We all know perfectly well that domestic dogs are classified by predators as classification, and the main food of predators is meat, that is, a high-protein diet is natural for dogs. Therefore, many owners have the advice of a veterinarian to replace the usual food that the animal eats with dog food with a low protein content is often puzzling.
Historical excursion
Before the appearance of industrial feed on the market, dog owners fed their pets exclusively natural food. According to the recommendations of veterinarians and dog handlers of that time, the daily ration of the pet was meat and meat products (1-2 times a week were replaced by sea fish) - 40%, dairy products of medium fat content (cottage cheese, kefir) - also 40%, the rest - raw vegetable products, bran, eggs. Dogs were not recommended to feed cereals and flour products because of the high content of easily digestible carbohydrates in them. In animals that are clearly not vegetarians, they cause a violation of the intestinal microflora, resulting in a decrease in immunity. Corn was under the strictest ban and was considered almost a poison for dogs because of the very high glycemic index of eighty-five.
And the pets lived on such a diet for 13-15, and sometimes more than years.
No, in those years the grass was not greener, and the sun was brighter. But the diet in dogs was high-protein, the content of pure protein in it was in no way less than 30-40%.
The era of industrial feed
With the advent of industrial feed, the situation began to change. The distrust with which the dog breeders initially reacted, under the influence of aggressive marketing policies and intrusive advertising, was replaced at first by curiosity, and then the dog owners appreciated the convenience of prepared balanced feeds. No need to cut and rub, make a diet, measure doses of vitamins and mineral supplements. It's simple: put it in a bowl, and you're done. And the profitability of these feeds played an important role.
Abundance in the market: which feed to choose?
Currently, accompanying the puppy to a new home, a self-respecting breeder will definitely prepare a dowry for the baby - a bag of food that the dog ate at home. The owner, trusting the experience of the breeder, as a rule, does not change the brand of feed until some problems begin: the pet refuses food, allergies, baldness, loss of activity begin, etc. It seems that they tried all available premium feeds and super-premium, each other is better, but the situation does not change. And the moment comes when at the next appointment your veterinarian recommends changing the diet, replacing everyday food with low protein. From now on, your four-legged friend is on a diet. And you go in search of the best dog food with a low protein content, how could it be otherwise. Your favorite deserves only the best!
Veterinary line of industrial feed
The assortment of large manufacturers of industrial pet food, in addition to food for healthy dogs, has specialized diet foods for animals suffering from chronic diseases. The ingredients that make up these feeds are selected in such a way as to exclude substances that cause an exacerbation of the disease from the pet’s diet, and ideally defeat the disease. These lines also include low protein dog foods. They contain a minimum amount of flavors, dyes and other chemicals and do not include components that can cause an exacerbation of the disease.
On the market are diet foods for animals with the most common diseases.
Such feeds are labeled Veterinary Diets. In some countries, they can only be purchased with a prescription from a veterinarian. The highest quality of them are feed "Eukanuba".
Poop Holistic
As for feed labeled Holistic, they are not medicinal, as many pet owners mistakenly believe. These are feeds made using new technologies from high-quality products suitable for human nutrition. Their production does not use wastes from the meat and food industries, chemical preservatives, flavorings and colorings. Among holistic feeds, low protein dog foods can also be found.
A distinctive feature of holistic feeds is the high content of meat and meat products of high quality and an almost complete absence of ballast substances. The source of fiber is vegetables and fruits.
In fact, feeds marked "Holistic" are the products of the highest class, the daily use of which for feeding a pet greatly reduces the risk of chronic diseases. The most common feeds of Golden Eagle company in our market.
Indications for use
If the dog is healthy, the protein content in dry food should be at least 25% to maintain life. A veterinarian’s recommendation that a pet be transferred to a dog food with a low protein content means that a dog’s clinical examination revealed signs of damage, or kidney, liver or heart disease.
When an animal metabolizes protein, its body produces toxins, which are traditionally excreted in the urine. If the dog’s body for some reason cannot properly digest this protein or excrete metabolic products, it is shown a low protein diet.
Such a food system is most often recommended for animals with kidney or liver problems, in more rare cases, the heart.
The duration of the diet and treatment is prescribed by the veterinarian. He also recommends the maximum permissible percentage of protein in dry food, which you should focus on when choosing diet food.
