high in protein and when I prepare meals only 1/3 should be protein. I haven't changed my feeding practice, and now not sure I should even consider it.


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## MollyMuiMa (Oct 13, 2012)

I think I have always thought it was the 'kind' of protein in a food rather than the 'amount' that determined a purchase of a food for my dog ....................the analogy comparing it to grades of gas is a good one!


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## Emmadog (May 12, 2015)

So poodle beguiled What is the brand of dog food do u feed your dogs? I have been doing some research. And feel quite overwhelmed. U know a lot of information and I am curious what u recommend. A brand, type etc.?


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## Poodlebeguiled (May 27, 2013)

Emmadog said:


> So poodle beguiled What is the brand of dog food do u feed your dogs? I have been doing some research. And feel quite overwhelmed. U know a lot of information and I am curious what u recommend. A brand, type etc.?


I usually use some TOTW (taste of the wild...prairie formula) but have been known to use some other premiums in the past...Chicken Soup for the dog lover's soul, Canidae and a few others. I also feed canned presently...didn't always. I switch around with that too. I use brands like Merrick, Wellness, though I don't think that's as good as it use to be, Dave's, Hound and Gato...can't think. But those. I am not completely against grain as long as it's not in a high amount that it's replacing other more important things. There's nothing to be afraid of with corn imo. Again, as long as it's not in great abundance. There is some value to some degree of non-digestible (or harder to digest) roughage, even for dogs. So I get a mix of cans...mostly grain free where they list the percentage of the meat they put in...when possible. But sometimes there's some grain. I see no reason for all this potato in so many foods. Sweet potato, yeah...maybe. But white potatoes I don't know what good they do. Probably a filler. 

But I do think raw has it's virtues to be sure. And I'm always wanting to do it the right way. So far, all I've done is pre made raw from Natures Variety and Stella's freeze dried raw. I think I mentioned that but don't have time to go look. lol. 

I've done some research but not recently much. I do respect this Sabine, who has this website and you can learn a lot from that. Over to the left is a menu with all kinds of interesting topics. She stays on top of things I think and really knows her stuff. You can learn what ingredients to look for, what to avoid, how, if it must be processed, it _should_ be processed so as to keep as much nutrients usable as possible. And a whole lot more. You learn that it's untrue that all commercial food is bad or all raw feeding methods are good. 

Anyhow, I'm certainly no expert on this so I wouldn't take my ideas as gospel. I did learn some stuff but every time I learn something, I see what I don't know has just multiplied a whole bunch. So, it's kind of scary to learn anything when you don't have that much time... at the time to spend reading. haha.


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## Emmadog (May 12, 2015)

So switching food up is good. I thought that when u switch their food, they Possibly could have running stool. I like the thought of changing it up a bit but... I don't want to deal w the messy side. I will check out website. U know ur stuff . Thanks


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## Poodlebeguiled (May 27, 2013)

Emmadog said:


> So switching food up is good. I thought that when u switch their food, they Possibly could have running stool. I like the thought of changing it up a bit but... I don't want to deal w the messy side. I will check out website. U know ur stuff . Thanks


Oh I don't know much about this. But I figure the food they eat all has basically, approximately the same ingredients, give or take. There's nothing hugely unusual about any one of the canned foods I give them so I have no issues with my dogs getting upset tummies. But maybe some dogs would be more sensitive. They're different kinds of meat; turkey, chicken, lamb, beef, bison, duck, rabbit.... one might have some rice, one might not. I just vary them a little but _not_ in the same meal do I mix brands or a line of food in a brand... because the ratios of the stuff they put in could get out of whack. 

Anyhow, yeah...check out that site and see what you can find out. I went through it a lot back when I had my Dobe. But I haven't read that much lately until today. I am always interested in a raw diet, as I do think that makes the most sense.


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## PoodleRick (Mar 18, 2013)

Emmadog said:


> So switching food up is good. *I thought that when u switch their food, they Possibly could have running stool.* I like the thought of changing it up a bit but... I don't want to deal w the messy side. I will check out website. U know ur stuff . Thanks


It can.Just make the switch gradually. Like over a week or so.

Rick


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## N2Mischief (Dec 3, 2012)

I think it is important to point out the some health conditions are exacerbated by high protein. Misha has MVD (liver) and if she gets a food over 21% protein, no matter the protein source, she is a sick dog. 

MVD is especially prevalent in tiny dogs. Many times the dog lives a pretty normal life. For this reason it often isn't detected until the dog is 5 or 6 years old.

So if you have a tiny, be careful. Look for symptoms like diarrhea, vomiting, loss of vision, circling, head pressing. It could be the protein.


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## Tiny Poodles (Jun 20, 2013)

N2Mischief said:


> I think it is important to point out the some health conditions are exacerbated by high protein. Misha has MVD (liver) and if she gets a food over 21% protein, no matter the protein source, she is a sick dog.
> 
> MVD is especially prevalent in tiny dogs. Many times the dog lives a pretty normal life. For this reason it often isn't detected until the dog is 5 or 6 years old.
> 
> So if you have a tiny, be careful. Look for symptoms like diarrhea, vomiting, loss of vision, circling, head pressing. It could be the protein.



Yes, high protein can exacerbate a health condition, but NOT cause it!


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## Poodlebeguiled (May 27, 2013)

I had two dogs with liver disease. (my Lab in old age and my Dobe at around 3) The Dobe, Lyric had two types of liver disease...active chronic and copper storage disease. I contacted Sabine from the dog food project website, after "meeting" her on another forum and getting to "know" her...and she, as I've mentioned constructed a liver friendly diet for Lyric that helped manage his liver issues. I don't recall that it was low protein though. So, it may be dependent on what _type_ of liver problem. Maybe Misha's is a different situation. Anyhow, Lyric did quite well for about a year or so with that, then got cancer. It was home made...had trout, (that my son caught when we lived in Idaho) turkey, a little beef, tapioca, tons of vegetables...specific ones and tons of supplements plus his Rx's. When he couldn't catch trout, I'd ask Sabine if bass were all right. She said, a little bit...just not too much because it's high in manganese...I think that was the mineral...that is hard for the liver to process. So is rice. So hence the tapioca. Anyhow, his diet made him feel worlds better for quite a while.

I don't know what the recent studies show on liver disease but with kidney disease they always recommended a low protein diet. Well, the most recent research indicates that too low protein can actually make matters worse and that higher protein improved the kidney situations. Anyhow, kidneys and liver are two different things and I don't know enough about what the latest research shows on livers. 

Bottom line is though, that you see an obvious correlation with protein causing Misha to get sicker....unless there's some other factor that is going along with the protein or something. If she's doing well on the low protein, why fix what ain't broke, right?


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