Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Does anyone have their dog on a low carb diet? The vet recommended it to prevent/slow tumor growth (if Brewster's cancer happens to come back). The first 3 ingredients should not be a grain or carb. I did some research and am finding that the majority of the "low carb" foods actually have 39% carbs. They do not explicitally list the carb contents in the nutrition info, and you have to calculate it manually. Most of the supposed low carb options disguise the grains by saying the name of a meat meal (e.g. chicken meal). It sounds like the "meal" part includes grains. I am still researching, but I'm open to any option, including pre-packaged BARF diets. I just don't have the time or freezer space to do it myself. Brewster does have a sensitive stomach, though, so I'm hoping to find a kibble that works.

Thanks in advance!
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Amanda's Pack: Greg the Husband, Kate the daughter, Liam the son, Brewster the Shiba Inu, Cassie the Torbie & Fenway the Leopard Gecko!

Amanda- I am sorry that Brewster's lump was not a simple cyst. Thankfully, it does look like things were caught early enough though.

Low carb vs. grain free- you are correct- there is a big difference. The Origen brand is the kibble I have found with the lowest carbohydrate content with the highest protein value if you are talking kibble diets. Although, all kibble has more carbohydrates than the frozen raw diets.

Your best bet when dealing with low carbohydrate diets is to either make food yourself, go with the frozen pre-packaged raw diets (expensive), or go with canned foods. Canned foods are also more expensive, but have much higher protein than anything in kibble form. There is also a company called "Better in the Raw" that offers the mineral suppliments a dog needs and you add the fresh meat. I find ground turkey to be relatively cheap in my area, so that has been a graet option for us.

Also, I do find my dogs handle some carbohydrates better than others. I still keep the levels as low as I can, and wheat and corn are never used. Yet, sweet potatoe on the other hand seem relatively neutral for them which is one of the main carbs in Sojourn Farm's dehydrated raw diet. I am not opposed to rice for Shibas either, except I want to quality of rice to be decent. Brewer's rice doesn't cut it.

Good luck with search.
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Chelle and the rest of the crew including, but not limited to Kita and Taiko (the shiba inu wrestle maniacs), Adi (reserved and dignified tabby cat), and all 28 reptiles www.freewebs.com/performanceshibas

Thank you so much for the info, Chelle! I just looked into Orijen and it sounded great until I read the reviews. There were several people saying that their dogs liver enzymes went out of wack and some dogs had liver failure due to the high amounts of protein. It's so hard to know what is exactly right. I think I will buy a low-carb kibble for breakfast (1/4 or 1/3 cup) and then half of a small can of something for dinner. I have to figure it out soon, though, because he is running out of his current food and I need to have some left in order to transition him.
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Amanda's Pack: Greg the Husband, Kate the daughter, Liam the son, Brewster the Shiba Inu, Cassie the Torbie & Fenway the Leopard Gecko!

If it is high in protein it is by definition low in carbohydrates, so....
I too had heard about the hightened liver values many dogs get while on Orijen. It's not very different from the raw feeders see when they switch. Kita did test higher in liver values in one test and we did treat her with milk thistle for 4 months to counter that as well as added water to the Orijen instead of her eating it dry. Her liver values stabilized to near perfect after that for the rest of her life. I do believe the switch from a high carbohydrate diet to a low carbohydrate diet does tax the body a bit. I also believe long term that the switch is better for them. Understand that the "normal" values for liver have been established from dogs that are fed kibble.
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Chelle and the rest of the crew including, but not limited to Kita and Taiko (the shiba inu wrestle maniacs), Adi (reserved and dignified tabby cat), and all 28 reptiles www.freewebs.com/performanceshibas

I got a sample of the Orijen Senior blend. I liked that it had salmon and herring in it, and the Evo did not have any fish. I also bought some Wild Alaskan Salmon snacks for the Omega 3 (had a higher % than the oil). We'll see how this goes. Brewster is known for his tummy problems, so paws crossed!
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Amanda's Pack: Greg the Husband, Kate the daughter, Liam the son, Brewster the Shiba Inu, Cassie the Torbie & Fenway the Leopard Gecko!

Well, the first couple of days were rough. I made the mistake of introducing the salmon treat and the new food on the same day. I only gave him 2 small salmon treats (size of a nickel) and then later I gave him about 6 morsels of the new food mixed in with his existing food. He threw-up and had a sick belly for the next day or so. We went back to serving him solely the old food for a ocuple of days, and then slowly introduced the new food by adding just a few pieces at a time. We are now giving him more of the old food than the new food, and he seems to be doing okay.
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Amanda's Pack: Greg the Husband, Kate the daughter, Liam the son, Brewster the Shiba Inu, Cassie the Torbie & Fenway the Leopard Gecko!

I meant more of the new food than the old. We're at about 75/25 and he's okay. Paws crossed! Now I just have to find an Omega fatty acid that agrees with his belly.
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Amanda's Pack: Greg the Husband, Kate the daughter, Liam the son, Brewster the Shiba Inu, Cassie the Torbie & Fenway the Leopard Gecko!

Probiotics are your friend during these kinds of transitions. Glad you are getting him transitioned though. Hopefulyl he does well on the new food.
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Chelle and the rest of the crew including, but not limited to Kita and Taiko (the shiba inu wrestle maniacs), Adi (reserved and dignified tabby cat), and all 28 reptiles www.freewebs.com/performanceshibas

Atemis has been on Wellness Core Ocean Formula for about a year. She likes it. I just got it because the store was out of her normal Wellness. It's more expensive (close to $70 a bag), but it's what's available at the store we go to.