If you want to feed your dog high protein dog food, you'll need to start paying attention to food labelling. Many commercial food products contain very little in terms of highly digestible protein from real meat. Dog food ingredient labels which say 'beef', 'lamb' or 'chicken' by law contains real meat. However, when it says 'by-product', then it does not contain meat. Many of the commercial pet foods which are available on the market today often contain more grain than meat.

Dogs have large stomachs and a short intestinal tract. Ideally the best diet for a dog is a high protein food diet with moderate or low fat and very low in carbohydrate. Nutritional experts say that dogs do not actually require any carbohydrate at all. They need higher quantities of quality meat, less carbohydrate and fiber and more biologically available vitamin and mineral sources in their food.

Even though protein is important, there are many other essential nutrients in food that your dog needs. Your dog cannot live on protein alone. Other things like fats, carbohydrates, vitamins as well as minerals are also necessary for your pet to get a well balanced diet and in order for your pet's body to properly use the protein in the food. Dogs are classified as omnivores so a diet of plant and animal based food if it is balanced and diverse is essential for their health.

When choosing high protein food for your dog consider the source of the protein. Find out if the protein is derived from a high-quality source that will give your pet the maximum amount of usable, digestible protein. Look for ingredient labels which say 'beef' or 'chicken' etc on food labels. This means the food actually contains real meat. You should also look at the percentage of protein contained in the food to see how much protein is there. Remember, just looking at the protein alone is not enough. The quality of the meat, presence of other essential nutrients plus a high protein percentage is a good guarantee that the food you're choosing is healthy and beneficial for your pet. Science tells us that your dog may not be able to use the protein as well if other nutrients are lacking. So it's important that your dog gets a balanced diet with the correct amounts of all the required nutrients.

Real meat is the best source of highly digestible protein that is easily broken down by your pet's body. High protein dog food is great in that it allows pets to eat smaller quantities to receive the optimal level of protein. compare this to feeding your pet on corn based pet food - your dog will need to eat larger quantities of corn and other grains to obtain the same amount of usable protein that is in meat. So when choosing pet food for your dog, remember to consider both the type and quality of protein used - not just the quantity or the percentage present in the food.

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