Protein and volume content question

[Madzy420]

My 2.5 yr old 75lb dobie is allergic to beef, lamb, turkey, kangaroo, rabbit, brewer's yeast, milk, oats, beet pulp, rice and soybean. That's just the items that scored high. We were feeding her Voyager but she started itching again and sp I looked at the food to see what they added. Lo, and behold, they added beet pulp, brown rice and yeast.
Of course, the company denies this and they say they had it in there all along, which is bs. Anyway, I cannot find one food out there that doesn't have these nasty fillers in it.
Because of that, I'm having to make my own food, which isn't a problem (cause I'm retired!).
PRoblem is...I have no idea how much protein and calories she needs. There is too much conflicting info that makes my head spin!

We did follow one recipe and guildeline which said she needed 30% protein and 1650 cal a day. (Which seems a lot.) After putting all of the ingtedients in my Lose It app, one daily meal was 745 calories but...it was SIX cups of food!!! It had pumpkin, sweet potato, green beans, black eyed peas, chicken, coconut oil, carrots and water. I have a calcium and salmon oil supplement on order too. See attachment for macros.


I'm waiting to see if this makes her sick. It seems like way too much volume for those macros. After reading another article here, I see that carbs dont matter and protein can be higher, which would be easier to make (with lower volume!)

Any suggestions on what her macros vs volume should be? Should I worry about the volume? Thanks for any help.

 

[BGpa]

Wow. Tough one...too much volume is often why dobe puppies get the squirts, but as you say; still waiting to see how she does.

I dont see any fish in there. Have you looked at Costco's salmon based kibble ingredients?

How was the allergy testing done?

I confess I dont know much about nutrition but I see all sorts of conversation on it on social media going back aways, and more now with raw food trend.

 

[Madzy420]

Yes, it has flaxseed and copper proteniate (also called cheleated copper) in it. She's allergic to flaxseed (which I left out because the list is so long!) Also, cheleated copper is extremely bad for dogs. Causes liver and kidney damage.

 

[BGpa]

Yes, it has flaxseed and copper proteniate (also called cheleated copper) in it. She's allergic to flaxseed (which I left out because the list is so long!) Also, cheleated copper is extremely bad for dogs. Causes liver and kidney damage.

Thanks! AWASA has talked about noting copper levels in past, and the form of it is also confusing to me...we are avoiding beef liver treats and other high copper sources as Bonnie has the "most penetrant" copper storage gene.

So far no symptoms and like DCM the gene marker is only correlation, not causation. But more and more good nutrition science is coming out now, including home cooking. Have you tried doing an AI search for science based studies or online sources? I use Grok which is rated best for sciencey stuff, specify for links, peer reviewed studies etc.

Then I read the links and studies and use my own brain on conclusions.

 

[Madzy420]

Yes, and each time the results come back with different macros. AI makes me pull my hair out sometimes! Lol. That's why I wanted suggestions from other Dobie owners who make their own food. Thank you for the reply, tho.

Im still searching. So far, she likes the food we made. I'm going to adjust the macros for more protein, less carbs and add calcium and salmon oil for omega3, etc. We'll get it figured out. This poor dog and her allergies!!

 

[JanS]

That's a tough list to follow to avoid the ingredients on it.

I refuse to give anything with beet pulp or those other junk fillers too.
We feed Taste of the Wild Ancient Grains and our dogs have done well with it. We feed the wetlands formula and I don't think it has any of the ingredients you need to avoid. Of course they have other formulas like Ancient Stream that might be okay for her too.

Recipe Finder — Taste of the Wild Pet Food

Are you searching for the right recipe for your dog or cat? With our unique recipe finder, you can find the right diet that suits your pet's unique needs!

www.tasteofthewildpetfood.com

 

[BGpa]

That's a tough list to follow to avoid the ingredients on it.

I refuse to give anything with beet pulp or those other junk fillers too.
We feed Taste of the Wild Ancient Grains and our dogs have done well with it. We feed the wetlands formula and I don't think it has any of the ingredients you need to avoid. Of course they have other formulas like Ancient Stream that might be okay for her too.

Recipe Finder — Taste of the Wild Pet Food

Are you searching for the right recipe for your dog or cat? With our unique recipe finder, you can find the right diet that suits your pet's unique needs!

www.tasteofthewildpetfood.com

Taste of the Wild Ancient Grains has different recipes correct? I know of a third generation Dobe breeder/trainer/LEO contractor who lists it on the website as among things they use.

I dont think there is an easy answer here OP... just keep trying what works on your dog.

I think I've read the allergy tests can be tricky- what shows up on skin tests may not be as indicative of how something is ingested, and your observations...or is that a human being test?

Thats all I got....
so keep up the good work, and I defer as usual to the more experienced dobe cognoscenti here...

 

[JanS]

I think I've read the allergy tests can be tricky- what shows up on skin tests may not be as indicative of how something is ingested, and your observations...or is that a human being test?

They do it on dogs too. Now there's the 5Strands allergy test for dogs too and I believe they just use a hair sample. @Katyusharocket ?

 

[Katyusharocket]

They do it on dogs too. Now there's the 5Strands allergy test for dogs too and I believe they just use a hair sample. @Katyusharocket ?

Yes, 5strands is available for dogs, and it is a hair test. I bought it and used it, even though I thought the "science" they use behind it is sketchy. The reason I tried it anyway was that our vet clinic uses a blood test that even the vet that owns the clinic isn't a believer in it (cost $400). So I bought the 5strands because it isn't invasive, was relatively cheap and even if it was 50% correct, at least I had something. I can't say if I recommend it or not, because what I was treating as allergies turned out to be hormonally triggered hair loss. Had I been dealing with allergy triggered hair loss, I would have more of a basis to recommend or not. I bought it, fighting the wrong type of hair loss. I will say that I do not see having used it as a waste of money, as it offers pretty cheap guidance that one can at least try before investing in something further.