boosiebutt Posted February 3, 2005 Share Posted February 3, 2005 The girl who sits behind me at work has a 1 year old dog (outside dog, unless the temp gets below 20F), I don't know the breed. She says she's going to have to take her in to the vet, because his eyes are very red, especially after he eats. She thinks he might be getting too much protein, and is allergic to his food. Is this possible? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TDG Posted February 4, 2005 Share Posted February 4, 2005 there isn't really any such thing as "too much protein". a dog is a carnivorous animal with a digestive tract designed for primarily utilizing protein and fat. however, what [i]could[/i] be a problem is poor quality protein (e.g. stuff like corn and soy gluten as a major source instead of good quality animal protein) and either a sensitivity or allergy to one or more ingredients in the food. i'm positive the dog is eating some brand of food that is very popular but not of particularly good quality. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShatteringGlass Posted February 11, 2005 Share Posted February 11, 2005 [quote name='TDG']there isn't really any such thing as "too much protein". a dog is a carnivorous animal with a digestive tract designed for primarily utilizing protein and fat.[/quote] There is for Dalmatians. Too much protein in a Dalmatian's diet is trouble. Dals are highly prone to form urinary stones from purine-yeilding foods. The amount and the type of protein they get needs to monitored closely. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mouseatthebusstop Posted February 12, 2005 Share Posted February 12, 2005 the shar-pei too can have problems with protein - Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TDG Posted February 12, 2005 Share Posted February 12, 2005 you can't compare apples and oranges - i'm referring to healthy animals here. :) you are talking about very specific genetic health issues, in the same category as for example copper storage disease or a defect in zin c absorption in some breeds. there are always conditions under which normal nutritional principles don't apply, but that doesn't mean that nutrient X or Y is "bad" per se. as a side note--- how come each time i want to use the word "zinc" (withour quotation marks), i get an error when i try to submit a post??? it has happened to me a while back again when i was trying to make a post about things that can be the causes for skin problems... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShatteringGlass Posted February 13, 2005 Share Posted February 13, 2005 [quote name='TDG']you can't compare apples and oranges - i'm referring to healthy animals here. :)[/quote] not sure what you mean by that... :niewiem: are you saying that all Shar-Peis and Dalmatians are unhealthy? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TDG Posted February 13, 2005 Share Posted February 13, 2005 if you don't like the word "healthy" in that context, how does "free of genetic health defects" sound? ultimately the outcome is the same. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TDG Posted February 14, 2005 Share Posted February 14, 2005 oh man, too bad whoever is in charge of this site doesn't seem to care enough. it's easy to fix. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted March 4, 2005 Share Posted March 4, 2005 it is not likely that protein would cause this kind of reaction. Most dog allergies are a result of grain, not meat--for obvious reasons. more likely is that the food the dog is being fed contains some kind of grain. even the "good" kibble contains somewhere around 35-50% grain. dogs are carnivores. the only grain they would ever be exposed to in the wild would be that which they ate out of the stomach of their prey. most omnivores have an enzyme--amylase--which allows them to process grain VERY quickly, so it would be nearly impossible for carnivore to be exposed to the level of grain that is found in most kibble. The only exception that I am aware of is a product called Innova EVO. It supposedly contains NO grain whatsoever. Feeding RAW diet is at least a thousand times better than even the best kibble. I just started feeding RAW and I am shocked by how easy it is, how cheap it is, and how quickly you see results in your dog. I can get chicken necks/backs for about $0.15/lb--cheaper than even mediocre dog food. Just buy some vegetables that are on sale at the grocery store and you have the best diet you could ask for for about 1/2 the price per pound. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TDG Posted March 5, 2005 Share Posted March 5, 2005 [quote]it is not likely that protein would cause this kind of reaction. Most dog allergies are a result of grain, not meat--for obvious reasons.[/quote] actually that's a very common misconception. food allergies are caused mostly by proteins that the body considers as "foreign", and kicks the immune system into action. meat is [b]not[/b] the only source of food that contains protein, so a particular meat source is not ecessarily the problem. the words "protein" and "meat" can not be used interchangeably. [quote]dogs are carnivores.[/quote] even in scientific circles there's still disagreement about that. many people like to refer back to the wolf when discussing a "natural diet" for dogs, and even tho i do not agree with that 100%, i just fr the argument's sake i will go with the claim for now. i would rather describe dogs and wolves as opportunistic feeders - scavengers with a carnivorous background, who of course prefer fresh meat whenever they can get it. one of the world Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted March 6, 2005 Share Posted March 6, 2005 I know that the chicken that I buy is free from hormones and antibiotics. All of the vegetables I buy come from the produce section at Walmart. How should I go about finding out if there are pesticides, etc in the vegetables? Also, what supplements do you recommend? I supplement with Vitamin C at the moment. What else should I be supplementing? Thanks, Joseph Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TDG Posted March 6, 2005 Share Posted March 6, 2005 i think your only chance to get information about the vegetables is contacting the source. most veggies and fruits have labels on them telling you where they come from and who the distributor is. my basic recommendation for supplementation is fish oil, vitamin C and E and a good human grade probiotic supplement, but it really depends on the individual dog. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nanook Posted July 19, 2005 Share Posted July 19, 2005 I agree on the vitamins...they have worked well for me in the past... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pitbull Posted August 12, 2005 Share Posted August 12, 2005 TDG.... :) aka MORDY? Chazhound regular? Food Guru? lol I'll stop now Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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