# Protein too high???



## sharonp (Jan 18, 2014)

I am feeding the new puppy Fromm grain free dry kibble and she likes it. It has 29% protein and am fine with that for the 4 month old puppy. However my 15 month old is fed Fromm 4 star with grain that has 25% protein but she much prefers the puppies' 29% protein wild game grain free food. Is it too much protein for her to switch her to the same Fromm grain free 29% protein food that she and the young puppy both prefer? Concerned bc I thought we are supposed to keep full-grown maltese at 25-26% protein? Would love some feedback on if it is safe to put both 15 month old and 4 mo old on Fromm 4 star grain free, 29%-30% protein dry kibble???


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## Snuggle's Mom (Jan 3, 2008)

Not sure what others feel about the protein level for a Puppy, but to me it seems a bit high. Not a right answer, just my thoughts since Malts are a small Dog.


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## hoaloha (Jan 27, 2012)

The answer isn't as simple as a protein percent per age. It depends on the individual dog's health. Has either dog gotten the Bile Acid Test (BAT) checked? If a maltese has MVD (which many maltese do have asymptomatic MVD), I'd try to keep the protein level on the moderate side. The other issue with grain-free, higher protein kibble is that it's often higher in fat content. For Fromm, 25-26% vs 29-30% isn't that big of a difference. If you are comparing a high protein kibble like Evo or Origin or Acana (etc) where the percent can be high 30-40's, then that's a big difference.

My dogs eat a higher protein content but their diet isn't kibble based and neither have MVD. Some nutritionists believe it's the source of the protein that also makes a difference. Just to make things more complicated!


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## sharonp (Jan 18, 2014)

Hi Marissa,
The puppy did have a bile acid test at 12weeks and it was 24.6. I believe that means she should not have liver issues although I am not sure if she was too young for the test to be reliable. Both the 4 month old dog and 15 month prefer the game bird grain free recipe with the higher protein level of 29%.
I love watching little Obi"s great personality come across in his photos. He is adorable!!! Thanks for your feedback. I appreciate it.


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