Dogs generally need a high-protein diet because it has excellent health benefits.
It can give your pet dog lean muscles, promote growth development, boost the immune system, and give it healthy skin and a glowing coat.
That is why most dog foods have high protein content, but there are some instances when your dog may need a low-protein diet.
If you have an older dog with a heart ailment or liver disease, it may benefit from low-protein dog food.
It is best to rely on the veterinarian or veterinary nutritionist for a prescription diet appropriate for your dog.
Most likely, if your pet suffers from a health condition needing a low-protein meal, the veterinarian will prescribe some low-protein dog food available on the market.
That will involve balanced nutrition focused on having low protein content while not sacrificing other nutrients. But what are the best low-protein dog foods available in the market today?
Editor’s Choice
Hill’s Prescription Diet
1st Runner-up
Royal Canin Veterinary Diet Canned Dog Food
2nd Runner-up
Nature’s Logic Canine Grain Free
8 Best Low Protein Dog Foods
The Top 8 Choices for Best Low Protein Dog Foods Are:
- Hill’s Prescription Diet: Best Overall, Low In Carbs, High In Nutrients, Best For Dogs with kidney and heart issues.
- Canidae Grain-Free Dog Food: Best for Dogs With Allergies, No Grains, Low in Carbs and Calories, contains High Quality Proteins.
- Purina Pro Plan Veterinary Diet Kidney Function Wet Dog Food: Best Wet Dog Food, Delectable And Very Nutritious.
- Royal Canin Veterinary Diet Canned Dog Food
- Nature’s Logic Canine Grain Free
- Diamond Naturals Light Dry Dog Food
- Blue Buffalo Basics Skin And Stomach Dry Dog Food
- Hill’s Science Diet Adult 7+ Dry Dog Food
Hill’s Prescription Diet
The most common reason why a dog may need a low-protein diet is because of ailments such as liver or heart disease.
This dog food is tailor-made for those afflictions, containing a modest amount of protein while having essential nutrients your pet dog needs.
With pork fat, eggs, brewer’s rice, soybean meal, and powdered cellulose as key ingredients, your pet will not miss vital nutrients like carbohydrates and fats.
It also has nutrients that help for a faster metabolism, which is vital for dogs suffering from heart or liver ailments.
It may have low protein content but will have high-quality ones; the liver will not have problems processing high-quality proteins.
Soy protein is also more manageable for an ailing liver, plus it has vitamins and minerals to address possible nutritional deficiencies due to low protein consumption.
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Royal Canin Veterinary Diet Canned Dog Food
Dogs that are ailing or having health issues are usually picky eaters; you save trouble if you have one that your dog will eat and feast with gusto.
And this delectable Royal Canin Canned Dog Food is best for picky eaters who must take advantage of essential nutrients, especially if they suffer from some diseases.
With chicken liver, pork liver, and chicken and pork byproducts as key ingredients, this wet food is genuinely low in protein.
But it is high in vital nutrients and minerals, all the essentials you can find in animal internal organs, those needed by dogs suffering renal, liver, or heart ailments.
This one is also low in fat but is high in calories.
The rice formula provides the needed energy source, but this one does not contain allergens, unlike other grains used in providing carbohydrates for most dog foods.
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Nature’s Logic Canine Grain Free
This one might be the best option if you want a shallow protein content for your dog.
This wet dog food contains only 11 percent protein and 9 percent fat, which is ideal for dogs that need to limit their protein consumption without letting go of nutrients.
With salmon meat and herring as key ingredients, your dogs will not miss essential nutrients, like omega fatty acids vital for boosting immunity and anti-inflammatory properties.
Chickpeas, meanwhile, provide the needed carbohydrates, but it does not contain allergens usually found in most grains.
What you have in this canned dog food is a well-rounded meal.
It has ingredients that are vital in keeping the heart healthy and maintaining the bones, joints, and ligaments in optimum condition.
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Diamond Naturals Light Dry Dog Food
Some dogs with health issues tend to be passive and inactive.
