Is Acana's high protein linked to dog CKD? What about heavy metals?

I certainly understand your concerns with the ingredients in ProPlan. Personally, I think Acana is a wonderful food. There is a concern with high protein diets in dogs that have existing kidney problems since normally functioning kidneys are necessary to normally process protein in the diet. If Misha does not have any indication of pre-existing kidney problems on her bloodwork, then I would not have any concerns with feeding a 3 year old dog a high protein food like Acana even if she is less active. You will find that many of the more natural food are higher in protein because they have less fillers. Please let me know if that was helpful. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Hello. With a creatinine of 1.7, Chica is classified in early Stage 2 chronic kidney disease according to the International Renal Interest Society ( https://www.iris.com ). We really need more information to proceed with any treatment recommendations. Your veterinarian needs to obtain an SDMA value, a urine protein creatinine (UPC ) ratio & obtain a good blood pressure measurement. If the SDMA, UPC ratio are in the normal range & blood pressures are fine, then I would not recommend making changes to her diet. It would not hurt to start a kidney diet, like one made by Hill's, Royal Canin or Purina, but do not worry about fat levels ( unless Chica is obese ) & low protein ( especially if there is no protein in the urine ). We do not want to restrict protein too early in the disease because we do not want these patients to start losing weight from loss of protein. Once you have all the information, it will be much easier to follow Chica's condition & recommend dietary & other therapeutic remedies. Thanks for using PetCoach.

Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This level of creatinine is still within relatively normal range (according to most diagnostic laboratories and analyzers). Such a small increase can be incidental, Mav may have had a recent meal, or have been less hydrated than he was at his previous appointment. It is unlikely that this is related to the protein content in his diet. I hope this helps and am happy to answer any other questions you may have!

No, this is absolutely not correct to say that. kidney failure can be cause by various reasons but in most cases the exact reason is unknown. when kidney failure is already present, dry food and food with high protein levels can cause the kidney failure to get worse faster.

I'm so sorry to hear of your dog's diagnosis of kidney disease at such a young age! If they haven't been run already, I would suggest additional testing to look for other underlying causes of kidney disease that are potentially treatable - urinalysis, urine culture, leptospirosis PCR (if in your area), ultrasound, etc. I would also recommend a urine protein:creatinine ratio, and a blood pressure measurement. If it's truly primary kidney disease, there are pet food companies that make kidney-specific diets that are low in protein and phosphorus (these are the two main ingredients to limit with kidney disease) - Royal Canin makes a Renal diet, Hill's makes k/d, Purina makes NF. Talk to your veterinarian about starting a kidney diet now while he's feeling good. As far as activities, he can do every activity that he enjoys!

Acana is a good quality food, so I think that this is a good choice if you are going to switch him to dry food. That ingredient list is comprised of primarily meat along with some legumes such as peas, lentils, and beans which are often better than grains and carbohydrates to act as "filler."

Too much protein isn't good for dogs, and it's recommend they have 18% of their diet be protein. Now some dogs, such as working dogs, require higher amounts of protein due to their increased caloric demands. In addition, too much protein in dogs can lead to weight gain. Now too much protein per say doesn't cause health issues, but if a dog has a pre-existing health condition like kidney or liver disease, too much protein is not good for them because it increases the workload of those organs. Low carb diets are bad, yes. Totally unnecessarily. Brands of grain free diets try to sell you their diets by claiming outrageous things like it's the diet of their ancestors, the wolves. Todays dogs are so far removed from the wolf, it's not even funny. When was the last time you saw a pack of pugs take down a deer in the wild???