Opinion about low carb/grain/gluten diets

[lexxicakes]

I've recently been doing a lot of looking around on the internet about grain free and even gluten free diets and their benefits.

Bentley get lots of reddish brownish eye boogies and I've been reading that this is due to yeast, and a gluten free diet will help or even get rid of this all together. (however this is not the sole reason I'd like to switch)

On the other hand it seems hard to find a good grain free food that is made for puppies. I've seen a few but they are really high in fat or have other ingredients that aren't particularly very good.

I saw what I thought was a good argument from another forum saying that pets have long been domesticated to the point that a grain free and raw meat only diet is no longer ideal and some grains are now good and normal in the diet.

Others say that these grain filled foods are just made with a bunch of fillers (the grains) which are shortening the lives of our pets.

Any opinions on all of this? What do you tend to follow and beleive?

I am currently feeding Blue buffalo small breed puppy food, but Im considering The honest kitchens grain free foods now... His stools increased when switching to blue buff so idkk...

[LuvTaycieGirl]

I think the best advice that I was ever given when I was really researching and reading about food was, Find what works best for you] and your dog.

I learned this with Taycie.. Taycie has a very severely sensitive stomach... I have tried Higher protein/fat and it did nothing but cause a major upset.. I have learned this the hard way. I had Taycie on BB for most of her first yr. It did seem to work very well for her.. As she got older I tried to transition her to the Adult formula and of course It didn't work.. So the food trials began..

I have tried The Honest Kitchen, as much as I LOVE the company It did nothing for Taycie but cause major poops and a upset tummy.. Their formulas are very high in flaxseed..which did clean her out. I tried the Embark formula which is one of the puppy formulas..She did nothing but poop all day long. Later I read on the back of the box the fiber content was 9.6%!!! So no wonder she pooped so much...I finally gave up on it..

I have tried Acana, twice, recently and about 5 months ago. I tired Pacifica first and then Prairie. They both gave her AWFUL diaherra and horrid gas.. Nature's Variety Prairie did the same thing.. I finally gave in tried Pinnacle Duck and Potato a Limited Ingredient Diet.. It was a lifesaver.. She does tend to get bored with it so I just also bought a bag of Natural Balance LID Sweet Potato and Venison.. She loves it and it is working well for her little tummy.

I found that no matter what you read or what you try you have to do what works best for you. Taycie actually does ok on grains.. Good Grains don't bother me so much... Oatmeal really helps her severely sensitive stomach so I think some grains do help. If she has a stomach ache a little cooked oats with her food really settles her tummy!

My biggest concern for her is protein. I do like to add different wet foods to her food to up the protein since most LID diets are low in protein. I usually buy Wellness 95% meats and mix that in. It also allows me to mix in a single ingredient so I know immedietly if it causes a flare up and that protein doesn't work for her.

I feel finding what works the best for your dog is the most important. Some dogs do better without grains.. some do better with grains.. Its all a trial and error process. I got so tired of seeing Taycie with an upset stomach and throwing up and eating grass.. I just want to see her comfortable and happy

[ArmaniMan]

Originally Posted by LuvTaycieGirl

I think the best advice that I was ever given when I was really researching and reading about food was, Find what works best for you] and your dog.

I learned this with Taycie.. Taycie has a very severely sensitive stomach... I have tried Higher protein/fat and it did nothing but cause a major upset.. I have learned this the hard way. I had Taycie on BB for most of her first yr. It did seem to work very well for her.. As she got older I tried to transition her to the Adult formula and of course It didn't work.. So the food trials began..

I have tried The Honest Kitchen, as much as I LOVE the company It did nothing for Taycie but cause major poops and a upset tummy.. Their formulas are very high in flaxseed..which did clean her out. I tried the Embark formula which is one of the puppy formulas..She did nothing but poop all day long. Later I read on the back of the box the fiber content was 9.6%!!! So no wonder she pooped so much...I finally gave up on it..

