High Protein Dry Dog Food

Taste Of The Wild High Prairie Grain

Protein Content – 32.0%

Taste of the Wild Pet foods is a committed family owned USA run company that’s main focus in on providing quality products with rich whole foods. Inside the bag, you’ll find ingredients like buffalo meat, lamb meal, sweet potatoes, peas and numerous other whole foods and nutrients.

All ingredients are hand selected and trusted by Taste of the Wild to ensure that they are coming from sustainable sources around the world. Made with no grain, corn, wheat, or artificial flavors, colors, or preservatives. Taste of the Wild high protein dog food is one of the leading brands.

• Real Roasted Bison Meat #1 Ingredient
• Made in the USA

Victor Classic Hi Pro Plus High Protein Dog Food

Rating:

Hi Pro Plus is one of 5 dry recipes evaluated in our review of the Victor Classic product line.

• First 5 ingredients: Beef meal, grain sorghum, chicken fat, pork meal, chicken meal
• Type: Grain-inclusive
• Best for:Adult and small or medium breed puppies
• Other recipes: Victor Professional

Victor Classic Hi Pro Plus receives most of its meat content from beef meal. Dry matter label analysis demonstrates the food contains 33% protein, 22% fat and 37% estimated carbs creating a fat-to-protein ratio of about 67%.

One of the best grain-inclusive kibbles on the market. A classic, fully-balanced high protein recipe. Weve always admired Victors simple designs. Feed with confidence.

Sample buyer reviewOur breed recommended this dog food & our Goldendoodle has been on this food for over a year now. He absolutely loves his food & runs to his bowl every time he knows its time to eat. He has a great coat, maintains a health weight & has solid poops. Highly recommend for active puppies & dogs!

Purina One Smartblend Low Carb Dog Food

Protein Content – 30.00%

Purina ONE SmartBlend is a formulation that is unique and different from Purina Pro Plan Sport. Instead of chicken, ONE SmartBlend uses real Turkey as the number one ingredient, as well as venison. The ingredients have no poultry by-product meals, only whole real foods.

The food and formulation are inspired by a dog’s natural diet. Therefore, the choice of food is nutrient-dense found in nature. As a result, you get a food that is packed full of wholesome nutrients providing a 100% balanced diet that helps support body health for active adult dogs.

Read Also: How Much Protein Does Greek Yogurt Have

What Are The Best High Protein Low Carb Dog Foods

High protein low carb dog food is essential for your canine athlete. From hunting dogs to dogs on the police force, any dog that works hard on a regular basis must be fed accordingly. Dog foods filled with cheap carbohydrates only serve to make dogs fat. Plus, dogs cannot transfer carbohydrates into energy as efficiently as they can fats, thus resulting in faster burn out.

Did you know wolves dont eat any carbs in the wild? Despite what nature tells is right for dogs, dog food brands continue to stuff their premium foods with carbohydrate fillers.

What Kind Of Dogs Need A High Protein Dog Food

If your dog falls under one of the following categories, youll likely see some huge benefits to feeding your dog a high protein diet:

• Dogs with weight problems

If your dog has started to put on a few pounds, it might be time to switch them to a high protein, a low-calorie diet that will allow them to shed the weight and keep their joints and overall health in top condition. The added protein will also help to curb their appetite, so you may notice Fido is less likely to request a full bowl, once they start their new diet. Head over to our review of dog food for weight loss for more options.

Dog food designed for elderly or senior dogs usually come with added protein- but it still might not quite be enough to manage the overall wellbeing of your pup. Having high protein dog food helps to keep your dogs overall body shape in a much healthier condition- feeding their muscles well into old age while supporting their joints. Find out more about senior dog food here.

The biggest example of the more athletic breeds is the border collie- designed to spend all day running around, herding sheep, this is a breed that will have boundless energy and can become bored very easily. Of course, all that energy needs to be fed, so as to avoid any health problems, later.

