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Low Protein, High Quality Dog Foods Because Logan's liver enzymes are elevated, I'm taking the vet's advice and switching to a low protein food. Logan has been eating Evo, which is too high in protein for him (46%). An article I read on liver shunt (which he has not yet been diagnosed with but has been tested -- results tomorrow) said that dogs should eat food that is 18% protein or less. This is difficult to find. The closest I have found is Natural Balance Potato and Duck puppy food which is 21% protein. If your Yorkie is having the same problem or has been diagnosed with liver shunt, what food are you feeding your dog? I'm wondering if 21% protein is too high. |
Rarely will you find a food that low in protein unless it is prescription (Sci. Diet L/D canned, Natural Balance Vegetarian and Royal Canin LS 14 kibble are best). RC kibble has made several Yorkies very itchy though. It will be impossible to fine 18% in a puppy food. Twenty-one percent is fine til you get a diagnosis and the vet will have to decide if they would rather the food be low protein or puppy food. Red meat should be avoided in liver compromised dogs. Poultry and game is also not the best but I would give poultry until you have a diagnosis. |
I know Nutro has the same percentage of protein. This is the adult variety of food. Many puppy formulas have a higher percentage than the adult variety... Hope you get good news tomorrow. |
Does Logan have any symptoms? Is he ever a picky eater? Natural Balance Vegetarian as Ellie May mentioned is about 18% protein, but it's important to find out if your dog is in fact liver compromised... In the meantime, this one will be good or even a poultry based food that is 21% protein as long as there are *no* symptoms whatsoever. If he is, then the prescription foods are usually the way to go. They contain higher amounts of vitamins and minerals that they need like zinc and vitamin E and lower in the ones they need less of like copper. Canned L/D (not the dry) and Royal Canin Hepatic LS 14 are the two that I like to recommend. These foods are also vegetarian or soy based which are two good sources of protein for liver compromised dogs since meat proteins are so harmful to them. |
I wonder if I should go ahead and continue feeding him the Hill's Science until I get a diagnosis. I just changed his food to Evo last month, and yesterday I started the Hill's Science based on the vet's recommendation. If I go buy something else today, it may all change again tomorrow once we get a diagnosis. The vet I talked to today said the elevated enzymes, which she didn't considers minimal, could be a result of Logan being a puppy with continuing bone growth. So, should I wait until tomorrow and continue the Hill's until I know something for sure? No matter what the diagnosis is, I will stop the Hill's and change to something more nutritious. |
What kind of Hill's is it?? I thought I read somewhere that it was regular Hill's science diet, which has red meat protein(I believe)... This is not recommended if liver problems are suspected. Did they do a bile acid test? This is the first thing they should do to check liver function. Regular bloodwork won't typically show *serious* problems until the liver is 75% damaged. |
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I would stick with the Science Diet if there is no red meat in it until you get the bile acid test results. Then you will have more of an idea about what kind of food he should be on and there is no reason to change it and then have to change again in a couple days... |
Yes, the bile acid test is what I was talking about. It's good that it's chicken instead of red meat...Does your baby have any symptoms? |
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I will probably need advice if the test is negative. Either way, I will be back :) |
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Hoping the best for Logan... |
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Remember elevated levels do not always mean liver shunt...what it means is there is a problem with his liver function. Nothing will have been diagnosed until further testing. |
As mentioned, bile acid tests do not confirm liver shunt...Further testing has to be done to determine what is causing the elevated numbers... |
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