22% Protein too low? How to add DHA to the food
I could use some help please:
DouBao has been on BB fish adult dog food for a while and seems doing good. Now, I am thinking whether I should switch her to BB Large Breed puppy food. She just reached 9 months old, 25 pounds (the trainer I go to ask me to drop some of her weight for the agility...)
My reasons are:
1) 22% is too low for a puppy? If not, how could I add DHA into the food?
2) The adult dog food does NOT have DHA which is great for the puppy... (But a little worry about 28% protein will be high for a corgi puppy?)
Here are the analysis comparison as below.
Blue Buffalo Life Protection Fish & Sweet Potato Adult Dog Food (Currently on this one)
Guaranteed Analysis:
Crude Protein (min) 22.0%, Crude Fat (min) 12.0%, Crude Fiber (max) 4.0%, Moisture (max) 10.0%, Calcium (min) 1.0%, Phosphorus (min) 0.90%, Omega 3 Fatty Acids* (min) 1.30%, Omega 6 Fatty Acids* (min) 3.0%, Beta-Carotene* (min) 5.0 mg/kg, Glucosamine* (max) 400 mg/kg.
Blue Buffalo Life Protection Large Breed Chicken & Rice Puppy Food
Crude Protein 28.0% (min.), Crude Fat 12.0% (min.), Crude Fiber 4.0% (max.), Moisture 10.0% (max.), Calcium 1.2% (min.), Phosphorus 0.95% (min.), DHA* 0.1% (min.), L-Carnitine* 100 mg/kg (min.). Omega 3 Fatty Acids* 0.25% min. Omega 6 Fatty Acids* 2.5% min.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Jane on
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At 9 months old she doesn't need to be on a puppy food any longer. I'd just go to an adult or all life stages. I think anything over 20% is fine protein-wise, I usually like to stay around ~25% but we've been trying avoderm which is 21%? I think? and my dogs have been doing well on it.
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Permalink Reply by Beth on
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While DHA is important to the developing brain, you are probably more or less out of that window now. I wouldn't go to a puppy food at this late date. And I also wouldn't be concerned with 22% protein.
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Permalink Reply by Nora on
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She was on BLUE Wilderness Grain-Free Puppy Food till she reached 6 months old and I switched her to the current food. That Wilderness puppy food has DHA (as below), so I would say she had that till the switch (So, she has a good foundation, right?), but I just don't know whether it is better to keep providing her DHA.
BLUE Wilderness Grain-Free Puppy Food Analysis:
- Crude Protein 36.0% min
- Crude Fat 16.0% min
- Crude Fiber 6.0% max
- Moisture 10.0% max
- Calcium 1.3% min
- Phosphorus 0.9% min
- DHA* 0.1% min
- Omega 3 Fatty Acids* 0.9% min
- Omega 6 Fatty Acids* 3.0% min
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Permalink Reply by Melissa and Franklin! on
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I say keep her on the food she is on and just decrease the amount fed. I wouldn't switch foods. As Beth said, she is no longer at the developing age where DHA is going to make a difference. If you are switching her because she is chubby, the food switch won't make a difference. Weird thing is the food you feed now has Glucosamine and the large breed doesn't. That doesn't seem to make a lot of sense to me. Its not the percentage protein that is important, it is the precentage of DIGESTABLE protein. A food can have 42% protein listed on the bag but only about 20% is digestable protein. The only way to find that out is consult the manufacturer. I'd take a look at a bag of Science Diet and see what % protein they go with in most of their formulas. No less than about 80% of the protein listed on their foods is digestable, so it'll give you an idea of how much is needed based on proven long term feeding studies. I think most of their dog foods have around 23%
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I made the switch to adult food when she reached 6 months old, since I learned from the site that it will be better for their bones to grow slower. I actually only fed her 1/2- 2/3 cup a day in 2 meals till a week ago. But she did get A LOT of yummy treats from trainings.
I just started to feed her 1 cup a day a week ago since I could still see her waist line...till yesterday the trainer told me to control her weight. Guess they want the dog to be really slim doing agility...
The intention of switching to large breed puppy food is only because I don't know whether is better to add DHA into the food. As you mentioned, she is not in the developing age and she had food with DHA till 6 months old, I would probably not worry about switching the large puppy food.
As to the weight control, maybe I should watch out for the treats she's getting, that might be the main resource for her chubby...LOL...Sometimes, I think corgis will look chubby somehow no matter what...
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At her age I wouldn't worry about DHA, I think she's pretty much out of that development window. Sorry I didn't realize in my first post that you already had her on an adult food - I'd just keep her on that and reduce the amount a little if you want her to lose weight. You can throw in some green beans or other veggies to help her feel full without all the added calories. If you like your current brand of food, you could also look and see if they offer another flavor that is slightly less in calories too. When I was feeding Fromms we rotated the flavors and some of them differed quite a bit calorie wise.
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Just one thing to remember, corgis WON'T look chubby no matter what! Lol. Most corgis are overweight/obese and I think it's because people think a corgi just doesn't/can't have a waist line, this is SO not the case. ANY dog should have a waistline and you should be able to feel her ribs when you pet her. If she is getting chubby with the increased food, you may need to decrease it again. Each dog is different. Franklin was fed almost 2 cups a day of Blue Buffalo Wilderness and tons of treats until he was around 2 to 2 1/2 and I COULD NOT put weight on hiim. I was always told by my vet he was too skinny despite all the calories. Now he is getting 3/4 cup of Taste of the Wild a day and limited treats to keep his boyish figure, at her young age she should still be lanky/skinny, so if she is chubby cut back now. It'll be so much easier to get the weight off a young dog than it will be when she is older.
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Permalink Reply by Shippo, Gidget & Sheldon on
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Okay this makes me feel better because right now I'm feeding Shippo (he is 11 months) 1 3/4 cups of Acana Wild Prairie and I can visibly see his ribs and I'm pretty sure I should be feeding him more, he's a fireball so I'm not really worried about him getting fat. Back in the day I had two Dobermans, a male and a female. I fed my male 3 cups a day but I had to feed my female 6 cups or otherwise she looked emaciated.
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Permalink Reply by Ivy on
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I was told the same thing by my agility trainer - get some pounds off! Ein is pretty skinny, but with agility any extra weight puts extra pressure as they jump. So it is important to have them as light as is healthy.
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Permalink Reply by Rachael & Waffle on
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I have no advice for what food to feed, but I would encourage you to add DHA to her food. DHA is for so much more than healthy brain development--it's for healthy joints, healthy hearts, good hair and skin, reduced inflammation, etc. The best source of DHA is the oil from an oily fish like mackerel, salmon, sardine, etc (ideally, the oil is still in the fish, but oil supplements are okay too). Do your research before committing to a fish oil product to be sure you're getting a good brand.
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