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Originally Posted by pokidee  .
I’m actually confused and I hope someone can answer me my question that if Stella and Chewy’s raw food is expensive and considered a good quality dog food, why does it have double of the protein and fat that is recommended for a young adult dog like mines. My dog doesn’t overly exercise and I’m sure most house pets don’t. So how is that raw food that is double of the protein and fat healthier than the recommended amount? I actually want to switch Blue Buffalo to a better dry food since I noticed Paris yesterday is not eating all her small vitamin darker circular pieces from her BB kibble. But so far I haven’t really seen a dry food that entirely convinces me. I like Fromm, but it seems like it has too much ingredients that I’m afraid Paris could possibly be allergic to one. I’m thinking of getting Farmina. |
Stella and Chewy's is probably one of the better companies making raw foods since they abide by AAFCO standards of nutrient content. The AAFCO sets *minimum* levels for protein and fat content, not maximum levels. The maximum recommended levels are determined by veterinary nutritionists who have had a lot of training and experience in feeding healthy dogs. Until the AAFCO starts setting maximum levels on protein and fat, you will see some companies promoting high protein/high fat diets even if that's not in the dog's best interest. They can charge more for these foods and get away with it.
Getting back to Blue Buffalo, we used to feed Blue Buffalo to our Bella, and she liked it, and the protein and fat levels were good, but we purchased a bag that was missing the "life source bits" (those darker pieces in the kibble that your dog won't eat) and I realized that they had problems with quality control. Since then, I've read that Blue Buffalo sometimes has problems with quality control, and some bags get no life source bits, and some bags are all life source bits. That's why we switched. We're currently feeding Wellness, but I'm a little uncomfortable since its protein content is on the high side at 36%. She's doing well on it, so we won't switch for now, but I'm a little uneasy.
I just checked out Farmina, and it also is high in protein at 37%, so I'd be cautious. It's similar to Wellness in nutrient content. Your dog may do well on it, but if you change foods, buy a small bag (in case it doesn't work out) and make the change gradually, over the course of a week or two.
We used to feed Royal Canin Yorkshire Terrier, which is 26% protein. If we ever change foods again, we'd probably go back to Royal Canin (unless, heaven forbid, Bella develops a health problem and she has to go on a prescription diet).