Low-Protein Diets???

BarbV

BarbV

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Well, the news about Bacca is not good.

To recap:

- Back in June, the whole left side of his mouth and jowl had swollen up. They could not find an immediate cause but put him on anti-biotics. The guessed either: some kind of infection due to trauma to the mouth or to the other extreme lymphoma.
- While he was getting treated for this, he went off his food. He would not eat reliably and I had to coax and beg him to eat.
- The mouth problem resolved itself, but he continued, throughout the summer to go on and off his food. Some weeks he would be great, other times, he would not eat at all.
- Then we noticed that since the initial mouth problem, his face had become lopsided - partial facial paralysis
- Finally, the vet convinced me to have him sedated to have a full mouth exam and bloodwork done.
- Mouth was fine, bloodwork was not. They diagnosed him with hypothyroid but I also noticed that his ALT and AST counts were very high as well. And his Protein and Albumin were below normal.
- A month after being on thyroid meds, he was tested again. This time his Protein and Albumin were on the low end of normal. But his ALT went from 289 to 641 (where the normal range is 5 to 95). But his thyroid was stabilizing.
- On Friday, I brought him in for a bile acid test.

The weird thing is that he is healthy as healthy can be. He's eating great and is full energy and bounce.

The vet's office called me today and the results are not good. There appears to be something definitely wrong with his liver. Now they are talking ultrasound and biopsy. They believe he may have a liver shunt. I'm meeting the vet on Wednesday to discuss next steps.

The little research that I've been able to do so far, indicate that a low protein diet might also be required. Surgery may or may not be an option.

Bacca is currently on a high protein, grain-free diet - Horizon Legacy. Now I'm wondering if there is any connection between the high protein diet and his liver issues. And perhaps even his thyroid issues? I believe I started him on the high protein diet around March or April.

I don't want to have go to a Hills or Science Diet if that is the case. Can anyone recommend a high-quality, low protein diet, if indeed that's where I need to go?

Sorry for the long post....I just history was important here.
 
Barb, I have no food recommendation for you, but there will be plenty of posts with ideas. I just am praying that Bacca gets turns around here and gets on the mend.

Take Care.
 
I'm so sorry to hear of the continued problems Barb :(
I went and searched, and without going to something like Hill's prescription food (14.7% protein is their lowest), I managed to find Natural Balance's low cal version has 16.5% protein.
http://www.naturalbalanceinc.com/dogformulas/RedCalDog.html
It isn't a grain free food like you've been feeding, but it's about the best lower protein food I can find. Beats the heck out of the corn laden vet formula.
 
Poor Bacca, he is really having a rough time.

I had an old dog with kidney issues that needed to be on low protein levels so I can tell you about his low protein diet.

Most weight maintenance, weight loss and senior dog foods are lower in protein. Also, if you mix in vegies with their food that will generally lower the protein level as well. You could try cutting out a 1/3 of their current food and mixing in 1/3 rice (or oats) and vegies instead - that should cut the protein levels by up to 1/4. Fowl (chicken or duck) tends to be easier protein to break down than red meat protein.

The whole issue of protein levels in dogs is really uncertain - I have read some research saying high protein in non-working dogs is bad and some saying its good. In humans, high protein levels will generally make the symptoms of kidney and liver disease worse but only causes damage in susceptible people over a long period of time.
 
I have no advice for a low protein diet, but I'm sorry to hear Bacca is not doing well. I hope it's nothing serious. We'll be praying for Bacca
 
I'm so sorry to hear about Bacca, Barb. I know how hard you've worked to get to the bottom of this problem.

My vet believes strongly in lower protein diets, with the highest being in the low 20's, so I always look for that first when I shop food. There are several that fit the bill. Now! is one, which you're familiar with; it's a bit higher protein than some others, but it's grain free if you want to stick with that.

Another good food is some of the Eagle Pack Holistic foods (I've used the chicken, duck, and fish mixtures but you can check them all on their website http://www.eaglepack.com/SP_Dogs.html) -- the Reduced Fat formula is the lowest, at 20 percent, followed by the Oatmeal variety at 23 which I've used for Pixie.

Pinnacle also makes some very good foods, at 22 and 23 percent. I like the Trout or the Duck formulas if you can get them in Canada. Their site is http://www.breeders-choice.com/dog_products/pinnacled.htm

After you speak with your vet, you'll have a better idea of just how low he wants the protein level to be. I'd also get Bacca on Milk Thistle...the best supplement in the world for liver issues.

Let me know if there's anything more you need. I'm sending hugs to you and pats to Bacca that this is easily resolved.
 
Barb,
I'm sorry to hear about Bacca's liver issues.

I can't add much to the discussion other than saying that Eagle Pack Holistic foods are very good. That is what I'm currently feeding Edan; though I am considering switching him to Taste of the Wild because I want to limit the grains in Edan's food.
 
I am so sorry to hear this, but hopeful that you will be able to find a course of treatment and diet that will work for Bacca. Hugs to you both. {{{{Barb & Bacca}}}}
 
Barb, I am so darned sorry! This stinks. I'll say prayers to St. Francis that Bacca's health problems resolve soon.
Love,
 
That sucks Barb, but at least you have now found the cause. I guess your search for low protein dog food will depend on how low you vet thinks you need to go to. I wish you and Bacca all of the best.
 
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