I am sure this question has been answered many times but I can't find the thread.
I have been advised by the vet to reduce the protein level in my dogs raw diet.
I am having difficulty in establishing the current level,he gets all the usual stuff,when I look up protein of, say raw chicken, it says 20g per 100g.I take that to mean 20% which seems quite low.
How should I measure it?I expected my diet to be in the 30% range and secondly how do I reduce the protein level with in the context of feeding raw.Add vegetables?
could someone explain this protein question in more detail
Thanks in advance.
Jack

Remember that raw diets are mostly water. It doesn't surprise me that your source says a chicken leg is only 20% protein. It's 70% water.

There are only three kinds of nutrients (worth talking about).

Protein, fat, and carbohydrates. Everything is one or the other, or, more generally, a mix of those three components.

To reduce the percentage of protein and still feed a diet with the same amount of energy, you'd have to replace the protein with either fat or carbohydrates.

this database
http://ndb.nal.usda.gov/

probably gives you more info than you need--but you can look up the percentage of protein/fat/carb (and lots more) of common food items.

Here's the page for raw chicken, meat and skin
http://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/foods/show/775

which shows 66% water, 18.6% protein, 15% fat.

The trouble with this database is that it doesn't include the raw bone (because the site is intended for people, not dogs.)

But it may be useful.

Here, for example is raw beef heart
http://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/foods/show/3833

which is still only 18% protein. (77% water.)

I don't think it would be terribly difficult to have a raw diet that is considered "lower protein" compared to lots of percentages I see on premium kibbles. Remember, that kibbles contain nearly no water, so they are more nutrient dense than raw.

Hope this rambling helps a little.

 Quote: Jack Gingell

... I have been advised by the vet to reduce the protein level in my dogs raw diet.

A healthy adult dog?

I'm curious about why.

Healthy, 23 months working GSD,who gets a bit over the top on occasions which the vet calls "escalated play aggression".Vet suggested lowering protein levels amongst other things which I won't bore you with at the moment as I would like to understand protein levels a bit more.I always thought the all meat raw was up to 30 %.really need guide for dummies

Edited by Jack Gingell (07/12/2012 12:39 PM)
Edit reason: further information

I think there are two errors in thinking here. One, that changing the dog's diet will change what is a temperament and training issue. Most raw-fed dogs are actually a bit less "hyper" because they don't have the blood sugar swings caused by eating a lot of starch.

And second, that a raw meat diet is "high protein." it's not. For a healthy dog, it's exactly the right amount of protein--it is the diet they are evolved to eat. Artificially inflated protein levels in the diet come from kibbles that have been engineered to be more nutrient dense than they ought to be.

Unless you're adding protein powder to your dog's raw diet, it is no where near 30% protein. Much more like under 20%. And if you're feeding fatty cuts and poultry skin like many do, it's likely even lower than that.

 Quote: Jack Gingell

Healthy, 23 months working GSD,who gets a bit over the top on occasions which the vet calls "escalated play aggression".Vet suggested lowering protein levels ....

IMHO, there are big errors here.



I'm with Tracy.

.Rather than looking solely at protein I should be looking at calories or Kcal coming from the protein..Then I can see a big difference between chicken and beef heart,Am I on the right track.?

All proteins have the same Kcal of energy. 1 gram of protein = 4 calories, whether it's chicken, beef, or tofu.

Fat, on the other hand, has 9 calories per gram--more than twice as energy dense as protein (or carbs which also have 4)

The difference you see in the chart is Kcal per gram of the food item. The chicken with skin is higher because it has more fat.

You could reduce a dog's percentage of protein in the diet (as I said in the first post) by substituting fat or carbs. Those are the only choices.

What is a typical raw diet for your dog?

IMO, the vet has sent you on a goose chase.

I agree wholeheartedly with Tracy. I just wanted to add that while the net energy of all proteins is the same, it's important to recognize that each individual protein has a unique amino acid profile, and therefor are not all the same in this regard.

I agree that going lower in protein would not alter the level of drive.
Dogs are definitely getting lower protein in a fresh raw diet vs. many top of the line kibbles.
Great points Tracy!

This link explains proteins in a dogs diet.
If anyone is interested;
http://www.wdcusick.com/protein.html