Can anyone suggest a good low protein kibble, preferably less than 20%? My dog is very anxious and exhibits fear aggression, particularly to strange dogs. As part of his management programme the vet behaviourist who has seen him has suggested I use a low protein food - preferably turkey-based as turkey apparently naturally has higher levels of tryptophan than other protein sources. I've tried Burns (with the addition of some raw turkey mince) which he refuses to eat, and am considering using Arden Grange Light as this has a lower protein level than their other foods. I do not wish to give him any food that has additives or preservatives, has gluten, or "hidden" ingredients.

Hi, I'm afraid I can't help re the low protein food, but I just wanted to tell you how impressed I am with all the help I'm getting from Arden Grange.  I've just started Pip on their sensitive food and the customer service has been second to none.  Their nutritionist, Ness, is so helpful and always happy to answer any daft emails I may send her!  If I was you I'd give them a call - the number on the bottom of an email Ness sent to me is 01273 833390, so why not give them a ring.

Good luck!

ps Pip wouldn't eat Burns either - she rolled on it like she does with fox poo!!  Ungrateful monkey lol.

how about JWB, I think they do a turkey flavour.

Interested to know why a low protein diet is thought to assist?

Hi Stargazy-I can't help you with a low protein kibble but its possible to buy Tryptophan in powder form-I've used it on my BSD during firework season.I get mine from http://www.myprotein.co.uk.
Good luck.

I was advised that Burns is too good for my dog and is too high protein.  I should be feeding cheap tinned dog food and vegetables???? 

JWB do turkey and rice 18% protein senior-light.

I have my 2 on JWB turkey and veg no cereal..thats 21%. and one of them is anxious and has fear aggression,but i have no problems on this feed with her.

Many thanks everyone for your helpful suggestions and advice - it's much appreciated and has given me a lot to follow up. I'm very interested in the powder form of Tryptophan, and will look into that.

Re why low protein is thought to help - I don't understand all the science behind the thinking, but I've been told by the vet behaviourist that in relation to his diet it's important to ensure that he has sufficient of the precursors for the production of serotonin, and that a low protein, high carb diet will help. Apparently a snack (equivalent to 1/5th of his meal) of a pure carbo source such as rice, potato or carrot given ideally 2/3 hours after the main meal (quantity reduced by 1/5th to allow for the extra carb) helps to give a rise in insulin which also helps with serotonin production in some way.

Other food supplements have also been recommended, and all of this is of course coupled with a behaviour modification programme as well.

Once again, many thanks.

Maize is low in tryptophan so avoid dog foods that contain this, sometimes labelled as corn or prairie meal

There has also been studies in Italy with agression and that 'There's some evidence that omega three or fish oil supplements can help stop aggression in dogs'. Here's what you need to know. http://www.gomestic.com/Pets/Fish-Oil-Can-It-Stop-Aggression-in-Dogs.452385

I really don't understand the advice vets/behaviourists give on low/high protein foods.

I've had problems with Hattie's behaviour for ages now (I won't go into details here), but like you I was advised by a behaviourist to lower the protein content of her diet. She was reared on Naturediet and then went onto a raw, BARF-type diet, so he suggested adding a considerable amount of rice to her raw meat which I did. It made no difference to her at all.

I believe dogs are basically carnivores and have evolved to cope with a high protein diet and can see no reason (apart from cost) to feed loads of carbs, which they are not equipped to utilise well.

I too doubt that a low protein food will help anxiety and fear aggression. I have had problems with both in my boy and for an unrelated  health reason he was put on a low protein food,  it made absolutely no difference to either his anxiety or aggression.

> I really don't understand the advice vets/behaviourists give on low/high protein foods.
>

I saw a programme on sleep in humans last night, it covered the effect of a carb based meal vs a protein based meal on alertness. The carb based meal raised seretonin levels and the relaxing effect of that lowered alertness, the opposite was found of the protein based meal (for the programme the conclusion was to not eat a proetin-based meal close to bed-time).
I know this was in humans, but if 1 protein-based  meal can have a marked effect on alertness perhaps by lowering the protein consumption in dogs, a calmer, more relaxed state of mind is achieved,  ie a dog that is getting overwhelmed by it's enviornment/situations, when in a less alert state from a lowered protein intake, will not feel so overwhelmed.
It may be that some dogs will not respond as thier fears/behavioural problems are learned rather than reactions to how they are feeling?

>I believe dogs are basically carnivores and have evolved to cope with a high protein diet and can see no reason (apart from cost) to feed loads of carbs

In nature dogs are working for thier food, on alert for prey, threats and mates, the life we have for them is much more laid back, they don't need to guard thier packs/young/mates/terrotiory and when they are on the go, it's all fun & danger-free, perhaps some dogs benefit from a diet that suits the life-styles they have?

> carb based meal

That is what is recommended for dogs stressed by fireworks - eg pasta etc - to help them settle because of the relaxing effect.

> That is what is recommended for dogs stressed by fireworks - eg pasta etc - to help them settle because of the relaxing effect.

Ohh that makes sense :) I wish I had known things like this years ago when my dog was nervous wreck with fireworks.

Isn't it fascinating how the diet effects the body and emotional state :) In years to come when dietry effects are 100% understood, I expect we can get a menue prescribed for everything - stress, fatigue, to increase motivation, mood swings, combat depression etc.. and rely less on medications. Nature is wonderfull :)

<<In nature dogs are working for thier food, on alert for prey, threats and mates, the life we have for them is much more laid back, they don't need to guard thier packs/young/mates/terrotiory and when they are on the go, it's all fun & danger-free, perhaps some dogs benefit from a diet that suits the life-styles they have? >>

I think you'll also find dogs/wolves in the wild sleep and rest a lot, they certainly aren't on the go all day, every day.

From what I understand a diet high in carbohydrates can cause blood sugar fluctuations, insulin resistance and are a major cause of obesity in our pets as they convert and are stored as fat, rather than high protein which is metabolised or removed from the body through natural functions.

The way I look at it is the canine species has evolved to eat a predominantly meat/bone diet, with a small amount of grass, veg/fruit. You wouldn't feed a cow/horse/lamb etc. meat, it isn't equipped to deal with it, so why feed a carnivore a grain-based, high-carb diet. Dogs, as scavengers will SURVIVE on pretty much anything, but they won't THRIVE.

"Re why low protein is thought to help - I don't understand all the science behind the thinking"

Nothing to understand because there is no science behind the thinking - there is no real scientific evidence that supports that lower protein lowers aggression levels or hyperactivity. 

Here's an article you might find interesting though, http://leerburg.com/protein.htm.    The test is flawed in that behaviour changes were reported by owners, however.   "The study concluded that a reduction in dietary protein is not generally useful in the treatment of behavior problems, with the possible exception of those with territorial aggression that is the result of fear."     The protein level in those dogs that showed a behaviour change was either low (17%) or medium (25%) in this study.

> From what I understand a diet high in carbohydrates can cause blood sugar fluctuations, insulin resistance and are a major cause of obesity in our pets as they convert and are stored as fat, rather than high protein which is metabolised or removed from the body through natural functions.

Obesity doesn't come from the source of calories, it comes from the quantity consumed, calories consumed in excess of requirements will be converted and stored as fat, protein is also a source of calories. The cause of obesity is over-feeding.