Large Breed Puppies and High Protien?

High content protien foods get a bad rap in my opinion.

High protien diets were studied waaaay back when and shown to cause renal failure in humans and rats, and the idea was transferred over to dogs in a "What's good for the goose, must be good for the gander" type thinking. I shouldn't have to tell you that dogs biologically are much different from humans and rats.

Recent studies have debunked the high protien/kidney disease myth. Showing that high protien diets are actually beneficial to dogs with reduced kidney function, raw diets in particular.

There are several facets when looking at kidney function and protien.

1 - Salt content. Most dogs who eat processed kibbles are dehydrated on some level. A dog doesn't intuitively know that kibbles don't contain as much moisture as a raw diet would and therefore they should be drinking more water. On the flip side, most kibbles contain more salt to increase palatibility which furthers dehydration and dehydration is a killer for the kidneys.

2 - Phosphorus content - Alot of high protien kibble have high phosphorus contents. High phosphorus levels do cause damage to the kidneys so this is definitely something you want to look out for. Some kibble brands have started capping phosphorus levels. You want to see something UNDER 1.6%.

3 - Digestability - Even a leather shoe can be high in crude protien. Needless to say it's not something your dog should be relying on for nutriative value nor is it something that is easy for a puppy to digest and breakdown. This is why the guaranteed analysis doesn't tell you nearly as much as the ingriedients list will. Stay away from anything listed as Animal Fats (where they don't explicitly name the protien/fat) and any by-products. Whole meats are better than meals so you'll want to see them higher up on the list but keep in mind that most brands will use some kind of protien meal in their food.

As for bone health and rapid growth..

Bone health is extremely important in large breed puppies. High protien alone does NOT account for rapid bone growth in a puppy. HOWEVER, most protien meals (Turkey meal, chicken meal etc) contain more calcium and phosphorus than whole meats. High calcium is related to rapid bone growth so you want to see this capped in your large breed puppy food at 2.0% or lower. Protien is extremely important in puppies for the amino acids in developing organs and muscle growth so I don't agree with limiting it's content in a puppy's diet. I do, however, suggest that the owner do their research about finding good sources for healthy protiens and keeping calcium and phosphorus levels in mind.

Alternatively lower protien content foods contain more grains and carbs. Grains and carb require more energy for dogs to digest and breakdown. Carbs are usually stored as fats and overweight/obese puppies DO have more skeletal and joint problems than a puppy in a healthy weight range.

ALSO be on the lookout for puppy foods that advertise DHA or omega fatty acids in their foods. DHA can be found from fish and meat sources but it's common for dog food manufacturers to use plant sources like flaxseed oils instead. Plant sourced DHA is actually ALA and needs to be converted by the body into DHA in order the reap the benefits. Most dogs (and some people) cannot convert ALA. This leads to a build-up of omega 6s but not much omega 3. A high omega 6 to omega 3 ratio can lead to inflammation, poor coat and allergies.

Finding animal sourced omega 3s like from fish is a HUGE benefit to your pup/dog as it reduces inflammation which can be helpful for dermatitis issues, athritis and gastro-intestinal issues like IBD or colitis. They can also reduce inflammation to the kidney which can be beneficial with some kidney disorders and have been shown to be renal protective.

Hope this helps and isn't too confusing for you!

It's a common belief that high protein is bad for large breed puppies, and makes them grow too quickly, but it's actually the calcium & phosphorous levels. High protein is ideal for all dogs without prior kidney problems, as long as they can tolerate the richer food; this is a majority. My Golden Retriever was on Purina Pro Plan Large Breed Puppy when I first got her, but I switched her to Orijen Large Puppy (crude protein of 40% then). The protein was high, but the calcium & phosphorous levels were lower. She is now a gorgeous, healthy 2-year-old with a thick, shiny coat and an athletic build that fits the standard perfectly. She is still eating 32% to 42% crude protein depending on the formula.

If you have a specific large breed puppy formula you should be okay. Large breed dogs aren't supposed to get too much protein because, as you mentioned, it makes them grow to fast because it packs a lot of calories (for example: my cattle dog is on a 36% protein diet and he eats less than 2 cups a day while my neighbor's same size cattle dog eats almost 6 cups of Beneful - low protein junk - a day). The part about kidneys is speculative (no conclusive studies to support it).

This is a wonderful website all about dog nutrition if you want to check it out: dogfoodadvisor.com

Here is there article specifically about protein: http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/frequently-asked-que...

Protein for a large breed puppy should be 30 to 32%, no more, no less.

I can tell you this for an adult.

The only way protein can affect the kidneys as an adult is if the dog was diagnosed with a kidney problem. They USED to think that dogs would get kidney problems from protein, but they can't.

Its the fat you have t watch out for.

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Your vet or breeder would have given you this information if it was true.