Does 6 % change in Protein really make a difference?

[frisbeegirl]

Hello,

 

Question here, needed to change Keeva's food(first time ever, she is now 20 months).

 

Went from Orijen 38% crude protein, 18% crude fat to Taste of the Wild 32% crude protein same 18% crude fat.

 

There are also subtle differences in vitamins, amino acids, minerals and botanicals.

 

We are working with sheep 3 times a week, (my lambs are coming mid June).

 

I was hoping someone may be able to answer my question about the 6% decrease in protein.

 

I don't see any change in her desire to do anything I ask of her but I want to make sure that this subtle difference will not have an effect on her.

 

Between training and lambs she will be very busy.

[Alchemist]

I feed my adult dog (and now my puppy) kibble much lower in protein than this. I used to feed Innova (until Procter and Gamble bought it) - now I rotate between the two lower-protein (~ 25%) versions of "Taste of the Wild" (though I almost ditched it after the most recent recall - only kept with it because my dog does so well on it). Will probably also start rotating with some other high-quality, corn and wheat-free, kibbles - again shooting for ~ 22-25% protein content.

 

My adult dog is also very "busy" - long off-leash hikes most days, rarely crated.

 

Do recognize that everyone is going to give you different advice on the topic of food... the best answer is probably "whatever your dog does well on".

[Gideon's girl]

I feed much higher protein than that, but I do agree with Alchemist. If your dog is doing fine on it and continues to do fine on it, then your dog is fine on it. If you decide that your dog needs a little protein boost add leftover meat from dinner, eggs, sardines, a little canned food. One of the reasons that high protein is nice is that the main antioxidant that the body makes is made from proteins and it needs the right balance of amino acids, another reason is that a hard working dog needs protein for tissue repair. If your dog doesn't have issues that require him to use a lot of antioxidants, such as exposure to toxins, and he isn't so hard charging that he hurts himself, he doesn't need the extra protein and his body turns it into an energy source. Protein is the most expensive source of energy.

[diane allen]

My theory (and it's only that) is that changing foods fairly often is generally a good idea, unless dog(s) have allergies, etc. No matter is one feeds kibble, canned, raw, cooked, homemade, whatever - variety is a good thing!

diane