Protein: The Most Important Food Item You Can Feed Your Labrador

January 6, 2007 on 7:45 am | In Labrador Articles |

Protein is the most expensive ingredient in dog foods. Its source often determines the quality of the food. Animal sources are superior. Unfortunately, there’s not enough meat around to satisfy all the pet dogs in the world, so the producers substitute vegetable protein.

The difference between vegetable and animal protein? Vegetable is often harder to digest, and more of it has to be consumed to meet the Labrador’s needs. More food equals more stool. The best advice is to find a food that uses more animal protein than vegetable protein and requires smaller rations to meet the MDR.

More protein is not always better. High protein diets are used for show or working labradors. If your Labrador’s mellow or spends many hours alone, feeding a high protein diet will make her jittery and hyper. When reading the label, watch for key words like gluten meal and animal protein. These indicate animal protein sources. Words like corn, soy, and rice all tell you the protein is from vegetable sources.