Evo Grain free

Question
Hi,
I have a 4 month old Maltese puppy and currently am feeding Royal Canine brand dog food. I would like to get away from the grain in the food and have bought Evo Turkey&chic formula small bites.I have started to switch over to it slowly and she seems to like it. My concern is the protein % in the food is at 41%.I would just like to get your opinion on whether this is to much protein for her.I want to give my dog the best just like I would myself.Thanks Mark

Answer
Hello,
I just lost a long letter I wrote to you and now, because of time, this will have to be truncated somewhat. I am sorry you are feeding your dog commercially at all. There isn't a product on the shelves that I would trust with any of my three dogs and I feed all of them organically (meats, pulverized veggies and fruits, supplements from Lake Klamath and not Walgreens or a so called  health food store etc.). There isn't a "high end" food out there that doesn't use preservatives, will tell you HOW THEY FED THE ANIMAL THEY KILLED TO MAKE THE DOG FOOD, how long the food has been on the trucks in the hot sun, what ingredietns they REALLY USE...you simply cannot get ANY COMPANY TO GIVE YOU AN HONEST ANSWER TO THESE AND MANY OTHER QUESTIONS. Almost all of the ingredients in every single dog food out there are synthetic, created in a lab, and are overloaded with ingredients, waaaaaay too many ingredients. Dog foods are not easy to choose and ALL HAVE TOO MANY INGREDIENTS. So, when a dog starts to scratch, is chewing on himself, develops digestion problems, it is IMPOSSIBLE to figure out which ingredient actually caused the problem..and you never will. If you dog never develops an allergy or digestive problem eating commercial food or being vaccinated unneccesarily, then you are lucky. If you ever decide to home cook or go raw let me know and I will definitely help you figure out a REAL FOOD DIET for you pup. I wish you would get him started now but this was not your question. So, on to your question.

If your dog eats too much protein( 28% is not too much for a young pup) some will be excreted in the urine and the rest will be used as calories or converted to fat - causing your dog no harm. However, if your dog has a kidney problem, high protein diets are not recommended. Most pet food companies slightly exceed the minimum recommended protein requirements to ensure that dogs get adequate protein from their food.  

Generally, purchasing a reputable, quality brand of dog food that fits your dog's activity level will be just fine. However if your dog has special protein needs, or you want to find the best possible food for your budget, then you must interpret the often-confusing label. I say this even though I, myself, will not purchase any commercial foods unless it is PRIMAL a raw, organic bag of nuggets that is pure with simply ingredients. You could lightly steam these if raw bugs you.

Keep in mind that the protein level shown on the bag or can does not indicate the percentage of DIGESTIBLE protein, just the overall protein content. In quality foods, digestibility is between 70 and 80%. In lesser-quality foods, the digestibility could drop to 60% or less. To roughly determine the amount of digestible protein, read the ingredients and note the order in which they appear. Ingredients are listed in order of weight. Chicken and lamb are very digestible, and if they are listed as the first ingredient on the label, you can assume the food is a good quality protein source. If the first ingredient is chicken by-product or other meat by-products (which are lower in digestibility), the food is an acceptable protein source. Poorly digestible sources include meat meal and bone meal. yOU DON'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT THIS IF YOU HOME COOK.

Remember, grains are not as digestible sources of protein and contribute heavily toward the carbohydrate load. Some companies will list a meat source initially, then follow that meat by three different forms of corn - hiding the fact that the main ingredient is corn, just divided into three different products.

IF YOU MUST FEED COMMERCIALLY, it is a good idea to follow this general rule: try to find a food in the upper to middle price range. And keep in mind the highest-priced foods are not necessarily the best foods, and the lowest-priced foods are not always of poor quality. HAVING SAID THIS, FEEDING A DOG ANY COMMERCIAL FOOD CAN BE A REAL CRAP SHOOT AND IT'S EASY TO FALL FOR THE VERY CONVINCING COMMERCIALS THEY PUSH. I WOULD RATHER SEE YOU HOME COOK AND SUPPLEMENT FOR YOUR DOG BUT THIS IS ENTIRELY UP TO YOU. DO SOME RESEARCH OR WRITE ME DIRECTLY AND I WILL SEND YOU MORE INFO ON WHAT IS REALLY GOING ON IN THE COMMERCIAL DOG FOOD FIELD. (email: DazzlinDaawg@aol.com, Sue Behlmar)  

Unless your veterinarian has told you your pet has a kidney problem that is severe enough to adjust the protein intake, you can feed your pet a normal amount of protein without worrying about "damaging" or "stressing" your pet's kidneys. Also, keep in mind the fact that you are not "saving" your pet's kidneys by feeding a low-protein diet. 28% is about right for a pup but keep in mind what I said above about what is usable. If you fed your pup yourself, organically, YOU WOULD KNOW EXACTLY WHAT HE IS GETTING AND WOULD NOT BE OVERLOADING HIM WITH ALL OF THE SYNTHETIC INGREDIENTS THAT ALL COMMERCIAL DOG FOODS ARE LADEN WITH...I've had at least 12 brands analzed and ALL OF THEM have at least 90% synthetic ingredients...KEEP THIS IN MIND AS YOU FEED YOU PUP. I would rather KNOW what I am feeding my dog.

Hope this helped, Sue Behlmar
P.S. If you do write me personally, please I.d. yourself in the subject line or I am liable to delete. thanks.