Is 22% protein and 11% fat enough for my puppy's food? What's ideal?
Updated On September 23rd, 2025
Pet's info: Dog | Cavalier King Charles Spaniel | Female | spayed | 5 years old | 17 lbs
What percent protein and fat should be in a puppy food? Is 22% protein and 11% fat enough? Please explain, thanks!
3 Answers
Most Helpful Answer
Published on June 29th, 2017
The National Research Council on Nutrient Requirements of Dogs and Cats lists protein and fat requirements for growing puppies in grams per day. Unfortunately this can be confusing because most pet food labels show minimum protein and fat content as a % basis. Puppies need 56 g of crude protein and 21 g of total fat per day. This is a very helpful resource that includes instructions on how to ensure you are feeding your dog these minimum amounts: http://dels.nas.edu/resources/static-assets/banr/miscellaneous/dog_nutrition_final_fix.pdf
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Related Answers from Veterinarians
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Published on September 23rd, 2017
This is a great question! The American Association of Feed Control Officials (AAFCO), the organization that oversees pet nutrition, requires that all puppy foods have at least 22% protein in it. So to answer your question, yes this is fine for your puppy. I hope this helps :-)
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
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Published on June 28th, 2017
Puppies will need a higher protein and fat percentage compared to an adult dog as they are still growing, and so put the extra calories to use. Foods for puppies will often be labeled as a puppy formula or for "all stages of growth" when looking for the correct formulation for a puppy. Glad I could help!
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Thank you Jessica for your answer! The same company makes a puppy formula that 22% protein and 12% fat. Is this suitable for puppies or do they need more protein and fat? I just want to know for when a get a puppy next.
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