Ask The Expert

The Question,

We are buying 2 shar pei. a breed known to be prone to allergies, can get bloat and have kidney disease. With this in mind, I would like to buy high quality food but am leary of high protein low carb because I am worried about the possible kidney problems. 3 shar pei breaders have told me they use Nutro Lamb & Rice formula. But this does not get high ranks on pet food analysis sites though most pet food buyers rave about it. They say its great for their pets with allergies. What do you think?

~Janine

The Answer

Regarding the Nutro’s - I can definitely say that I am not a fan of this company.  I have never felt that I see good clinical results compared to other foods.  I really question the quality of the food. Personal opinion.

As for feeding an allergy pet - I have several allergy animals on an all natural all raw diet, (which is very high in protein) without any negative effects.  The fact is that high (quality) protein is NOT bad for the kidney’s, but rather high POOR quality protein is bad for the kidneys.  A raw food is UNPROCESSED protein in its natural form and therefore easy on the kidneys.   The quality of the protein is better too - coming from muscle and organ meat, rather that from chicken feathers, beaks and feet (which is technically protein but not very digestible, therefore poor quality).

My recommendation is to research your local area for a holistic veterinarian that can truthfully answer your questions about allergies and raw food (western vets won’t tell you the whole truth on this one) and decide if this is a good choice for your situation.  Feeding a raw food diet should never be taken lightly and MUST be done correctly to be good for your pet.  It is hard to find accurate info on this, so please seek advice from a vet that practices alternative medicine.

Good luck.

Dr. Sandra Miller

1 Comment to “Ask The Expert”

  1. Soo says:

    Thanks for this post Doctor, it was very informative. Beaks, feet and feathers don’t even sound appetizing, much less containing any nutrative benefits! Yuck. Two paws up on this post!

    Soo
    http://www.soosoriginals.com

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