Protein / puppy's weight

WilmasMom

New member
Jul 4, 2013
23
2
Buffalo, New York
Country
USA
Bulldog(s) Names
Wilma
Question about protein, I have 4 month EB, she weighs about 32# Or so.. What is protein % that labels should read for a pup her age? I heard shouldn't have a lot of protein , don't want them getting too big too fast??
Also that seems kinda heavy, what were your pups weight at that age??
Woof!:D
 

christyjulene

New member
Apr 1, 2013
831
43
Colorado
Bulldog(s) Names
Abbey
Question about protein, I have 4 month EB, she weighs about 32# Or so.. What is protein % that labels should read for a pup her age? I heard shouldn't have a lot of protein , don't want them getting too big too fast??
Also that seems kinda heavy, what were your pups weight at that age??
Woof!:D

Welcome to EBN! Here is an article that I refer to about food. I did not have Abbey when she was a puppy so I don't know how much she weighed. I do know that Bullies come in all shapes, sizes and weights. Others will be by to chat!

Protein requirements
Protein requirements vary from species to species and can vary greatly during the rapid growth stages and for elderly animals with compromised kidneys. I will explain some of the special circumstances that require altered levels of protein but as a rule the following levels apply.

Species and Growth StageRecommended Protein %Recommended Fat %
Puppy28%17%
Adult dog18%9-15%
Performance dog25%20%
Racing sled dog35%50%
Lactating dog28%17%
Pregnant and lactating dogs may need to be fed puppy chow to give them the necessary protein. Sick, weak, and debilitated animals also need extra protein. Animals with kidney disease may need to be on a protein-restricted, but high biological value diet to lessen the effects of the kidney disease.
Can I feed too much protein?
The answer to this is yes and no. In theory, if a healthy animal eats too much protein, some gets excreted in the urine and the rest just gets used as calories or is converted to fat and does not cause any harm. Protein is the most expensive ingredient in the food and why pay for more than you need. Most pet food companies strike a happy medium and meet the minimum recommended requirements and add a little extra to be safe.
Interpreting the pet food label
This is where the hard part comes in. You now have two choices. The first is to buy a reputable quality brand of dog food for the activity level of your dog and hope that its needs are being met. This is what most owners do and the average dog does just fine. But if you have a dog with special protein needs or want to search out the best possible food for the money then you must dive into the label and try to interpret it.
If you have been reading so far, you know that not all proteins are created equal. The listing of protein level on the bag or can is not a listing of the percent of digestible protein, just a listing of percent protein. So we need to know how to interpret the pet food label. We know that in quality foods digestibility is between 70 and 80%. In lesser quality foods the digestibility could drop to 60% or less. The way to determine the digestibility is not very scientific but is the best we have until the pet food industry begins to list digestibility. By reading the ingredients and noting the order that they appear we can roughly determine the digestibility. The ingredients are listed in order of weight. If the first ingredient is chicken or lamb or other meat, we can assume it is a good quality protein source. Meat meals such as lamb meal also provide quality protein. "Meat and bone meal" is an ingredient that is less desirable. If grains are listed, they are not as digestible sources of protein and contribute heavily toward the carbohydrate load. Some companies will list a meat source and then three different forms of corn, hiding the fact that the main ingredient is corn but just divided into three different products.







 

cowsmom

..........
Apr 27, 2011
6,996
384
Virginia
Country
usa
Bulldog(s) Names
Sarah aka cow
im not sure about weight as i did not get sarah as a puppy but i think most puppy food is like 27 or 28% for the most part. you can just use a puppy food and then you wont have to worry about it really. lots here use fromm puppy.
 

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