Quote:
Originally Posted by ArmaniMan  I don't think mid- 20's to low 30's can be considered low protein foods.
Far too many dogs (and cats) develop kidney problems in their senior years and it is just considered "normal" by people and vets now. They expect to put animals on low protein foods and kidney medicine as they get older- that just doesn't cut it for me. I have read all the data and no one can provide a legitimate reason for why a small breed dog whose main job is being a companion needs super high protein foods. |
Oh, I'm not calling mid-20s to low 30's low protein either.
I think anything less than 20% is entirely too low though.
And high protein foods are a fairly new thing when it comes to processed dog kibble, so I dunno why vets would be blaming kidney problems in older dogs on high protein foods.... when they most likely have been eating low to moderate protein levels their whole life.
As I said, a dog eating high protein coming from plant sources definitely has the potential to cause kidney problems... dogs were not designed to digest carbs either, which is what most kibbles (even grainfree, etc) are full of (all kibbles must have carbs).
There's also no legitimate reasons why a small breed dog should NOT be on high protein food... I'm just saying the issue is debatable both ways because not enough research has been done on this subject. I'm not against feeding a 24% protein food, like I said... I'm more concerned about ingredients, company reliability, and where food is manufactured than protein numbers.
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.