So as long as you use it right checking crude protein levels can help you pick out good dog food.
Highest crude protein dog food.
Veterinarians recommend it should be between 20 and 30 percent.
If the food contains more than 30 percent of it the meal is considered to be high in protein but it is also vital that it doesn t include less than 20 percent of this feature.
Unfortunately inferior protein meals can give a dog food a high percentage of crude protein without being high in quality protein.
Crude protein is a general assement of the total amount of protein a food contains based on the nitrogen levels of the food.
With that in mind you should not completely rely on the high crude protein percentage when figuring out whether a dog food contains high quality protein.
For those who like to get really technical there s a detailed explanation of how the guaranteed.
Formulated with 38 crude protein and 18 fat this recipe will help build and maintain lean muscle mass while also providing for your dog s energy needs.
For more information on protein and dog foods click here to read our article on high protein dog foods.
The body obtains this alkaline buffer from the skeleton dissolving the dog s bones into calcium and phosphates which can lead to bone loss and kidney stone formation.
Some high acid high protein foods such as red meat poultry fish or eggs compel the body to counter the acid with an alkaline preparation to preserve its ph balance.
The association of american feed control operators aafco states that all adult dog foods should contain at least 18 percent animal protein while foods for reproductively active females and puppies should have a minimum of at least 22 5 percent animal protein while there are no official guidelines defining what makes something a high protein dog food it should be much higher than these.
You may be tempted to assume the crude protein percentage is based on the amount of animal protein contained in your pup s food.
The problem is it might result in a high crude protein percentage without translating to having high quality protein considering the protein meals included are inferior.
Accordingly foods that feature a lot of plant based proteins may boast a very high protein content but much of this protein will remain inaccessible to your dog you can t always avoid plant based proteins when picking a dog food particularly if you are opting for a grain free option but it is wise to select one that relies on animal based proteins as much as possible.
However it reflects the amount of all protein regardless of its source.
Dog food labels must display the percentage of crude protein crude fat crude fiber and water.
To choose the best dog food you need to know which amount of protein is typical for the average pooch.