• Pregnant and lactating dogs

Don’t Miss: L Oven Fresh Protein Wraps

The Best High Protein Dog Foods

Of course, when youre making a decision to switch foods, youll want to check with your vet to ensure youre making the right choice for your dog. Dogs have similar dietary needs, but certain conditions might make your food choice the wrong one. Check with your vet and buy the highest-quality food that fits into your budget. Here are the 6 best high protein dog foods, complete with ingredient, pricing, and availability information.

The 6 Best High Protein Dog Food

Contrary to popular belief, dogs are not obligatory carnivores, but they still need lots of protein to stay strong and lean. That being said, there are good sources of protein and there arenot so good sources of protein. The leaner your source of protein is, the less fat accompanies it. Beef is traditionally fattier, but you can still get lean beef options that contain high amounts of protein. In fact, our first pick for this list is one such source.

All that aside, the overall health of your dog truly does depend on the quality of the food youre giving him. With an influx of sub-par foods on the market, its important as the consumer to make sure youre getting something thats both worth your money and healthy for your dog. Dogs of all breeds can suffer from a variety of health complications directly related to poor diets the main one being obesity. Millions of dogs suffer from this seemingly harmless condition, and weve even gone as far as to create cute nicknames for chubby dogs. The truth is, obesity is as harmful to a dog as it is to us humans.

In this guide, well cover some of the best dog foods on the market that have a high protein content and no fillers, additives, or other harmful ingredients that youd want your pup to stay away from. You need to be careful not to buy foods that contain artificial dyes, preservatives, or other ingredients. A natural, wholesome ingredients list is what were looking for!

Recommended Reading: High Protein And Fiber Breakfast

How To Select The Most Beneficial High Protein Dog Food

Not all high-protein dog foods offer nutritious, high-quality ingredients. When selecting for this sort of dog food, you should bear in mind the following characteristics.

Protein Content

Dogs require a minimum of 18% protein in their diet, and closer to 22% protein for developing dogs. For dog food to qualify as a high-protein diet, it must include at least 30 percent protein.

On all dog food labels, the crude protein proportion shall be shown. Typically, it is located on the back near the ingredient list. To evaluate various diets on an equal footing, you must compute protein as a proportion of dry matter.

This accounts for the substantial difference in moisture content between wet and dry diets. Wet diets will always have a low crude protein value, hence this figure must be converted to dry matter.

As a reminder, the presence of more protein does not automatically indicate that a dog food mix is superior. It depends on your dog’s specific requirements, and much protein might be harmful.

Life stage, health circumstances, and amount of physical activity all influence protein needs. Working with a veterinarian is the best approach to discover the right protein proportion for your dog.

Protein Grade

In addition to obtaining dog food with a high crude protein content, it is as necessary to evaluate the protein quality. The first item in the ingredient list should be a designated animal protein, such as chicken, beef, or salmon.

Dry vs Wet Food

Hard Food

Wet Food

Brothers Complete Low Carb Dog Food

Protein Content – 36.00%

Brothers dog food obtains its cassava/tapioca from the roots of cassava plants, a low glycemic carbohydrate. This eliminates the presence of milk and sugars and more closely resembles your dogs natural diet. According to the manufacturer:

Additionally some studies have shown that up to 50% of the tapioca starch survives the digestive process and, instead of being absorbed into the bloodstream as a starch, gets to the colon where it feeds the beneficial bacteria that are essential for the health and functioning of the colon, the immune system, and the body as a whole. In effect, this diversion of starch to feed the beneficial bacteria makes brothers an even more concentrated source of protein and nutrients than the assured analysis reveals.

Read Also: Best Protein For Dogs To Build Muscle

Switching To Purina Dog Chow

When switching to Purina Dog Chow from another food, please allow 7 – 10 days for the transition.

Gradually add more Purina Dog Chow and less of the previous food to your pets dish each day until the changeover is complete. This gradual transition will help avoid dietary upsets.

Provide adequate fresh water in a clean container daily.

For your pets health, see your veterinarian regularly.

Crave Grain Free High Protein Dry Dog Food

Protein Content – 34.0%

Inspired by a dog’s natural diet, CRAVE introduces a rich high protein dog food that’s first ingredient is Salmon. Packed with 34% protein CRAVE adult high protein dog food is designed to provide your dog with rich nutrients and taste. Specifically, formulated with absolutely no soy, grains, corn, or wheat fillers.

