How Much Protein Does My Dog Really Need?

High-meat diets for dogs are very popular, but are they necessary or healthy? Despite many pet food brands offering trendy grain-free diets with up to 85% protein, this is well above a dog’s actual requirements. Feeding excessive amounts of protein is not only unnecessary, it can actually be detrimental to a dog’s health in the long term.

Dog food protein varieties are a minefield. There is such an overwhelming choice of pet food in the shops today and determining which one is best for your pooch can be a difficult decision. In this blog, our Burns’ nutrition team is here to explain the dog protein facts.

Firstly - why do dogs need protein and what is it for?

Protein is a vital component of your dog’s food. It’s made up of amino acids and these amino acids are essential for tissue growth and repair. Protein can come from both animal and plant based sources, but high-quality animal sources often provide a better amino acid balance for dogs.

Making an informed decision when selecting your pet food can be intimidating with such variety on the market. From diets that are nearly 100% meat, to vegan diets, purely plant-based.

Let’s explore the options when it comes to what a dog truly needs to survive and be healthy.

How much protein does my dog need?

"How much protein does a dog need?" is a question our team gets asked frequently at Burns Pet Nutrition. Dog protein requirements vary according to a dog’s life stage, health and age. Puppies need higher levels of protein than adult dogs, to support growing needs, for example.

Healthy adult dogs need 15-23% of dry matter protein in their daily diet. A good diet will meet those needs by using high-quality, easily digested ingredients. 

When looking at the diet of our own pet dogs, the nutritional guidelines for dogs in Europe suggest a minimum level of protein of around 18%, however there is no maximum level.

There are no nutritional reasons that support providing excessive amounts of protein in a dog’s diet. After the protein requirements are met there are no additional benefits, and it may cause problems long term.

Ideally, their diet should contain high-quality ingredients in the amounts a dog actually needs in order to access nutrients easily, without putting the body under undue stress.

More protein = more waste. Go for high quality protein instead

Burns Nutritionist, Helen Anslow says, “Processing excess nutrients that are beyond a dog’s daily requirements will put extra pressure on the organs to work harder. This in turn contributes to more metabolic waste products being produced in the body (poo in higher volumes).”

Protein is an important part of a dog’s diet, however as with all nutrients, it isn’t a case of the more fed the better. Dogs cannot store excess protein, so they need to use it in other ways, or else it is excreted.

One more important factor than quantity of protein is digestibility of the protein source. By increasing the quality of protein in a dog’s diet, less quantity is needed by the dog to meet its needs.

When a dog eats protein, it is broken down into amino acids in the stomach and absorbed in the small intestine. Some proteins are more difficult to digest than others and those that are not able to be absorbed in the intestine will become waste. One of the things that can make dog poo very smelly is the excess protein that has been lost that has not been absorbed into the body.

If too much protein is absorbed from the diet the liver and kidneys work to filter it out and it is lost in the urine as ammonia. This can put unnecessary strain on the liver and kidneys. High protein levels have been shown to be detrimental to dogs’ organs and can contribute to further impairment of the kidneys if a dog is suffering from kidney disease already.

A low quantity of  high-quality protein will promote efficient body function and aid healthy digestion.

What are the best protein sources for dogs?

Cooked eggs are highly digestible and packed with vital amino acids. They provide a good source of iron, vitamin A and several B vitamins, as well as high levels of essential fatty acids like linoleic acid, great for the skin.

Animal protein sources like chicken, lamb and pork all have similar levels of digestibility. Some plant-based sources provide a high-quality protein source.  Soybean is the highest. Followed by rice, wheat and corn.

Should I feed my dog according to their primal hunting instincts?

Pet food brands and raw food advocates love to talk about a dog’s primal hunting instincts as a way of justifying a need for high-protein dog food. The idea is that dogs have evolved from wolves and so they should eat a diet resembling what their wolf ancestors ate.

It’s true that dogs did evolve from wolves and survived on meat diets hundreds of years ago. The same is not true of the present day. We are thousands of years into the future and today’s dogs have evolved to process a range of food sources.

Dogs have lived alongside humans for over 10,000 years and in that time have become accustomed to eating our leftovers. This process helped their guts to evolve and cope with a range of different foods including grains.

Scientific research has been carried out looking into the genetic differences between dogs and wolves. A dog’s digestive system is different to that of a wolf as dogs have genes that enable them able to digest carbohydrates whereas wolves did not.

The modern-day dog lives a very different lifestyle to its wolf ancestors. The wolf survived in harsh environments and spent days hunting for prey whereas pet dogs spend much of the day curled up on a nice warm sofa and are usually offered 2 meals a day.

Today’s dog is a domesticated and sophisticated creature that can digest grains, vegetables, and fruit. In fact, they thrive on these ingredients and don’t need to gnaw on endless bones and steaks.

My dog has intolerances - which protein source should I feed them?

Some dogs like humans can have intolerances to certain ingredients. It’s important to find what suits your dog.  If you find your dog having issues digesting food, the first thing to check is feeding amounts. If feeding amounts seem suitable, then a change in diet may be needed.

Signs a diet may not be suited to your dog include digestive upset, skin complaints, full anal glands, waxy ears and excessive moulting.

Although it can be any ingredient in a diet causing issues for your dog, protein source is often a likely contributor and for that reason, it’s always best to choose a food containing a single protein source, especially if your dog is sensitive.

All dogs are unique. Quantity of food depends on the individual dog. The main priority when choosing a diet to suit your dog is to provide high-quality, highly-digestible ingredients.

For more answers to your nutrition questions, please don’t hesitate to contact our team or email our helpline.