Ok I am chaning Dusty's food for one last time because she won't eat any other food that I have tried. Which one would you go with?

Innova Senior
Senior Ingredients: Turkey, Chicken, Ground Barley, Ground Brown Rice, Potatoes, Rice Bran, Rice, Natural Flavors, Chicken Meal, Herring, Chicken Fat, Apples, Carrots, Cottage Cheese, Sunflower Oil, Alfalfa Sprouts, Egg, Garlic, Calcium Carbonate, Taurine, Chicory Root Extract, Glucosamine, Chondroitin Sulfate, Viable Naturally Occurring Microorganisms, Vitamins/Minerals.
Senior Guaranteed Analysis:
Crude Protein (min) 18.0%
Crude Fat (min) 8.0%
Crude Fiber (max) 5.5%
Moisture (max) 10.0 %
Vitamin E (min) 1000 IU/kg
Chondroitin Sulfate (min) 485 mg/kg
Glucosamine (min) 573 mg/kg
Total Microorganisms (min) 90,000,000 CFU/LB

Senior Calorie Content:
3,490 kcal/kg
397 kcal/cup

Solid Gold Holistique Blend
New Formula! Dry food formula made with Oatmeal, Barley, Ocean Fish, and Potatoes. Ideal for less active adult or senior dogs, to maintain total health. Perfect for those dogs who require less protein and fat.

Protein, Min 18%
Fat, Min 6%
Fiber, Max 4%
Moisture, Max 10%
Calories per cup, 336


Ingredients
Oatmeal | Cracked Pearled Barley | Millet | Ocean Fish | Potatoes | Canola Oil | Tomato Pomace | Flaxseed | Natural Flavor | Salmon Oil (source of DHA) | Choline Chloride | Taurine | Dried Chicory Root | Amaranth | Parsley Flakes | Spearmint | Almond Oil | Sesame Oil | Yucca Schidigera Extract | Kelp | Thyme | Blueberries | Cranberries | Apples | Lentils | Quinoa | Vitamin E Supplement | Iron Proteinate | Zinc Proteinate | Copper Proteinate | Ferrous Sulfate | Zinc Sulfate | Copper Sulfate | Potassium Iodide | Thiamine Mononitrate | Manganese Proteinate | Manganous Oxide | Ascorbic Acid | Vitamin A Supplement | Biotin | Calcium Panthothenate | Manganese Sulfate | Sodium Selenite | Pyridoxine Hydrochloride | Vitamin B12 Supplement | Riboflavin | Vitamin D Supplement | Folic Acid |

The solid gold is mostly fillers (millet, barley, oatmeal). The Innova is better source protein (first 2 on list).

How old is Dusty? I personally feel that a higher protein is better for seniors to help maintain muscle mass, especially when they are less active and have or could develope arthritis. I would prefer a 24-26% protein or higher.

I know of a breeder feeding a 13 year old Nature's Variety (42%) and the dog is doing great on it.

The solid gold is mostly fillers (millet, barley, oatmeal). The Innova is better source protein (first 2 on list).

How old is Dusty? I personally feel that a higher protein is better for seniors to help maintain muscle mass, especially when they are less active and have or could develope arthritis. I would prefer a 24-26% protein or higher.

I know of a breeder feeding a 13 year old Nature's Variety (42%) and the dog is doing great on it.
I agree. But the problem is she gains weight sooo fast because of her hypothyroid. And doesn't get much exercise because she has bad hips. She goes for 2 walks a day down the block and back. That is all she can handle. She is 12yrs old.

I agree. But the problem is she gains weight sooo fast because of her hypothyroid. And doesn't get much exercise because she has bad hips. She goes for 2 walks a day down the block and back. That is all she can handle. She is 12yrs old.

Then I would consider putting her on a grain free food - no fillers and you will feed less (higher in cal/cup) and you can always cut back a bit on this food and fill in with canned string beans.

Below is part of a dissertation that a friend forwarded me (she is the author and has done a tremendous amount of research). Notice the hi protein for weight loss.

