Question about Diet Protein

[FridayGt]

Ok, so I've read and read and read some more through the forums here on nutrition. As a few of you know, I've had Biggie for about a month now. A couple weeks ago I switched him over to Taste of the Wild, Prarie. I basically just tried to get the most highly rated food that was readily available in my area. You know, just in case I ran out, I wouldn't have to order, I could just run to the store.

Anyway, he's been doing great. Stool is firm and plentiful... believe me... lol. Hardly any gas problems anymore compared to when he was on the eukanuba from the breeder. I've been reading through the forums a little bit more and came across a couple of other posts in another thread that said to watch out for the protein levels in this all stages food.

I guess my concern is, how do I watch out for it? I obviously can't measure the protein being obsorbed by his body, but will his growth rate tell me anything? He's 12 weeks old and now weighs about 21lbs. I understand the theory behind wanting to ensure a good controlled growth rate in a larger breed dog especially in order to reduce bone and joint problems later in life due to the rapid growth. I just wonder how I can Watch out. There is so very little quality food here in the area and this really was the best option that was readily available.

My next concern would be, if there is some way to determine that he is in fact taking in too much protein from this chow, how far should I go down the scale of quality to correct it? With my job I travel A LOT, so ordering food would really be an irresponsible decision for me. I need to keep him on something I know I can find in stores. That being said, there aren't many foods available in the area that are even close to taste of the wild's quality.

 

[bmac6174]

Hello,

We are going thru the same thing which is what brought me to this site. Benny jumped off the couch and hurt his elbow a $492 ER visit showed no fractures but the vet recommended we give him food that has less than 25% protein so we are going to switch from Blue Buffalo to Fromm and see how it goes. Fromm seems to rate pretty well with this forum.


Good luck.

 

[TessaAndSamson]

Personally I have heard alot of conflicting statements on protein levels. Samson has been on a higher protein food like he is now at 35% (Natures Variety Instinct Salmon formula) to as low as 21% (Natural Balance Sweet Potato & Salmon). The only difference I notice is that the more protein the food has the less kibble they need. As for feeding Biggie Taste Of The Wild, it's a great food and all life stages, I think it's a great choice.

 

[FridayGt]

Hello,

We are going thru the same thing which is what brought me to this site. Benny jumped off the couch and hurt his elbow a $492 ER visit showed no fractures but the vet recommended we give him food that has less than 25% protein so we are going to switch from Blue Buffalo to Fromm and see how it goes. Fromm seems to rate pretty well with this forum.


Good luck.

Yeah, I wanted to get Fromm, but it isn't available locally to me. I even went to Fromm's website to see where they had retailers in my area. After visiting the 2nd store that was about an hour away from home that was listed on the site, but still didn't carry it, I stopped looking. So there were no fractures, does the vet think there was a luxation or partial dislocation? I'm sorry to hear that!

Personally I have heard alot of conflicting statements on protein levels. Samson has been on a higher protein food like he is now at 35% (Natures Variety Instinct Salmon formula) to as low as 21% (Natural Balance Sweet Potato & Salmon). The only difference I notice is that the more protein the food has the less kibble they need. As for feeding Biggie Taste Of The Wild, it's a great food and all life stages, I think it's a great choice.

Hmmm... that's good to hear. Through the reading I was doing, it appears as though this can be a hotly debated topic. It just appears as though there is no real definitive answer on the matter and either way is a roll of the dice for me. Either a really high quality high protein food that may make him grow too fast, or a really poor quality food that's lower in protein. He was already 21lbs at 12 weeks, but from looking down on him while he's standing he still has a VERY definitive waist line and tiny booty. That, and he was already a big puppy when we got him. When we brought him home at 8 weeks, he was about 1 ounce or so shy of 13 pounds.

 

[bullmama]

Just make sure he is getting plenty of excersises. I have researched this and came up short. A lot of conflicting info. It is during the puppy stage that it is a concern. a lot of the concern is WHAT the protiens are, and how they are used by the body. Example is soy, that is a bad protein.

Have you looked into petflow [MENTION=1748]FridayGt[/MENTION] ?

 

[FridayGt]

[MENTION=2]desertskybulldogs[/MENTION], Ahh, I understand that. I'll have to look more into the specific proteins in his chow, but I don't recall seeing Soy. He does get a lot of exercise, at least one long walk a day, often times two. Usually two sessions a day playing with toys and the rest of the time he's either napping or just wants to snuggle, unless of course we're out on yet another adventure. I've looked into online ordering before and I think petflow specifically. I just worry as I am extrememly forgetful, that and my job has me gone a lot and often with little to no notice. I suppose the best bet with this will be to just keep a good open dialogue with his vet. To make sure that we're keeping an eye on his growth and to be certain that we're comfortable with his progression, just normal puppy stuff.

 

[bullmama]

[MENTION=2]desertskybulldogs[/MENTION], Ahh, I understand that. I'll have to look more into the specific proteins in his chow, but I don't recall seeing Soy. He does get a lot of exercise, at least one long walk a day, often times two. Usually two sessions a day playing with toys and the rest of the time he's either napping or just wants to snuggle, unless of course we're out on yet another adventure. I've looked into online ordering before and I think petflow specifically. I just worry as I am extrememly forgetful, that and my job has me gone a lot and often with little to no notice. I suppose the best bet with this will be to just keep a good open dialogue with his vet. To make sure that we're keeping an eye on his growth and to be certain that we're comfortable with his progression, just normal puppy stuff.

The nice thing about petflow is that you can set up a delivery schedule and they do not charge your card until they ship. Then you don't have to worry about being forgetful, but you do need to make sure your schedule is set up for a timely delivery. It is awesome