Protein content in dry feed
Traditional daily dog foods contain an average of 25-28% protein in dry food. A low protein diet is considered to be a product containing 18 percent or less of protein.
But it’s not so simple.
This is feed information advertised as super premium feed. Alas, after studying the composition, it becomes clear that this is not so. The feed class determines the percentage of high-quality proteins and fats in it, rather than the positioning of the feed by the manufacturer.
And now we are studying the composition. This is no less interesting than reading a detective novel if you are a little familiar with the physiology of predators, the basics of a healthy diet, and math. However, there is nothing complicated.
The information on the manufacturer’s website says "chicken", in the Russian version - "fresh meat".
What do you think, if you do an analysis of chicken feather or bone, it contains protein? Perhaps you will answer in the affirmative. And how much protein is absorbed by the dog’s body if fed, for example, flour from chicken feathers? The answer is likely to be negative.
But the consumer will never be able to solve this riddle. "Hydrolyzed animal protein." What animal or part of it got this mysterious protein from? What is its bioavailability?
Proteins of plant origin in feed
The food also contains corn gluten meal. Any search engine will kindly inform you that in world practice it is used as a protein supplement in the diet of farm animals and birds, and for the production of animal feed. It seems that the food producer does not suspect that the dogs belong to the predator detachment.
Let's try to figure it out. Protein is of plant and animal origin. The record holder among plants for protein content is soy, the protein in it is thirty-six percent, in second place is corn - ten percent. But it is in the grain. And in corn gluten meal, the protein content can reach sixty percent. In essence, this flour is crushed and dried meal that remains after the production of corn starch and syrup. This food component is not beneficial for the dog.
Due to such tricks of manufacturers labeled pet food, the percentage of protein in the feed is more likely to mislead the consumer than to help understand something.
On many packages of dry pet food you can find only the percentage of proteins, and in the list of components of the feed the words "vegetable and animal protein".
Complete and defective proteins and the ability of dogs to digest them
Protein of animal origin is biologically complete, as it contains essential amino acids for the dog's body. They are called indispensable because the body cannot synthesize them and can only receive them from the outside, they must be supplied with food in sufficient quantities.
The dog's body needs twenty-two amino acids, twelve of which are essential. Deficiency of any of the amino acids can cause health problems.
Plant protein is biologically defective; it contains only a fraction of the essential amino acids. This is the main difference between animal and plant proteins.
In addition to the above, the dog is not able to fully absorb vegetable protein. So, according to research results, soy protein is digested by seventy, corn - by fifty-four percent. But it is almost impossible to calculate exactly how much vegetable and animal protein in the feed according to the composition information provided by the manufacturer. And how much of it a dog can learn - all the more.
With pathology of the liver and kidneys, it is not the amount of protein in general that enters the body that is crucial. The worst harm is caused to the dog’s health by a low-quality vegetable protein, which the digestive and excretory systems of carnivores are not genetically adapted to break down. Unfortunately, in most industrial feeds, the proportion of vegetable proteins is quite large, which is the reason for various health problems of pets.
How to choose low protein dog food?
In light of the foregoing, the main criterion for choosing dog food is the quality of the protein contained in the food. The source of high-quality biologically available animal proteins are meat, eggs and dairy products.
This criterion is currently wholly consistent only with food marked holistic.
Top picks
The Low Protein Dog Food Review report provides an overview of low protein dog foods and helps you choose the best. Having familiarized yourself with it, you will be well versed in the abundance of pet shop products.
Of the presented on the market of our country, the best brand of holistic feed is Golden Eagle. Using only high-quality natural products in production makes it the best for dog feeding.
Golden Eagle Holistic low protein dog food contains twenty-two percent animal protein. The product has a balanced formula, does not contain any chemical preservatives, colorants and flavorings.
The previous veterinary line of dog food Eukanuba was very good. There were mostly positive reviews about her, and the pets were happy to eat this food. Currently, the company "Eukanuba" is updating the range with the replacement of the formula of feed, so it is too early to give recommendations on this product. But since the company has been using only natural animal proteins in feed production since its founding, a good result should be expected.
Reviews about Golden Eagle Holistic for dogs are overwhelmingly positive. Some pets do not manage to find the right food on the first try, but the product line is quite extensive, and if the animal does not suit, for example, chicken with rice, then salmon with oatmeal can be an ideal food for him.