Can a high protein diet cause kidney problems for my dog?

There has been some panic among dog owners over the findings of some research on diet: that too much protein can cause or lead to kidney failure. However, don't be too quick to jump on board with this and start hunting for an exceptionally low-protein food to feed your dog! The research may not be as relevant to your dog's diet as you might fear.

First of all, realize that this research was carried out on rats, and not on an actual dog. Rats have a mainly herbivorous diet – that is to say, they mostly eat plants. Thus, they are somewhat unused to having a high intake of protein, which means that their stomachs are not prepared for the work of digesting large amounts of protein. When these research rats suffered kidney failure, therefore, it wasn't because of the high-protein diet that they were being fed, but because of their bodies' inability to digest protein. Their systems simply weren't compatible with a high protein diet.

 

It is only a myth that dogs will suffer in the same way as rats when they are fed a diet that is high in protein. For a start, dogs are not herbivores – they are carnivores, which means that they require a diet made up mainly of meat and some plant material. Unlike rats, dogs' digestive systems are completely accustomed to a diet with around 30% protein content – this is normal, and the canine stomach can easily digest it. If the amount of protein in the diet was to increase from this, it is unlikely that it would have a damaging effect on the animal's kidney functions, particularly if the extra protein is coming from animal sources.

Dogs need a primarily meat-based diet. That's the way they're built. There are 22 amino acids present in protein and needed by your dog so that he will be properly nourished. The dog's liver produces 12 of these; the other 10 must come from his food. The solution? A high protein, meat-based diet. And there's no need to reduce the amount of protein in a dog's diet as he or she gets older – in fact, some dogs actually require more protein in their later years than they did when they were younger! So don't be confused or worried by research that is not actually relevant to a canine diet or your dog's health. Lots of meat and protein is essential for good health and proper nourishment. Of course, there is always going to be the odd exception – but unless medical conditions change the norm, and your veterinarian advises you otherwise, you should feed your dog a high protein diet in the knowledge that it is good for him, not dangerous.

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