Are high fat/protein foods okay?
 

Hi everyone,

Am currently fostering a small breed litter (pom x) and may be keeping one of the pups longer as she isn't going to get spayed right away due to health stuff.

My lab eats Orijen and Wellness Core but I have heard things about small dogs needing a lower fat/ different diet due to pancreatitis concerns. Does anyone use Orijen type foods, or are they really better to stay away from with tiny dogs?

Right now mom and pups are eating canned just to gain weight (I use a variety of things, Nutromax, Natural balance, EVO, ect) and for dry they are eating Bil-Jac because mom was a mill rescue and it is the only dry I've found that she will eat since its "softer" and her teeth hurt.

That being said, If I could feed something "better" than Bil-Jac once mom leaves I would want to.

Suggestions?

For Teddy, I tend to feed kibbles with values that are ~30% protein and ~16% fat. He doesn't have any health problems or special needs and does well with pretty much whatever I feed him.

We switch foods at the end of each bag...sometimes he's eating high protein/fat food (NV Instinct, Wellness Core, etc.) and sometimes lower protein/fat (Natural Balance...I like this for Toki when she does get kibble because she gains weight easily and isn't as active as Teddy) so I feel like it balances out in the long run. We haven't had any issues and Teddy is in good health. Also it seems that generally speaking, small breed specific formulas tend to be higher in protein/fat than regular and large breed formulas. I wouldn't be overly concerned about finding a food with a low fat content unless you know you have a dog predisposed to pancreatitis.

Hopefully others will chime in but I've seen here many members that feed foods like Blue Buffalo Wilderness, Orijen, and even freeze-dried foods which tend to be higher in protein and fat and their dogs do fine. You might not want a higher protein/fat food with an inactive dog though since it tends to be more calorically dense. Bil-Jac seems to have a moderate protein/fat content so you could also pick a food with a similar guaranteed analysis if you pups are doing well on that and you want to switch foods.

It's personal preference. I worry more about where the protein is coming from, the ash content in the food, the manufacturer of the food, etc.

But I personally am not too comfortable going over 18% fat. Also remember they are usually a 'minimum' so even if a food has a 18% minimum... technically, it could be much higher. Unless there is a maximum listed.

Honestly, small dogs generally need higher protein than larger dogs, from what I've seen as a trend in foods. Larger/giant breeds need the right amount of calcium/phosphorus levels in foods for proper growth, and often times for giant breeds, regular puppy foods are TOO high in protein/fat.

I've found that Jackson, my active 17lb boy, does best on foods that range in 25%-30% protein and 14%-16% fat. I typically don't like going over or under that.

I fed my Teegy Orijen Red before switching to raw and never had any issues

What kind of health issues does the pup have?
One of mine has colitis & has to be on a low (animal) fat, high-moderate fiber diet. We tried premade raw & she was doing so well but the higher animal fat made her sick again. I was so sad for her bc she loved the premade raw.:(
Right now, she's mainly on a diet of moistened kibble w/tablespoon of Party Animal canned food. They have a line w/coconut oil & since it's a fat from a plant, she's able to tolerate it well.

Rabbit and turkey are the lowest protein for raw The permafrost may have contained too much organ meats too which are also very rich. If you could buy the meats and organs and customize them that could work.
Teegy had pancreatitis and I also inquire with my vet about coconut oil. She said its safe

I am wondering....what percentage of fat is considered high fat....and what % is considered low fat??

My boys are on wellness canned food, but I'd like to make sure my older guy is on a low-fat diet. Wellness does make a canned senior food and we alternate back and forth between the canned senior and the canned turkey and sweet potato.

I'd like my senior guy to be on a low sodium, low fat diet as eh's got digestive issues and he has a heart murmur that I am hoping does not progress into CHF.

For me, I consider less than ~12% low fat and ~18-20% high fat and try to stick to in between those values...I know you can buy low fat kibbles as low as 9% but to manage medical conditions, you may need a prescription diet for even lower amounts of fat and also sodium.