I am trying to switch to a better kibble (right now I'm feeding Nutro Natural Choice Lg Breed Puppy). It has 28% protein in it. I am looking to switch to possibly Canidae All Life Stages (which has 24% protein), but I was also looking at possibly changing to Orijen Puppy Food, which has 42%!) In addition to kibble, I am probably going to add some RMB's, and I am considering eventually going to an all raw diet, but right now I'm not ready for that. The other issue I have is that Canidae has some grain (rice) in it, and I was leaning towards grain-free. The only thing that concerns me is how much higher the protein % in Orijen is than in the Canidae. If I knew that protein content was good, I'd probably go for the Orijen. I know too much of anything can be a bad thing, and I didn't know if 40% was too much protein for a puppy. I've heard too much protein is hard on the kidneys. But I'm assuming that a raw diet has a high protein content, but I'm not sure of the %. So I'm wanting to find out: How much protein is too much? And how much fat is too much, as well? Orijen has the highest fat content at 20%. The other foods I've looked at are around 14-15% fat. And will adding raw meat and RMB's be ok if my pup's on a kibble, or will he get too much of something that way? I like the idea of supplementing the kibble diet w/raw meat, eggs, etc, but I'm just not ready to make the switch to all raw yet. Hopefully with more research, I'll become more comfortable with the idea. This is my first puppy, and I plan on taking excellent care of him. So far the food question has been the hardest thing for me to decide on!

Thanks for you input!

Hi Kori,
I won't be able to address your questions about the protein precentages in kibble since I simply don't know but I'm SURE someone else does:-) and will answer in time.

I can answer your question about mixing RMB's with kibble though. If you are going to feed both kibble and raw (which is generally not a GREAT idea) make sure that you feed them seperately i.e. at two different meals. I don't know how old your pup is but if he's eating more than twice a day I would feed the kibble and the raw as far apart as possible. They digest at different rates and the raw food creates considerably less waste then a kibble, even a high quality kibble, will.

In regards to the protein and fat content of a raw diet it depends on the meats you're feeding:-). I generally use skin-on chicken as a cornerstone and add in other meats like fish, beef, pork, organ meats, and eggs. If you read this..http://www.leerburg.com/feedingdogs.htm... it will answer many if not all of your questions. The plan is to "balance" a dogs diet over a couple of weeks, not every meal so the protein and fat content will vary. Good luck!

As to your question about the protein in the Orijen vs. Canidae I would chose the Orijen. If you look at all the grain free foods out there you will see that they have a higher protein content then the ones with the grains. The more protein is from that it's more meat. The things to be concerned with a lg breed puppy is not the protein and fat % but the calcium and Phosphorous they are getting. To much of that is what will lead to pano in the dogs and have them grow to quickly.

If you were to choose between the two I would stick with Orijen.

Hope this helps.

Kori - I completely agree with what Dvijapatni said about not mixing the raw and the kibble. I feed Orijen large breed puppy kibble in the morning and raw in the evenings. I used to mix them, and my puppy had bad gas every single night. She could clear a room in no time. It's because the kibble digests a lot slower than the meat, therefore the meat was spending too much time in her stomach/intestines and giving her rotten smelling gas.

I read here not to mix them, and decided to try it. Once I started feeding them separately, within a day.. no more gas whatsoever, and her poop is always normal.

Orijen Large Puppy
Protein 42%
Fat 16%
Calcium 1.4%
Phosphorus 1.1%

Calcium and Phosphorus in the Orijen Adult is 1.6% and 1.4% all Min

Candida
Protein 24%
Fat 14.50%
Calcium 1.20%
Phosphrous 0.90%
all Min