Yes! Another feeding question

Question
Hi Marcus,
I'm pretty happy with my dogfood (Orijen).  I have two huskies I feed this kibble to as well as a supplement of raw hamburger with every feeding.  I know most of your responses you mention you'd like at least 30% protein in the kibbles.  This kibble has 42.0% which I believe is on the higher side of kibbles.  Just curious if you think that may be too high.
It's approx 18% carbs and 16% fat as well as a reference.

The main reason I ask is b/c I do like to give the kibbles a squirt of salmon oil sometimes if they are stubborn about eating their own kibble (one is 4months old the other is over a year so they are not on the exact same kibbles and try to eat each others' all the time!).  The salmon oil I'm sure is very rich in protein so I have stopped using it concerned I may be overloading them with protein.

Answer
Shawn,

Good question.  I mention the 30/20 rule on protein/fat because it seems to be a good average.  In fact, in the world of most kibbles, it's on the high side.  Obviously you have found and are using a food that is much higher on protein and a little lower on fat.  By adding a little salmon oil, you are actually increasing the fat content as well.  Here's the reason that huskies do well on a higher fat and protein diet - they have great metabolisms that process this concentration of food great.  Add to it their activity level and needs for keeping their coat rich and dense, and they need more lipids (fat) and protein than many other breeds.  My gut reaction before exploring the caloric intake of the food is that if your dogs are active, healthy, and have solid stools - you are probably just fine.

Now, to compare the caloric intake, lets assume you have a 100g food sample.  At my 30/20 measurement, 30g of protein yields 120 calories, and 20g of fat yields 180 calories - total 300 calories + calories from carbs.

Your food, 42g protein = 168 calories; 16g fat = 144 calories.  Total - 312.  In reality, your food has just 4% more in calories than my standard recommendation.

Now, the one big thing to keep in mind with dog's and how much they eat is activity level.  If you have dogs that are constantly running around and doing things, they need more food.  In fact, Iditarod sled dogs will burn around 20,000 calories a day!!!  And guess what they eat?  Slop - which is pretty much meat, fat, and some hot water.  Translation - tons of protein and fats.

If your dogs are healthy and active, and you aren't noticing any digestive issues (loose stools, or odors), I'd say you are in perfect shape.