Can anyone suggest a low protein dry food under 20% protein?

This would save me searching through the small print of all the bags!!
Thanks Sally

I dont know of one, but of course someone else may. Have you considered good quality mixer + meat?

don't know if this is what you are looking for or not but Arden Grange (classic dog feed) - LIGHT is 19.5% protein.

they also do another range but i can't find the analysis (www.ardengrange.com), if u are interested u can e-mail them (always found them very helpful)

I had to find a lower protien food for my dogs and was recommended Chudleys Classic by my local feed supplier,18.5% protein. The dogs love it and are all in good condition. Ingrid

Highlex pet foods from Rochester, Kent make a
Greyhound complete at 18 % protein £ 8.95 a sack delivered
I feed my hounds on it.
It's delivered free of charge too.

Pam

I would have thought that all these dried foods (& goodness knows what stuff is in them!!!) were high in protein. Surely there must be ones that are lower than 18%?
Why not try a natural flesh & biscuit diet......so much better & you know exactly where the meat has come from. Some of these foods contain imported by-products from all sorts of odd countries in the eastern bloc. Not for my hounds I'm afraid!
I eat home grown meat myself, and expect the same high standard for my animals.

Hi Sam,

I absolutely agree!! I just cook extra veg, pasta, rice, roast chicken, fish or whatever else the family are having. If there isn't enough I add to the dogs' dishes raw minced turkey, beef, lamb (kept in the freezer), or, if I am pushed, a tin of 'Tuna in Sunflower Oil'. Sometimes add a grated carrot, a raw egg or any over ripe fruit, well mashed, from the fruit dish. Finish off with a sprinkling of Brewers Yeast. They also get their raw marrow bones too - also kept in the freezer.

I always bear in mind to avoid salt but tend to use garlic powder and black pepper as seasonings for our own food anyway.

This way you can watch your dog and adjust it's intake of protein or carbohydrates accordingly.

My dogs thrive on the variety, are not obese and have really glossy coats.

Like you, I shudder at the thought of what is in commercial dog food! I had a bad experience a while back with my 'best (doggy) friend' which caused me to have a rethink. I have read 'Give Your Dog a Bone' and 'Grow Your Pups with Bones' which helped a lot with the logic of feeding dogs.

It is really refreshing to hear that someone else is doing the same as me!

Bye for now,

Liz

Thank for all you sound advice...

I think I might try the natural approach with my dog as I find that he reacts quite badly to too much protein. It's like giving a child a thousand sweets!!

My only worry is that how can I judge whether he is being feed enough and he has a very embarrasing wind problem when I feed him human food. Any ideas would be appreciated..

Thanks Sally

Hi Sally.

Put what you think looks the right amount in his bowl. If he finishes quickly and is looking for food then he should have a bit more. If he starts to put on too much weight, then cut his food down. It's just trial and error. With complete food you get gidelines on the packaging but every dog is different.

Hi Sally,

It is really a case of keeping an eye on your dog. If he starts to put on weight - then replace the meat with cottage cheese now and again (as I did this morning). If he gets 'wind' then try to think what was in his dinner last night to have that effect and then avoid it next time. I try to treat the dogs' dinners like our own and give them a balanced diet over a period of time. I only give them basic ingredients without fancy flavourings and they love plain yogurt.

Do try to get hold of a copy of 'Give Your Dog a Bone' by Dr Ian Billinghurst from your library, it is well worth the read! I learnt an awful lot from it.

Best wishes,

Liz

Thanks again for your suggestions. I will order a copy of the book you suggested and let you know my progress.

Sally

... another good book which I have is "Let's Cook For Our Dog" by Edmund R Dorosz. (If you have trouble finding it, I can let you know where I got mine). Full of useful information and a different approach to "Give Your Dog a Bone". I, personally, use ideas from both books.

Liz

Thanks Liz, When I get the first book and have read that I'll invest in the other one.

Last night I had run out of dried food so I thought I'd give it a try. Don't really know whether I got it right but Branston really enjoyed it. I bought good quality frozen minced beef in a bag from Tescos and some frozen veg, cooked it up with a little water and added an oxo cube...

Then I read the message board again to see whether I had got it right and saw that it said that you give it to your dogs frozen!! This morning I tried giving the meat frozen and he really loved it!!

HELP!! Until I get the book, I might do him some damage, which is right and which is wrong??

Sally

Sally

Please don't give it to him FROZEN!!! I meant to de-frost it first!!!!

I doubt if it did him any harm - but, would YOU eat your food frozen?

Also OXO cubes have salt in them!! Dogs can't sweat like us to get rid of the salt and they do not need seasonings like humans. He would have loved it just as much plain.

It helps to think of a dog in the wild and the sorts of food that they would be living on. For example dead animals which they would always go for the stomach contents first which contain partly digested vegetation, grains etc. Dogs have short intestines so need their raw veg/fruit broken down before they eat it. A juicier does this really well (don't forget to give them all the roughage in the basket as well). A grater also does the job.

I am sure that when you have read the books, you will understand as much, if not more, than I do!!

Speak to you again soon,

Liz

Wafcol Veteran currently has one of the lowest protein contents in commercially prepared dry dog foods today.... I know cos I've looked at them ALL!

Hi

Thought I'd add my thoughts, it's not only the proten that 'heats' dogs up you need to look at the fat content too. We currently use Bakers which has been fine but will be changing to Davies now we have found a supplier, I used to keep rotties and our vet recommended we keep their protine content down as it used to triger ichy skin and wet excema in my youngest male we changed to Davies and he was fine.

As for the 'wind' problem we have the same issue with our lab and have been recomended to try mint it also helps with sensitive tummy. I have used it before when I had horses. so hopefully it will work this time

Lucy

Burns is below the 20%