This one might be the best dog food if you want to keep them healthy while allowing them to have that lifestyle and limited activity.
It has lamb meal, the ultimate source of protein, and a bunch of grains that include brown and writhe rice, barley, and oatmeal.
The grains guarantee a steady supply of nutrients and minerals, including protein and carbohydrates.
It does not contain corn, wheat, or soy.
Mainly for adults, this one is best for dogs that need to control and maintain their weight and avoid being obese, even while remaining inactive for a long time.
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Purina Pro Plan Veterinary Diet Kidney Function Wet Dog Food
With nearly four percent crude protein, this is a very low-protein dog food that still has many nutrients vital for your dog’s health.
High in calories and more than seventy percent moisture, this one is tailor-made for dogs with kidney disease, with its texture and taste enticing picky eaters.
It contains much water, meat byproducts, rice, corn, and beef, and while most low-protein dog foods are unpalatable to most dogs, this one has an appealing taste.
That guarantees that your favorite pet will continue eating even as they have reduced appetite due to their health condition.
The best thing about this is that the fat mainly comes from fish oil, which contains essential fatty acids, like omega -3 fatty acids, vital for preventing heart disease and inflammation.
The beef and liver ingredients ensure that your pet will not miss essential vitamins and nutrients.
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Blue Buffalo Basics Skin And Stomach Dry Dog Food
If you want a low-protein diet for your dog and one that does not cause allergies and digestive problems, you cannot go wrong with this dry food for your pet.
Low in proteins and fats, it still contains vital nutrients from ingredients that do not cause health problems for your beloved pet.
It has deboned lamb as an ingredient, the primary source of protein, and has potatoes and peas as sources of carbohydrates.
It is grain-free, so you need not worry about allergens, but even better, the fatty acids are good for maintaining healthy skin and a glowing coat.
The protein content is not only ideal for dogs with kidney and health problems, but it is also best for overweight dogs that need to trim weight or at least control it.
Some pet owners, though, will not prefer peas to their pet’s food due to some reports linking the ingredient to the possibility of heart disease among dogs.
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Canidae Grain-Free Pure
If your dog suffers from food allergies, it may need to consume dog meals that offer nothing but limited ingredients but one that offers quality protein.
This one from Canidae may do the trick, for it offers a protein source that does not cause allergies in dogs.
Instead of fish, turkey, or fish, this one has wild boar as a protein source, but one that has a low protein content.
It is grain free and uses garbanzo beans as a source of carbohydrates and calories instead of traditional grains or potatoes; this one offers lots of nutrients.
With that source of protein, your dog may miss some fats and oils offered by the usual chicken, turkey, and fish meals, but it is a healthier alternative.
The quality protein is ideal for those with heart and kidney ailments, and your dog can eat much without suffering from food allergies.
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Hill’s Science Diet Adult 7+ Dry Dog Food
Suppose you have a senior dog that does not suffer from any disease but still needs a low-protein diet due to an inactive lifestyle associated with old age.
In that case, this non-prescription dry dog food may suit your pet.
It contains lean protein and has all the essential nutrients and minerals to protect vital organs from diseases.
With chicken meal, barley, and rice as ingredients, it can meet your dog’s dietary requirements appropriate for the senior years.
With a savory taste, you can be sure your dog will have the appetite and consume it; you need not worry about your pet missing nutrients.
It contains omega-6 fatty acids and has antioxidants to boost the immune system, while vitamins E and C will give your pet healthy skin and a glowing coat.
This dry dog food does not contain additives or artificial flavors.
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Final Thoughts
An adult dog in the pink of health and engaged in intense activities may need a high-protein diet.
But as your pet grows older, the metabolism becomes slower, the activity decreases, and it suffers from some diseases; low protein diets are more appropriate.
But with our list of low-protein dog foods, you as a dog owner should be able to look for the best dog food; you only need to suit the dog food to the particular sensitivities your dog has.
In any case, veterinary medicine is of help; the best thing still is to consult a veterinarian if your dog needs to be on a prescription diet.