I have tried Acana, twice, recently and about 5 months ago. I tired Pacifica first and then Prairie. They both gave her AWFUL diaherra and horrid gas.. Nature's Variety Prairie did the same thing.. I finally gave in tried Pinnacle Duck and Potato a Limited Ingredient Diet.. It was a lifesaver.. She does tend to get bored with it so I just also bought a bag of Natural Balance LID Sweet Potato and Venison.. She loves it and it is working well for her little tummy.

I found that no matter what you read or what you try you have to do what works best for you. Taycie actually does ok on grains.. Good Grains don't bother me so much... Oatmeal really helps her severely sensitive stomach so I think some grains do help. If she has a stomach ache a little cooked oats with her food really settles her tummy!

My biggest concern for her is protein. I do like to add different wet foods to her food to up the protein since most LID diets are low in protein. I usually buy Wellness 95% meats and mix that in. It also allows me to mix in a single ingredient so I know immedietly if it causes a flare up and that protein doesn't work for her.

I feel finding what works the best for your dog is the most important. Some dogs do better without grains.. some do better with grains.. Its all a trial and error process. I got so tired of seeing Taycie with an upset stomach and throwing up and eating grass.. I just want to see her comfortable and happy

Totally Agreed- you have to do what works best for your dog.

I also tried HK and while the company seems great and the ingredients look great, it made both of mine really sick. Armani got super skinny (like neglect case skinny) and I could not keep weight on him with just that food and Chloe would most of the time throw the food up hours later still totally undigested.

[LDMomma]

We've had great results with Honest Kitchen.

I think most grain-free formulas are all-life stages foods, so they can be fed to puppies.

[BanditSocks2]

Originally Posted by LuvTaycieGirl

I think the best advice that I was ever given when I was really researching and reading about food was, Find what works best for you] and your dog.

I learned this with Taycie.. Taycie has a very severely sensitive stomach... I have tried Higher protein/fat and it did nothing but cause a major upset.. I have learned this the hard way. I had Taycie on BB for most of her first yr. It did seem to work very well for her.. As she got older I tried to transition her to the Adult formula and of course It didn't work.. So the food trials began..

I have tried The Honest Kitchen, as much as I LOVE the company It did nothing for Taycie but cause major poops and a upset tummy.. Their formulas are very high in flaxseed..which did clean her out. I tried the Embark formula which is one of the puppy formulas..She did nothing but poop all day long. Later I read on the back of the box the fiber content was 9.6%!!! So no wonder she pooped so much...I finally gave up on it..

I have tried Acana, twice, recently and about 5 months ago. I tired Pacifica first and then Prairie. They both gave her AWFUL diaherra and horrid gas.. Nature's Variety Prairie did the same thing.. I finally gave in tried Pinnacle Duck and Potato a Limited Ingredient Diet.. It was a lifesaver.. She does tend to get bored with it so I just also bought a bag of Natural Balance LID Sweet Potato and Venison.. She loves it and it is working well for her little tummy.

I found that no matter what you read or what you try you have to do what works best for you. Taycie actually does ok on grains.. Good Grains don't bother me so much... Oatmeal really helps her severely sensitive stomach so I think some grains do help. If she has a stomach ache a little cooked oats with her food really settles her tummy!

My biggest concern for her is protein. I do like to add different wet foods to her food to up the protein since most LID diets are low in protein. I usually buy Wellness 95% meats and mix that in. It also allows me to mix in a single ingredient so I know immedietly if it causes a flare up and that protein doesn't work for her.

I feel finding what works the best for your dog is the most important. Some dogs do better without grains.. some do better with grains.. Its all a trial and error process. I got so tired of seeing Taycie with an upset stomach and throwing up and eating grass.. I just want to see her comfortable and happy

Agreed!

You need to find what works, and as long as the ingredients are high quality, grain free or not, it's the food for you! We've been doing great on Acana (switching between Grasslands and Prairie) for the last year and a half. Wellness also worked well for us but so many other great foods unfortunately didn't. We were lucky to find the one that did

[Ellie May]

Grain free and gluten free foods are fine. Owner preference.