With such a rich high protein dog food it will lead to giving your dog a lean, healthy body with energy to exercise and hunt. You won’t find any preservatives, artificial flavors or colors, just like the Taste of the Wild high protein dog food.

You May Like: Do You Need Protein To Build Muscle

Should You Feed Your Dog A High Protein Diet

Puppies need plenty of protein to aid growth

One of the main difference between puppy food and adult dog food is protein amounts. Puppies require more protein to help their fast-growing bodies.

Adult dogs benefit just as much

While puppies NEED lots of protein to grow, adult dogs benefit from it but dont need quite as much to survive. Thats why Scratch recipes are designed to be suitable from pup through to adult so all dogs get the best nutrition possible not just the bare minumum.

Even senior dogs

Most senior dog foods skimp out on protein and are full of starchy, high-carbohydrate ingredients that do the joints no favours and turn to sugars and fats very easily. Many senior dogs will benefit from more protein to keep joints, cartilage and muscles strong.

Youd be amazed at how much more active senior dogs can be when fuelled properly.

Dog Chow Dog Food Dry High Protein Lamb & Beef

• 100 percent complete and balanced nutrition for adult dogs. Made with real lamb and beef flavor and accents of peas and carrotsContains 25 percent higher protein than Purina Dog Chow Complete adult dry dog food. High protein dog food contains no artificial flavorsCrafted in the USA.

High Protein Dry Dog Food, High Protein Recipe With Real Lamb & Beef Flavor

Also Check: Quest Salted Caramel Protein Powder

Merrick Classic Healthy Grains High Protein Formula

Rating:

Merrick Classic Healthy Grains Puppy is one of 13 recipes included in our review of the Merrick Classic product line.

• First 5 ingredients: Deboned chicken, chicken meal, brown rice, barley, oatmeal
• Type: Grain-inclusive
• Profile: Growth
• Best For:All puppies
• Other recipes: Real Beef, Real Chicken, Real Lamb, Small Breed Recipe, Senior Recipe, Healthy Weight and others

This Merrick Classic product derives the bulk of its animal content from fresh chicken and chicken meal. Our dry matter label analysis shows the food contains 31% protein, 18% fat and 43% estimated carbs yielding a fat-to-protein ratio of about 57%.

A top-rated dry puppy food thats completely based on a safe, proven grain-inclusive design. Contains no legumes.

Porkys Porchetta Cubies By A Pup Above

Cubies come from fresh-food maker A Pup Above, who took their popular gently-cooked recipes and baked them slowly at low temperatures to produce this simple scoop-and-serve dry food. Cubies have the shelf-life of kibble without the reported nutrient loss that results from high-temperature baking and extrusion. Rover test pups found they were pleasing to even picky palates, and the pork recipe packs in an impressive 34% protein on a dry-matter basis.

Note that Cubies are a bit of an investmentwe like to use them as high-protein meal-toppers and high-value treats.

Key Features:

• Transparently sourced ingredients and recipesenter your packages lot number to see where your pups food came from
• Many of the benefits of fresh food without the need to rehydrate, refrigerate, or keep frozen
• Gentle processing retains more important nutrients

Don’t Miss: How Much Protein Do I Need For Muscle Gain

What Are The Benefits Of High Protein Dog Food

More even lasting energy

With less carbs than most dog foods, Scratch releases longer-lasting energy from locally-sourced Aussie proteins and fats.

Strong cartilage, tendons and ligaments

Our high protein dog food helps to protect the joints and their parts. Our kangaroo recipe even includes added supplements to keep your dog active and just the right amount of crazy.

Healthy muscle, skin, hair and nails

You can really see the difference with a dog eating plenty of high-quality animal protein.

Plus, we donate 2% of every order

to Australian environmental & dog welfare initiatives

Ollie Subscription Dog Food

Ollie offers human-grade, subscription-based fresh dog food with easy-to-pronounce ingredient lists that always start with proteins. We tried out the chicken recipe, which lists chicken and chicken gizzard as the first two ingredients and contains roughly 37% protein on a dry-matter basis.

