Dry Foods - less than 10% of cals from carbs?

typix

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Can anybody suggest a good quality dry food with the least amount of calories from carbs percentage? I'd like to try something that gets less than 10% of the calories from carbohydrates.

I checked this page:
http://www.geocities.com/jmpeerson/dryfood.html
And the only two under 10% are Evo and Nature's Variety Raw Instinct.

I've tried EVO, and it resulted in constant diarrhea. So I'm wondering what other dry options there are. I'm also open to switching them to a wet-only food, but I'm just curious about dry options.

TIA
 

sharky

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Many cats just cant handle the richness of a low low carb diet...

you may want to try another grain free with a few more carbs : Core , Taste of the wild, Orijen, Pinnacle , Natural balence and Solid Gold all have them...I used Taste of the Wild since it works with Zoeys tummy and allergies... Orijen also worked but the avail is not there


OR

YES wet is a GREAT option... many many premiums wets even those with grains have less than 7% carbs
 

violet

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Hi typix!

I just came by to say that high-protein - low-carb dry foods are very dehydrating and unhealthy for cats. So much so that vets are hearing about kidney failure from such foods. Please be careful, feed a safe, balanced diet, and be sure to include some good quality wet.
 

sharky

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Originally Posted by Violet

Hi typix!

I just came by to say that high-protein - low-carb dry foods are very dehydrating and unhealthy for cats. So much so that vets are hearing about kidney failure from such foods. Please be careful, feed a safe, balanced diet, and be sure to include some good quality wet.
where did you get the proof for this?>??? I am asking as a inquiring mind.. as I have yet to find any studies relating to a mostly high protein dry ..
 
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typix

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Yeah, I'm wondering too; because everything I am reading says that cats should have very low carbs.
 

sharky

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cats in a natural enviornment would naturally on consume 3-5%carbs via prey stomach and muscles ... that is why the thinking is low carb ... which most wets always have been but dry is well a new "animal"
 

artgecko

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I saw a statement similar to that on a website that was supporting RAW feeding... (of course they had a link to a raw seller on the site as well)... ANY dry food is more dehydrating than a wet (because it has less water), but IMO, the grainfree dry food isn't MORE dehydrating than a w/grain dry (unless it has a lower % of moisture content).

My cats do drink more on EVO than they did on nutro, BUT I also got them a fountain, so could be either or a combo. of both factors.

Typix- I can't help you with grain free dry foods, other than EVO, since mine have tolerated it well (I might be trying the taste of the wild soon though
).
I have thought about starting to mix their EVO with something less dense, like cal. natural (some folks on here do that as well).

My cats do love the EVO 95% meat cans though...one meat and minerals/vitamins... no grains and limited protien source, so good for allergies too. Wellness makes some grainfree cans, but my cats didn't care for them.

How long did you keep your cats on the EVO? Did thier digestive issues never "settle down" somewhat?

I've read on TCS that many folks whose cats can't handle EVO have good luck on Orijen, so that might be an option.

Or, you could feed a good quality w/grain dry (like cal natural, wellness, etc.) and supplement with grain free wet foods (or do a 50/50 ratio).

Art
 

violet

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Hi sharky!

To answer your question, actually it was my own vet who warned me. At the time I was looking for more grain-free choices for the cats, we talked about some foods we could try and she explained some things about these foods (the high-protein dry foods). (Basically dehydration and its effect on the kidneys is the big problem with them.)

That’s all I can tell you about this. I think if you want to find studies you have to start out looking for information about the effect of dehydration on kidney function and go from there. Hopefully, eventually you’ll find what you are looking for. But since these particular foods are relatively new, I wouldn’t be surprised if studies relating to certain kinds of problems they may cause were hard or even impossible to find right now.
 

kitytize

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I have also heard about kidney failure from high protein low carb dry foods. But not from reliable sources.
 
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typix

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Originally Posted by artgecko

Typix- I can't help you with grain free dry foods, other than EVO, since mine have tolerated it well (I might be trying the taste of the wild soon though
).
I have thought about starting to mix their EVO with something less dense, like cal. natural (some folks on here do that as well).

My cats do love the EVO 95% meat cans though...one meat and minerals/vitamins... no grains and limited protien source, so good for allergies too. Wellness makes some grainfree cans, but my cats didn't care for them.

How long did you keep your cats on the EVO? Did thier digestive issues never "settle down" somewhat?

Art
They were on on straight EVO for 2 weeks and had horrible diarrhea every single day of that two weeks. There was diarrhea drips all over the floor!

The digestive issues didn't settle down until I got to about 50-50 EVO and Science Diet i/d.

But now the vet wants me to try Science Diet Z/D. I am so confused and stressed because I am not sure what to do. Part of me wants to try a good quality grain-free food, but not as protien-rich as Evo. Or maybe the Evo with limited protiens, or another premium brand with limited protiens, and see what happens. But if she does have allergies, then maybe I should do the Z/D.
 
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