Too much protein?

[lawboxeer]

I have an eight week old boxer who I just got and today was his first trip to the vets office. I am feeding him Canidae als and the vet recommended that I feed the puppy a large breed puppy food. She said that Canidae has too much protein and can cause the puppy to have some type of bone issue. She said it was like growing pains for dogs. She seemed extremely knowledgeable and other than that I did not have any issues and she spent about a half hour talking to me about the dog. I just wanted to see if there is anything to worry about? Please let me know. Thanks

[gmacleod]

I don't think you have anything to worry about with Canidae - it should be perfectly appropriate for your puppy. It doesn't have a high protein content - 24%. Many foods, and actually most puppy foods, have higher protein content than that. Even many large/giant breed formulas have more protein than that. The *minimum* for puppies, incidentally, is 22%. Ideal is generally considered as 24-26% (as you'll note, Canidae is on the low end of "ideal").

As for high protein causing growth problems... the answer to that one is that nobody really knows whether it does or doesn't. This is a bit of a moot point, btw, since Canidae isn't a high protein food. But even so, it's worth knowing. There are some studies in existence that say that high protein ("high" is more like 30-40%) contributes to growth disorders and diseases. Others say it has no impact at all. Pretty much all agree on things like excess calcium and overall calories being dangerous, but protein is disputed. My personal feeling is that, eventually, the it-has-no-adverse-impact camp will be proven to be correct. But that's just my feeling and the current situation is that nobody knows for sure whether it's an issue or not an issue (and that includes your vet).

So, that's certainly worth knowing about and taking into consideration in your food choices. HOWEVER: it isn't very relevant to Canidae. This is not a 'high protein' food. It is average to low in protein, especially if compared against puppy formulas.

[BxrMommieNAZ]

I totally agree with the above and personally I fed my puppy Canidae since he was 7 weeks old, he'll be 12 months next week and is perfectly healthy, happy, and no problems whatsoever in the growth department. I have since changed foods since Canidae changed ingredients, but up until about a week ago I had been feeding it since the day I brought him home without any issues. And it definitely is NOT high protein and there are many foods higher in protein for sure. Your vet may be knowledgable in other areas, but unfortunately I do not think she was too well versed in this area or simply didn't know what Canidae was.

Good luck with your pup!