Low Protein Dog Treats For Your Dog With Kidney Problems

There's a rash of dogs with kidney problems these days. If you're dealing with this, your vet may have recommended low protein dog treats and food to reduce the amount of work your dog's kidneys have to do to process the food.

Here's what to look for in a low protein dog treats and food:

Dog Food

1. Uremic Toxins

Uremic toxins are by products made as the kidneys function normally. These toxic materials are usually released through urination, but, if your dog has kidney problems, this may be more difficult. A low protein dog diet will limit the production of uremic toxins, making your dog's kidney's have to work a little less.

2. Nausea

If these uremic toxins build up in your pet, your dog will begin to feel fatigued or nauseated. She might vomit. Giving your dog low protein foods will help limit nausea.

3. Low Phosphorus Content

If your dog is suffering from any kidney problem, they can't consume a lot of phosphorus (found in protein-hence the low protein diet restriction).

If your pet does continue with her typical diet, she could develop hyperphosphatemia. This condition ends in electrolyte imbalances with the dog and if left untreated it can cause renal failure as well. Coupled with the kidney problems, this can lead to dialysis.

The kidneys do a lot of the heavy lifting of ridding your pet's body of toxins. Any chemicals in the food, pollutants, insecticides, food coloring agents, anything not needed for health gets eliminated by the kidneys.

Once your dog is diagnosed with kidney problems, you have to figure out a way to handle it. Vets will usually recommend limiting protein and place the dogs on low protein diets.

Yet it's a fine balance. According to veterinarian Dr. Pitcairn, you don't want to reduce protein altogether as that can be harmful. But do you want to feed enough good quality protein (like real meat) so your pet gets the nutrients he needs.

He also says your dog will need more vitamins A, B & C. These will nourish your pets immune system and help the kidneys.

Many pet owners have opted out of the prescription foods and started cooking for their pets.
You can even make homemade low protein dog treats. They're fun and easy.

If you're interested in learning more about low protein dog treats recipes, please visit my website where I share homemade dog treat recipes for your dog.

Low Protein Dog Treats For Your Dog With Kidney Problems

Dog Food

Dog Food: Is There Enough Protein in Your Dog's Diet?

Dogs love to eat meat. We don't have to convince them to eat their protein but, unless you have taught your dog how to open your refrigerator door, he may not be getting all the protein he needs from his diet.

Protein is the building block of our dog's body - and our own. In fact, proteins account for 20% of our body weight. Inadequate dietary protein is a form of malnutrition and can lead to muscle loss, weakness, muscular-skeletal problems, hair loss, and if severe enough, organ failure.

Dog Food

How much protein does your dog need to be healthy?

In 2006, the National Academies of Science published a report on the nutritional guidelines for dogs and cats. According to these veterinary researchers a normal adult dog requires 0.75 - 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight to maintain his health.

A dog weighing 30 lbs needs approximately 30 grams of protein every day.

If you cook homemade food for your dog, then it's pretty easy to figure out how much protein you are feeding your dog - just read the labels on the meat, eggs, or dairy products you use as protein sources.

But, what if you feed kibble or canned dog food? Generally, dog kibble manufacturers only report the amount of protein as a minimum percentage. It's easy to convert the percentage to grams: multiply the % protein on the bag or can by the weight of your dog's daily diet. So, for example, if you feed your dog 1 lb (454-grams) of kibble every day and the food contains 12% protein then the your dog eats 54 grams of protein every day.

The formula

No one likes a word problem, so here's the formula:

(protein percent) x (weight in grams) = grams of protein

0.12 x 454g = 54 grams of protein

We are what we eat, and so are our dogs. Making sure they eat adequate amounts of protein every day is a good first step to living long happy doggy lives. The NAS report is available to the public at http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=10668

Dog Food: Is There Enough Protein in Your Dog's Diet?

Dog Food

Top 10 Protein Foods List - Know the Best Protein-Rich Foods You Should Eat

Protein is essential in building muscles, restoring and replacing tissues, and maintaining a healthy immune and hormonal system. For people who are physically active, more protein is needed in their diets. The following list contains the top foods that are the best sources of protein.

