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Is 22% protein in puppy food enough for my puppy's healthy growth?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Cavalier King Charles Spaniel | Female | spayed | 5 years and 3 months old | 17 lbs

Can a puppy have a food that's 22% protein? Is this high enough? I don't have a puppy right now but I like the brand I'm using so I wanted to know if I could feed that to a puppy in the future. It says it's for puppies it's by natural balance.

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

Veterinarian

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 :-)

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1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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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.
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!
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What percent protein and fat should be in a puppy food? Is 22% protein and 11% fat enough? Please explain, thanks!
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What phosphorus and calcium level are needed for puppy food? Also how much protein should be in the food I feed my English Labrador Retriever pup?
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How much crude protein should my dog eat.? The food from fromm has 24%. I want to switch his food to acana. It has 29%. Is it too much protein. Acana crude fiber is 6% whole fromm is 3.5%.
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I'm debating between picking a dog food with 20% protein or 25% protein. Since dogs are considered carnivores by some would 25% protein be better for her?
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Will my 17 pound 5 year old cavalier develop a protein deficiency by being on a food that's 21% protein? She gets daily walks but is otherwise indoors. Please explain.
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This question is for Sybil Davis: Is the one gram of protein per pound of body weight a strict rule or can it be improvised? Right now my dogs on Natural Balance she is not getting that much protein. I would say she's getting between 12-14 grams per
Hi and thanks so much for your post this afternoon. 18-20% protein should be just fine if Chloe is a lightly active dog. 25% protein would be better for more active dogs (such as dogs that do agility or are working dogs). I hope this helps and thanks for using Boop by Petco!
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I want to know the best option for puppy food. I'm currently feeding soild gold wolf cub for large breed puppies. The crude protein is 26.0%. I'm trying to figure out whether I should continue feeding the current brand or adjust to something with hig
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What would be considered lightly to moderately active? I walk my dog 4-5 days per week for about 45-50 minutes. She's on a food that has 20% protein. Should I change foods to one that has 25-26% protein?
Thanks for using Boop by Petco! I would consider that level of activity moderate though very appropriate. You do not need to increase the amount of protein you feed her. She is already eating a proper amount of protein. Good luck!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
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How much protein is the right amount for dogs? Some dog foods have 30% plus others much less.
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