Raw food protein level

[yorkiepaws]

I feed Laya Nature's Variety frozen medallions and I noticed that the protein level is only 13% whereas most kibble is like 26-40%. Just wodering if the raw alone is high enough in protein. Any thoughts

[Ellie May]

Because raw (and canned and homecooked) contain so much moisture, the food needs to be converted to a dry matter basis. If the water or moisture was taken out of the raw, the protein content would be much higher. You can figure dry matter basis by dividing the protein by the recipricol of the moisture. So if example if the food contains 13% protein and 70% moisture, the recipricol of the moisture is 30 (100-70). So 13 divided by 30 would be the actual protein content. If the moisture is 75%, the recipricol would be 100-75 or 25. So 13 divided by 25, etc.

[yorkiepaws]

Originally Posted by Ellie May

Because raw (and canned and homecooked) contain so much moisture, the food needs to be converted to a dry matter basis. If the water or moisture was taken out of the raw, the protein content would be much higher. You can figure dry matter basis by dividing the protein by the recipricol of the moisture. So if example if the food contains 13% protein and 70% moisture, the recipricol of the moisture is 30 (100-70). So 13 divided by 30 would be the actual protein content. If the moisture is 75%, the recipricol would be 100-75 or 25. So 13 divided by 25, etc.

Wow thanks, I had no idea. I would have never even thought of how to do that. That makes way more sense.

[lil fu fu girl]

Protein requirements
Protein requirements vary from species to species and can vary greatly during the rapid growth stages and for elderly animals with compromised kidneys. I will explain some of the special circumstances that require altered levels of protein but as a rule the following levels apply.
Species and Growth StageRecommended Protein %Recommended Fat %Puppy28%
17%
Adult dog18%
9-15%
Performance dog25%
20%
Racing sled dog35%
50%
Lactating dog28%
17%

Once you have figured out what the protein percentage is on a dry matter basis, you can compare it to these numbers. (The first percentage is protein and the second is fat.) I have also included the link for you in case you questions about the article.
Pet Education.com