Low carb foods may or may not be fine. The less carbs, the more protein and/or fat. IMO high fat is not a good idea for Yorkies. High protein, well, to each their own. I think the general consensus among veterinary nutritionists right now is that high protein does not cause liver or kidney problems; however, if there is a problem present, high protein is not what should be fed.So again IMO, if a high protein food is fed, that makes it even more important to do bloodwork often to make sure the food doesn't need to be changed.

They do not need high protein. Whether or not they do better on it is really just an opinion right now. I haven't seen any studies to indicate that they live longer, healthier lives. It's an expensive energy source and the experts in canine nutrition say such a large amount is not needed.

Dogs should eat the food that they are healthiest on. My dog has eaten tuna as her protein source for months. I hate the idea, but it is what we can manage her best with, so that's what she gets.

[yorkietalkjilly]

Originally Posted by Ellie May

Grain free and gluten free foods are fine. Owner preference.

Low carb foods may or may not be fine. The less carbs, the more protein and/or fat. IMO high fat is not a good idea for Yorkies. High protein, well, to each their own. I think the general consensus among veterinary nutritionists right now is that high protein does not cause liver or kidney problems; however, if there is a problem present, high protein is not what should be fed.So again IMO, if a high protein food is fed, that makes it even more important to do bloodwork often to make sure the food doesn't need to be changed.

They do not need high protein. Whether or not they do better on it is really just an opinion right now. I haven't seen any studies to indicate that they live longer, healthier lives. It's an expensive energy source and the experts in canine nutrition say such a large amount is not needed.

Dogs should eat the food that they are healthiest on. My dog has eaten tuna as her protein source for months. I hate the idea, but it is what we can manage her best with, so that's what she gets.

I am a bit worried about high protein diets in the Yorkie from reading many articles, posts, and am about ready to go to the Petco to get my Tibbe some really good food, at least as good as they have there. Am a bit physically challenged right now so have to stick to Petco as it is the only thing I have near.

What do you feed your Yorkie, if you don't mind my asking? I've got to start some place in choosing good food for him but am not looking to go high protein.

[Ellie May]

Originally Posted by yorkietalkjilly

I am a bit worried about high protein diets in the Yorkie from reading many articles, posts, and am about ready to go to the Petco to get my Tibbe some really good food, at least as good as they have there. Am a bit physically challenged right now so have to stick to Petco as it is the only thing I have near.

What do you feed your Yorkie, if you don't mind my asking? I've got to start some place in choosing good food for him but am not looking to go high protein.

She gets homecooked. She is an extreme special needs case.

If I were shopping at Petco and wanted a "premium" food, I'd choose Natural Balance without a doubt. Then probably Wellness...

If I wanted to stick to the brands that most vets recommend, it would be Scicne Diet Nature's Best.

[yorkietalkjilly]

Originally Posted by Ellie May

She gets homecooked. She is an extreme special needs case.

If I were shopping at Petco and wanted a "premium" food, I'd choose Natural Balance without a doubt. Then probably Wellness...

If I wanted to stick to the brands that most vets recommend, it would be Scicne Diet Nature's Best.

Many, many thanks, Crystal.

[LuvTaycieGirl]

Originally Posted by ArmaniMan

Totally Agreed- you have to do what works best for your dog.

I also tried HK and while the company seems great and the ingredients look great, it made both of mine really sick. Armani got super skinny (like neglect case skinny) and I could not keep weight on him with just that food and Chloe would most of the time throw the food up hours later still totally undigested.

Yes, I found that the food thing is such a debate... I obviously, like everyone on here want the best for her, especially with food.

With Taycie, her super uber sensitive stomach limits my choices. I am at the point I just want her to be healthy and happy. NB really is working wonders for her along with Pinnacle. Its just nice to see her comfortable instead of miserable. As far as food trials, I am done. I am sticking with what works

[Britster]

LuvTaycieGirl - GREAT post While I do think it's important to feed a high quality diet, it's equally as important to find what works for each individual dog as well.

[Britster]

LuvTaycieGirl - GREAT post While I do think it's important to feed a high quality diet, it's equally as important to find what works for each individual dog as well.