"High protein diets are useful for rapid weight loss, decreasing injury
chances , and great for keeping lean muscle mass. For weight loss, high
protein diets have been shown to increase weight loss, specifically fat loss
- not lean muscle mass. Dogs on high protein diets kept their muscle as
opposed to dogs who were just given less of a normal dog food. When cutting back on "normal" foods, there is an insufficient amount of nitrogen from the amino acids in proteins and therefore, muscle mass is broken down to provide the nitrogen - so the dogs don't just lose some fat, but a lot of muscle. Dogs fed high protein diets (in a study with Greyhounds racing 500m) were less likely to be taken out on injury. Higher carb/less protein diets had dogs out a lot of the study for 2-3 days on soft tissue damage. Studies have shown that dogs 8 years+ should be fed higher protein diets (42% or more) to help them sustain lean muscle mass - as long as they are healthy and kidney function is normal. Conventional thinking was that high protein diets would cause kidney damage, but this is not true; high protein diets have not been attributed to damaging the kidneys. Now, if there are kidney problems, research shows that dogs may benefit from a lower protein diet so that the kidney does not have to process much. We have to remember that all protein sources are not created equal."

The only thing I would disagree with (as I know about it ) is the part about lower protein when kidney problems exhist. I was advised to do the opposite and added fresh meat protein to every meal of my senior girl and she lived comfortably with no outward signs for 1 1/2 years to age 16.

Now I don't necessarily feel that it has to be 42% + for seniors but in your case I think you need to try cutting out the grains and you will not find a food much lower than 40% with no grains.

If you want to give it a try I use Nature's Variety Instinct. www.nature'svariety.com (http://www.nature'svariety.com)

I would dbl check with your vet or a holistic vet about hi protein as pertaining to the hypothyroid (as I don't know much about that condition having never dealt with it).

Also wanted to point out that my girls have maintained their weight beautifully for 5 weeks now since switching from 26% prot. to the NV at 42% (feeding less food but same amount of calories/day)

Oh Ok thanks. I was just worried about the kidney part because she had elevated protein levels last time we got her blood work done. I use Nature's Variety Raw Instinct for my dog right now but I didn't know if it would put too much weight on her. I am going to a natural pet food store tonight so I might just pick up that for her or Orijen. Thanks so much for that information.

P.S. I can't get her to eat any veggies and she is a brat if she doesn't like her food she won't eat for days. She never use to be like this until she got old and grumpy. J/K She is still the sweetest thing!! :)

What you want to look for in blood work pertaining to kidneys is the following:

BUN (urea nitrogen)
Creatinine
Phosphorous

Specific gravity in urinalysis

Have never heard of elevated protein pertaining to kidney issues in my experience with the disease. I could be wrong but you may want to dble check this with your vet. And I would ask them for a copy of the blood work to have on file so you have a base line to compare to. If your girl does show signs of KF she should be monitored regularly thru bloodwork. And there are many holistic things you can do for her.

If the above levels are normal I wouldn't worry about the hi protein. And not sure I would even if they aren't normal.

My girl was elevated on all of the above and ate a 26% protein kibble 1 cup with 1/2 cup cooked chop meat 2x/day and did very well. It wasn't her kidneys that even took her at age 16. She became anemic and I decided it was time.

If you are unsure - I would ask a holistic vet as your vet may be older and not kept up on the newest theories/studies about this kidney/protein issues.

I was advised to feed the above in late 2003-early 2004 so this adding good quality protein has been around for a while.

PS: If you decide to go with the Instinct keep in mind that my dogs were tested immediately after starting this food due to the recall and their BUN was elevated. My vet felt it could be because of the hi protein and their bodies needing to adjust.

4 weeks later BUN was in normal range on all dogs.

Other pups from my last litter were not initially tested for recall until weeks on this new food and their initial tests were normal BUN

FWIW, I don't think Innova markets that old low-protein senior formula kibble anymore. They now have "Senior Plus" (24% protein) and "large breed Senior" (26% protein.)

http://www.naturapet.com/brands/innova.asp

FWIW, I don't think Innova markets that old low-protein senior formula kibble anymore. They now have "Senior Plus" (24% protein) and "large breed Senior" (26% protein.)

http://www.naturapet.com/brands/innova.asp
I noticed the Senior wasn't on there website but the senior plus was. The place I go to still has the senior :confused:

I noticed the Senior wasn't on there website but the senior plus was. The place I go to still has the senior :confused:It may be a recent change. I think they caught up with the research (or perhaps consumer demand was the swing factor ;) ) favoring higher protein senior diets.

I've never fed a specialized senior food because I've found you get more "bang for your buck" (kcal/kg) with the regular formulas. If you want more protein without adding fat, another option would always be to add in some lean meat at home.