Complete Food

[ruth]

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Reading recent posts on what everyone feeds theier dogs, i was having a look at the proplan we feed monty and noticed that it has 30% protein, i assume puppies need more protein than adult dogs (he is 9 months), but even so this seems quite a lot, What is the recommended amount?

He does love his food and looks very healthy on it, so i wouldn't want to change just for the sake of it- but it is bloody expensive!!

 

[midlanderkeith]

Reading recent posts on what everyone feeds theier dogs, i was having a look at the proplan we feed monty and noticed that it has 30% protein, i assume puppies need more protein than adult dogs (he is 9 months), but even so this seems quite a lot, What is the recommended amount?
He does love his food and looks very healthy on it, so i wouldn't want to change just for the sake of it- but it is bloody expensive!!

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God its a lot that is ruth, ive read somewhere i think from a reputable whippet breeder that 21% protein is adequate

keith

 

[masta]

Reading recent posts on what everyone feeds theier dogs, i was having a look at the proplan we feed monty and noticed that it has 30% protein, i assume puppies need more protein than adult dogs (he is 9 months), but even so this seems quite a lot, What is the recommended amount?
He does love his food and looks very healthy on it, so i wouldn't want to change just for the sake of it- but it is bloody expensive!!

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If he loves his food and looks healthy there is no better indicator that its o.k, both mine are on raw with a little complete nutro performance 30% they are 5&13 months if you are worried put him on a lower protein i dont think there is a set in stone rule 20 years ago they didnt tell you how much protein was in dog food and i dont remember dogs being less healthy

 

[zilloot]

I think the protein thing is pretty misleading.

I feed five of my six dogs on a 24% protein food. The other dog is elderly so I duly bought her a ('good quality') senior food because the Vet made an issue of older dogs needing lower protein. It contains 21% protein. That's a 3% difference and I don't see how such a small difference could be so significant.

I had another older dog who was fed 'normal' food his entire life and he had no kidney, liver or any other protein-related problems when he died.

My current oldie is no different on this new food and seems to need an awful lot of it to satisfy her so she's going back onto my ordinary food when the senior stuff is finished.

What about the people who feed BARF??? The protein content of all that raw meat must be pretty high???

 

[oakmoorehill]

We had always fed my greyhound on the greyhound dried food but he was always hyper we were having a lot of problems with himhe had a sort of nervous energy. I looked at the protein level which was 28% and remembered once years ago someone telling me they had to feed low protien food to their dog as it couldn't tolerate high levels .Sorry can't remember the breed but she did obedience and agility. Anyway I spoke to my vet and he said it could be possible as the food was made for greyhounds in training and although William was running in the park most days was obviously not getting the same amount of exercise as the race dogs

Anyway I spoke to the person ho supplies my dog food and they got in touch with Red mills they suggested putting him on their Tracker which has 20% protein I was aready feeding thier Racer food but said it would take about a month for the levels in his body to drop

After about 2 months you could definitely se the difference in William he was much calmer and putting on weight something we had struggled to do before. William went to boardingkennels over Christmas and although I told her he couldn't have the high protein food she fed it to him to try to put some more weight on 10 days later I picked him up and guess what? he was hyper again

I will say my whippets were fed the same food and I never had any problems with them they are all in good condition and were quite happy on the high protein food

All said I think it depends on the dog if your dog is in good condition and s happy then its ok I thik its each persons personal preferance I would not go back to feeding high protein again and if I have to feed different food for any reason I always check the protein levels first

 

[lurcherman]

the only way to burn off protien is lots of exersize, 30 is too much id say..

 

[masta]

the only way to burn off protien is lots of exersize, 30 is too much id say..

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why?

 

[Ridgesetter]

AAFCO (Association of American Feed Control Officials) set the guidelines / minimum standards for pet food throughout the world. Min protein for a normal adult dog is 18% and for puppies and growth it's 22%. So, no puppy food should be under 22%. :thumbsup:

There are lots of myths about protein. You can feed a dog food made from grass. Sure you'll get the amount of protein you need but you'll need to feed more and naturally, it won't be digested as well and you get more out the other end and the consistency may not be great.

Forget about the protein percentage and if you are feeding a commercial food, check that it has meat first as the main ingredient, and what are the other ingredients. Is the protein source made up from soy or meat? Are the preservatives artificial or natural?

It's the whole analysis that needs to be looked at - not just the protein level. My whipets are on 30% protein and 19% fat and doing very well. I like the food they're on as they have more energy (which is sometimes a pain (w00t) ), their coats are beautiful, I do feed less than if I went to a lower spec food, and best of all, with 9 whippets plus some other breeds, their motions are small and firm and don't smell too much.

Super premiums (foods around 30% protein) do cost more but there are many good premium foods as well. What works for one person may not for another. It's just a matter of finding something that works best for you and especially your dog. :thumbsup:

Cheers

 

[masta]

AAFCO (Association of American Feed Control Officials) set the guidelines / minimum standards for pet food throughout the world.  Min protein for a normal adult dog is 18% and for puppies and growth it's 22%.  So, no puppy food should be under 22%.    :thumbsup:
There are lots of myths about protein.  You can feed a dog food made from grass.  Sure you'll get the amount of protein you need but you'll need to feed more and naturally, it won't be digested as well and you get more out the other end and the consistency may not be great.   

Forget about the protein percentage and if you are feeding a commercial food, check that it has meat first as the main ingredient, and what are the other ingredients.  Is the protein source made up from soy or meat?  Are the preservatives artificial or natural? 

It's the whole analysis that needs to be looked at - not just the protein level.  My whipets are on 30% protein and 19% fat and doing very well.  I like the food they're on as they have more energy (which is sometimes a pain  (w00t) ), their coats are beautiful, I do feed less than if I went to a lower spec food, and best of all, with 9 whippets plus some other breeds, their motions are small and firm and don't smell too much. 

Super premiums (foods around 30% protein) do cost more but there are many good premium foods as well.  What works for one person may not for another.  It's just a matter of finding something that works best for you and especially your dog.    :thumbsup:

Cheers

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Bang on right, protein builds muscle and i believe has some correlation to amino acids etc trials done on sled dogs found feeding upto 40% protein caused no problems as long as it is balanced against the fats and carbs, i feed a little complete of 30% protein 16% fat with dried chicken being the first ingredient and feed raw with an incresed fat level for energy