When it comes to protein, it's not so much about the simple number in the percentage as protein, as it WHERE the protein is coming from. You will see some foods that have hardly any meat in there, but their protein is 28%-32%, meaning most of their protein is probably coming from PLANT sources. Which is not good. There's a lot of "grain free" foods out there filled with potatoes.

IMO, there is no set protein percentage that a dog has to have... it all depends on the individual dog and what works for them. There could be two foods, both with 28% protein, but the dog could do horribly on one and not the other. It's more about the ingredients agreeing with them.

I think Wellness is a good food, but it doesn't work for Jackson. He got terrible eye boogers on it, and his coat became more dull and less shiny, and he produced more poop. Therefore, I don't like Wellness for him but it doesn't mean it won't work fine for other dogs.

I do know that the original studies that convinced people that high protein was bad for the kidneys was done on RATS who are omnivores... and all the protein came from plant sources... so IMO, it makes the argument completely invalid.

Find what works for your dog. I would never feed a 'grocery brand' like Kibbles n Bits, etc, and I probably wouldn't ever feed anything by Science Diet, nor would I recommend it. But I would not be opposed to feeding a food simply because it's lower protein, or even has grains in it.

[ArmaniMan]

Originally Posted by LuvTaycieGirl

Yes, I found that the food thing is such a debate... I obviously, like everyone on here want the best for her, especially with food.

With Taycie, her super uber sensitive stomach limits my choices. I am at the point I just want her to be healthy and happy. NB really is working wonders for her along with Pinnacle. Its just nice to see her comfortable instead of miserable. As far as food trials, I am done. I am sticking with what works

I have also had great results with Natural Balance. My only complaint is that they don't have more small bites formulas- the only LID they have is duck and my pups can't eat duck. I do continue to rotate NB canned diets through my kids diet. They just are too picky and won't eat the large kibble pieces.

[LuvTaycieGirl]

Originally Posted by ArmaniMan

I have also had great results with Natural Balance. My only complaint is that they don't have more small bites formulas- the only LID they have is duck and my pups can't eat duck. I do continue to rotate NB canned diets through my kids diet. They just are too picky and won't eat the large kibble pieces.

I luck out.. for me, Taycie loves the bigger kibble.. she loves to crunch! As for their potato and duck formula, it has salmon oil in it and Taycie does horrid on salmon. I had bought a can of Before Grain Salmon, similar to the 95% Wellness Meat ones.

Anyways... I added a Tablespoon of the Salmon to her morning meal. I got the most rancid diaherra from her I have ever seen. It was awful. I tried once more later in the month trying only a Tsp and again it gave her the same results.. I think I ended up washing her butt 4 times that day.. So salmon is no go for us.

I think I am going to rotate between the Lamb Meal, Sweet Potato and Venison and Pinnacle Duck and Potato. I had a sample of the Lamb LID about 6 months ago and she loved it and did wonderful with it.

I may try GO! Duck Formula someday, Ingredient wise its identical to Pinnacle's duck and Potato but it comes in a smaller bag to keep her from getting bored. I think a few protein options helps keep her interested, I can tell she is bored to death of duck right now.

[Britster]

I think I may add Natural Balance to the rotation. Orijen is a no-go now that they changed their formula and upped their prices (still a great food, IMO, just not working for Jackson anymore). I'm keeping him on Acana because he's always done well on that... but now I have no other food to rotate with and he really loved the NB samples we received and after a few days on it, poop was good. He wasn't on it long enough to judge coat, smell, eyes, etc. I'd be adding canned food to up the meat for him. But Jackson is like Taycie -- he LOVES to crunch his kibble and won't eat small kibble I've used NB cans for a while now (in conjunction w/ other brands, too).

I feel that Jackson needs more protein because he's so active. I can't see myself feeding a food with lower than 22% protein for long period of time. We walk 1.5-3.5 miles per day, do LOTS of fetch outdoors, swimming ALOT in the summer, agility, soon-to-be dock diving, dog parks a few times a week, dads big fenced in yard twice a week running constantly, etc, etc. I do think more active dogs require more protein.