Our Study of Kidney Toxicity on GSDs Using Hyper-Proteic Dry Dog Food

We have analyzed the blood of seven adult german shepherd dogs living in my kennel, before and after feeding them with hyper-proteic dry dog food.

The seven dogs were originally fed with Royal Canin German Shepherd Aldult dry food. The blood exams while fed with the above food were practically perfect from all the points of view.

We then fed the seven dogs for 50 days between January and February 2012 with Orijen, 80-20 adult formula (38% of protein) as we thought that the principles and philosophy of Champion Petfoods (producer of Orijen food) were agreeable.

After 50 days on Orijen, we re-analyzed the blood of the seven dogs to check if the markers of the main organs functionalities involved in digestion were modified.

Liver markers (CPK, AST, ALT, Albumin, Bilirubin, Cholinesterase) were practically unmodified (same values under Royal Canin and under Orijen).

Pancreas markers (Amylase and Lipase) were still within the allowed ranges, with no significan changes.

Kidney markers (mainly: Creatinine and Urea clearances) were in ALL seven dogs increased significantly under Orijen and in the case of Urea clearance the value was over the allowed range on 6 dogs out of 7 (while the remaining one dog was at the exact upper allowed limit).

What we can “rather scientifically” state is that the hyper-proteic, Orijen Adult food is causing the kidney to malfunction.

This is largely expected in literature (too much proteines are killing your kidney in the long run) and we now have the biological proof of it.

Based on our visible experience (hair loss, loose feces and an overall not optimum heath status) and now also under “scientific” proofs (as described above), we can feel very confident in discouraging dog owners to use hyper-proteic food.

Dogs digestive and intestinal apparatus are NOT like wolves’, unfortunately.

From our experience, we have to agree with the thesis that the dog’s digestive/intestinal apparatus has been modified in the several thousands years of cohabitation with humans, therefore that philosophy stated by Champion Petfoods (Orijen) is unfortunately false (until now, we thought it was agreeable and right, at the extent that we invested in a food change and blood analisys in the hope of proving that thesis right).

We hope the dog owners community could benefit from our study which is for sure limited in time and space, but it’s very consistent in the findings, therefore it’s difficut to prove it wrong.

In any case: this is our experience, and we feel we have the right to publicize what we experienced in case some dog owner would like to have more consistent facts supporting the thesis “that food is too much proteic and makes no good to your dog’s health”.

Our Blood exams are available in PDF and performed by the “Clinica Veterinaria San Marco” in Padua, Italy (one of the most prestigious vet laboratories in Europe) and we could released to whom could be interested in them.

Kennel vom Webachtal
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