We like that their proteins come from human-grade farms in the U.S. . Ollie can also make recipe and feeding recommendations based on your dogs reported age, weight, breed, activity level, and allergies.

Key Features:

Don’t Miss: Which Meat Has The Highest Protein

So What Makes A Good Quality Dog Food

Only 15% of foods in the US are considered high protein low-carb dog foods. This is concerning considering how important this type of diet is for dogs, especially hunting and sporting dogs. Luckily, there are a lot of high-quality dog foods out there you simply need to know what to look for. Here are 5 of the most important factors to consider when assessing high protein low carb dog foods.

1. Quality of protein source

The Nutrition Facts are important but the ingredients are often more telling. A dog food may contain high protein levels, but you must read the ingredients to identify where the protein really comes from. Not all protein sources digest the same way for your dog. For instance, high levels of meat by-products may technically measure as protein, but they dont provide a suitable protein source for your dog.

Keep in mind, there is such thing as too much protein. Some dogs dont need as much protein as others and too much protein can lead to upset stomach and digestive issues.

2. First and last ingredients

The first ingredients are the most prominently packed inside a dog food, aka the majority of whatever your dog eats. Any dog foods that list meat by-products as the first ingredient are rap with a C, if you know what I mean. While the last ingredients are in much smaller quantities they are still important. Heres where youre likely to find a list of unnatural fillers and preservatives. If an ingredient sounds funky, look it up and see what it is.

Crave High Protein Chicken Adult Grain

Our Rating:

Customer Reviews: Overwhelmingly positive, with a particular mention of improved health for their dogs.

Ingredients: Chicken, Chicken Meal, Split Peas, Lentils, Pork Meal, Chicken Fat , Pea Starch, Dried Plain Beet Pulp, Flaxseed, Natural Flavor, Dehydrated Alfalfa Meal, Salt, Potassium Chloride, Choline Chloride, Dl-methionine, Mixed Tocopherols And Citric Acid , Zinc Sulfate, Niacin Supplement, Calcium Carbonate, Biotin, Vitamin E Supplement, Iron Amino Acid Chelate, D-calcium Pantothenate, Selenium Yeast, Riboflavin Supplement , Copper Amino Acid Chelate, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride , Manganese Amino Acid Chelate, Vitamin A Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate , Potassium Iodide, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Folic Acid, Rosemary Extract.

The Company: Crave is a brand that wants to satisfy your pups craving for ancestral foods, and this high-protein blend does just that. Formulated with premium chicken, chicken meal, and pork meal, your dog will get optimal protein and fiber from plant sources. There are no additives or artificial ingredients, just good-quality, tasty ingredients your pup will love.

Price: This product comes in a 4-, 12-, and 22-lb bag. Prices range anywhere from $10-$42, depending on the bag size and carrier.

Availability: Craves foods are available on Chewy, Walmart.com, Amazon, Target.com, and more.

Recommended Reading: Womens Weight Loss Protein Powder

How Many Carbs Does My Dog Need

There is no specific required amount of carbohydrates for dogs. AAFCO does not have a requirement for carbohydrates due to traditional preparations of commercial diets.

Commercial dog foods contain enough carbohydrates to meet the daily amount of glucose that is needed. Glucose is needed to maintain the nervous system and keep it functioning normally.

Dry dog foods typically contain 30-60% carbohydrates, with the majority being starch. Grains such as corn, rice, wheat, barley, and oats provide the bulk of starch and are well tolerated and absorbed in dogs due to commercial preparations. Its important to note that a diet without any added carbohydrates will be higher in proteins and fats.

Vitamins are very diverse and perform many different functions in a dogs body, such as the creation of DNA, bone development, blood clotting, normal eye function, and neurologic function.

There are five characteristics for a nutrient to be considered a vitamin:

There are quite a few vitamins that dogs require from their food. They can be separated into two categories: fat-soluble and water-soluble.

Fat-Soluble Vitamins

Vitamin A

Vitamin D

Vitamin E

Thiamin