# More Confused Now Than Ever...



## Caniche (Jun 10, 2013)

Okay, so I've decided to stick with a kibble for Cash (5 lb puppy tpoo, 18 weeks old) but I'm thinking of mixing in some freeze dried raw to try it for him and my picky boy, Ryker (7 lb, nearly 3 year old tpoo)

I want either a small breed or puppy sized kibble because Cash has a small mouth. I think I'll switch to Acana when I have to buy an adult bag for Ryker, but I can't get the small breed puppy Acana in the US.

So I was looking at Now Fresh (4 stars) and Evo Small Bites (5 stars) as well as Wellness (4 stars). I definitely want to move to a grain free diet.

Now Fresh is where I was headed - the only reason it is 4 stars is because it uses canola oil and it has less protein. But do I want a high protein food for a tpoo puppy who doesn't compete and isn't extremely active? I've heard too much protein can cause health issues.

So what's a good percentage of protein for tpoos who are companion dogs?

And does anyone have any recommendations for freeze-dried non-gross raw? 


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## CharismaticMillie (Jun 16, 2010)

I don't think a healthy dog will have health issues from high protein. Just my two cents! Just going by brand reputation and sourcing of ingredients, I'd go with now fresh.


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## Tiny Poodles (Jun 20, 2013)

I not somebody who reads every last word on nutrition, but from what I have been hearing in the past ten years is that the higher the protein level the better - dogs diet should be primarily protein.
Stella and Chewys is a great freeze dried raw - dogs do really well on it - it actually cured a couple of friend's yorkies sensitive stomachs!


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## Caniche (Jun 10, 2013)

I just want to make sure a high protein food that is grain-free will be okay for my growing non-competitive tpoo and won't cause bladder stones or other issues.


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## Tiny Poodles (Jun 20, 2013)

Caniche said:


> I just want to make sure a high protein food that is grain-free will be okay for my growing non-competitive tpoo and won't cause bladder stones or other issues.
> 
> 
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When I asked my old Vet if higher protein would hurt the kidneys as I have always heard he said no, it is fine for a healthy dog - IF a dog has kidney disease, then they need lower protein, but higher protein won't cause kidney disease. Never even heard of it being linked to bladder stones - where did you hear that?


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## Caniche (Jun 10, 2013)

Tiny Poodles said:


> When I asked my old Vet if higher protein would hurt the kidneys as I have always heard he said no, it is fine for a healthy dog - IF a dog has kidney disease, then they need lower protein, but higher protein won't cause kidney disease. Never even heard of it being linked to bladder stones - where did you hear that?


My mom's mixed breed had a bad bladder stone at the age of 3 and needed surgery. It was about six months after we switched from Royal Canin to Blue Buffalo Wilderness. 

Our dogs don't compete or aren't athletic - we have a big backyard and house they play in and we try to do a 30-45 minute walk on good weather days, but they aren't super athletes. 

We were led to believe that high protein levels in small breed dogs can be partially to blame for struvite stones. So my mom's mix was always recommended to be put on a lower protein diet. 


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## Tiny Poodles (Jun 20, 2013)

Caniche said:


> My mom's mixed breed had a bad bladder stone at the age of 3 and needed surgery. It was about six months after we switched from Royal Canin to Blue Buffalo Wilderness.
> 
> Our dogs don't compete or aren't athletic - we have a big backyard and house they play in and we try to do a 30-45 minute walk on good weather days, but they aren't super athletes.
> 
> ...


I guess you should ask your Vet - I'm guessing that it may be the same answerer that I got - bad for a dog who already has the disease, but won't cause the disease, but since you are concerned, you should ask.
Anyhow, my girls have been on very high protein (one meal of fresh protein and the Stella and Chewy's and Ziwi Peak, both high protein) for a long time and never have had any such issues.
And think of all of the dogs on BARF - couldn't get higher protein then that, and never heard of them getting stones...and look at a dogs teeth - they are carnivores and their teeth are designed to rip meat, not chew grain - it just makes sense that protein should be their primary food!
But I know that once you have experienced something bad, you will always have extra reservations about it, so please do speak to your Vet to put your mind at ease.


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## liljaker (Aug 6, 2011)

Here is some general information on protein in dog foods. It's not from a medical site, but generally clears up some of the misconceptions about protein, I believe.

Dog Food FAQs: Protein


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## Poodlemama99 (Feb 12, 2010)

My toys experienced severe diarrhea when I switched them to blue buffalo wilderness. Too high protein for tiny dogs. 


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## Shamrockmommy (Aug 16, 2013)

Any of the foods you listed are "good" foods. How your dog does on them is another story. You just have to try it and see how they do. I like Now! (bit spendy tho!) and Fromm grain frees a LOT. My tiny 4lb chihuahua has no problem with the kibbles but I do add warm water with it.

I used to add a spoonful of The Honest Kitchen food as a topper but I'm finding I prefer canned better, especially chunks or shredded types. 

I think a lot of issues with stones is that the dogs are just dehydrated. Add a good splash to the kibble, like you would cereal and they will have more to pee... flush any crystals out of the bladder that might form stones. I've been doing this with my bichon who started forming stones at 7 MONTHS old for years now and no further problems. I rotate dry brands/flavors as well as canned, and cooked and RMBs, too.


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## Caniche (Jun 10, 2013)

Thank you all SO MUCH for your help. Is it just me or is kibble one of the hardest parts of owning a dog? But we've also had bad experiences with high protein being linked to bladder stones and we were feeding our cat Menu Foods before the recall, and our kitty was poisoned and died from renal failure. Being responsible for feeding your pet poison is absolutely heart breaking and causes major guilt.

I decided for now to go with Wellness Core Puppy for Cash. I also have a coupon for Now Fresh trial, but no one sells it in my area so I emailed the company asking them to mail me a sample size. I bought Acana Pacifica and Grasslands trial size bags on Amazon for Ryker too. I'm excited about trying new foods! 


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## Cailin77 (Jul 21, 2012)

Have you looked into Taste of the Wild or Earthborne Holistic? Both have grain free varieties (actually, I think all TOTW is grain free), are 5 star rated on dog food advisor and are more reasonably priced than Wellness. I have both Brody and my cats on TOTW and they do very well on it (and that's a major accomplishment for my cats, because we tried several things that did not work well at all)! I haven't tried Earthborn Holistic yet, but they're made in the US and their plants has never had a recall!


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