Protein-rich foods for vegetarian athletes:

Dog Food

1. Cowpeas and leafy tips that are cooked and drained (may be added with salt)
2. Raw and fresh egg whites
3. Cheeses such as cottage cheese, non-creamed cheese, dry cheese, and non-fat cheese
4. Dried seaweed and spirulina
5. Extra-Firm or Silken-Lite Mori-Nu Tofu
6. Soy sauce from tamari
7. Low-fat, 1% milk-fat cottage cheese
8. Lite-Firm Mori-Nu Tofu
9. Raw pumpkin leaves
10. Nuts and seeds such as cashew nuts, walnuts, and almonds

The following are the top 10 animal-based and plant-based protein foods:

1. Red meat such as beef, pork, and liver
2. White meat such as chicken and fish
3. Eggs and dairy products such as:
a. Hard cheeses including Parmesan
b. Soft cheeses such as Mozzarella, Brie, and Camembert
c. Medium cheeses such as cheddar and Swiss
d. Yogurt
e. Cottage cheese
f. Milk
g. Eggs
4. Legumes - These are edible dried beans (seedpods) such as chickpeas, flagelot beans, kidney beans, split beans, haricot beans, and lentils. They are rich sources of protein.
5. Nuts and seeds - Over the years, nuts and seeds have been among the best sources of protein. Examples of nuts are almonds, cashew nuts, peanuts, and walnuts. These can be served chopped, raw, or roasted.
6. Cereals and food grains - Eating protein-rich cooked grains promotes muscle building.
7. Algae - A type of seaweed, spirulina is among the best protein-rich foods there are.
8. Fruits - With today's technology, fruits can be eaten canned, frozen, or dried. Regardless of how they are prepared, fruits are still nutritious and included in the list of protein-rich foods.
9. Vegetables - Laden with protein, vitamins, and minerals, vegetables are known to be among the best foods for staying healthy.
10. Seitan - Seitan is a meat substitute. It is prepared from whole-wheat flour mixed with sufficient amount of water, kneaded and rinsed in water, expelling starch and bran. The protein is simmered in a soya sauce to become seitan. Seitan broth can be added as flavoring.

Top 10 Protein Foods List - Know the Best Protein-Rich Foods You Should Eat

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Beware Excessive Protein Are Bad For Your Dog's Health

Just like any living organism in this world, dogs have certain food that they should avoid or not eat. Because your dog cannot communicate with you directly, it is the responsibility of the dog owner to take care of a dog's dietary needs.

dog food for sensitive stomachs

It is commonly known that chocolates are bad for a dog health, and you should not feed your dog any food that even contain chocolate. Not as commonly known are raisins and grapes, as both are toxic to dogs, too much of them in your dog's stomach might even cost him his life.

Dog Food For Sensitive Stomachs

While many of such these ingredients come from homemade diets and snacks, this articles seek to inform you that commercial products may contain deadly and harmful ingredients too. They are namely excessive proteins and chemical preservatives that you might have unknowingly feed your dog constantly.

Dog food companies manufacture and formulated "performance food" in the market. These dog foods have high or rather excessive amount of protein and are designed specially for dogs or working dogs with a high level of activities. These food are consider to be containing excessive protein and would be unsuitable for smaller breeds or dogs that seldom exercise.

In cases whereby dogs get excessive protein in their body, thay are excreted in the dog's urine and it was research and believe that excessive protein content might also be one of the cause for damaging a dog's kidney. It is also known that damaged kidneys have difficulty processing protein.

It was also believe that excessive protein cause dogs to show more aggression because too much protein provide too much energy for dogs to handle effectively. Although it is not the food that makes the dog aggressive, it might be that the already aggressive nature dog is affected by a high protein diet and need space to release them. It is certain that some dogs that show certain type of aggressive behavior can be tame by feeding a lower protein content diet.

Chemical preservative is present in most commercial dog food for obvious reason - to preserve and increase the life span of the food. Preservatives in dog food can prevent mold related fungus that can cause severe health problems in dogs that eat them.

However, some of these chemical preservatives are detrimental to the dogs that consume them, even when in small amounts. Preservatives, such as Ethoxyquin, BHA and BHT have been investigated for their links to certain health disorders. Ethoxyquin, above all, shows indication to be cancer causing to dogs.

Dog owners out there, do understand that your dog's health is your sole responsibility. Do take extra care and time to research and feed the best dog food whenever possible.

Beware Excessive Protein Are Bad For Your Dog's Health

Dog Food For Sensitive Stomachs