Puppy nutrition supplements

Of all the nutrients in dog food, protein is the one that gets the most attention. We know it’s crucial to dogs’ development and lives. But can you have too much of a good thing?

The Dog Food Advisor’s nutritionist, Laura Ward, discusses the highs and lows of protein in dog foods — and how much is too much.

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If you’ve checked out the AAFCO Nutrient Profile, you’ll know that the minimum protein requirement for adult dogs is 18% and for puppies it’s 22.5%.

This is expressed on a “dry matter basis” or DM, a way to compare foods of different moisture (such as a wet food and a dry food) by theoretically removing the water content.

However, there’s currently no nutritional maximum for protein — so what does that mean for our dog’s food?

Puppy nutritional requirements percentages

How much protein is too much?

How high is high-protein?

We consider any diet with a DM crude protein content of more than 28% is high-protein. It isn’t unusual, however, to see protein levels above 35%, or even over 40% in dry foods.

In fresh and wet foods this is often greater, at ar

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