# Kibble with high meat percentage - any risks and disadvantages?



## Liana76 (Dec 14, 2012)

I have been trying to fix my dog's cronic colitis by, amongst other things, changing her kibble. After trying out 2 or 3 brands, a friend whose dog had the same problems with mine (same age, same breeder) recommended Carni Love, a Czech manufacturer's kibble which contains about 70% meat, some potatoes and fruits and is supposed to be the cheap alternative to Orijen. My dog seems to be responding very well to it - not only is her stool at last harder, but she seems to have more energy in general. The food before that was Arden Grange salmon and potato, a high quality hypoallergenic food, which hadn't improved her condition whatsoever (in comparison to the cheap Josera Active, based on corn, rice and chicken she previously used to feed on). So I am kind of confused. Since dogs are carnivores, why do most brands, even the quality ones, contain about 20 to 30 percent protein source and most of the rest is grain or potatoes? I mean a kibble containing 70% meat is similar to BARF, right? So shouldn't all dog foods be like that? Since only the minority of brands offer kibble that is very rich in meat, maybe there is something wrong about it? Is it a question of costs? Or is the argument that kibble high in meat mirror's the dog's physical diet just an overrated marketing argument?


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## taquitos (Oct 18, 2012)

Well I feed my dogs PMR and he hardly gets any veggies/fruits. I know kibble companies often add more fruits/veggies because they need it to bind the kibble, and they often use it as a filler too. Because kibble is cooked down, it loses its 70% water content, so some people believe that high animal protein foods can be too rich for their dogs -- I think most of the time it's just because they are overfeeding on foods that are that high in animal protein. That, and well, it is a filler. The AAFCO requirements are supposedly not enough for a dog to thrive on, but enough for them to survive on too. There is also a suggestion that those tested according to AAFCO standards are not reliable because they only do a 6 month study (I don't know if it was 6 months or a year) which is hardly enough time for a dog to show long term deficiencies or other issues... and they only pick two dogs to test their food on.

Apparently there's still an ongoing debate about whether dogs are carnivores/omnivores. http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/canine-nutrition/dogs-carnivores-omnivores/

Anyway, that is why I stick to raw. If I do kibble, I will only do Orijen.

I'm glad your pup is doing so much better


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## Bumper1 (Jul 14, 2013)

Liana76 said:


> I have been trying to fix my dog's cronic colitis by, amongst other things, changing her kibble. After trying out 2 or 3 brands, a friend whose dog had the same problems with mine (same age, same breeder) recommended Carni Love, a Czech manufacturer's kibble which contains about 70% meat, some potatoes and fruits and is supposed to be the cheap alternative to Orijen. My dog seems to be responding very well to it - not only is her stool at last harder, but she seems to have more energy in general. The food before that was Arden Grange salmon and potato, a high quality hypoallergenic food, which hadn't improved her condition whatsoever (in comparison to the cheap Josera Active, based on corn, rice and chicken she previously used to feed on). So I am kind of confused. Since dogs are carnivores, why do most brands, even the quality ones, contain about 20 to 30 percent protein source and most of the rest is grain or potatoes? I mean a kibble containing 70% meat is similar to BARF, right? So shouldn't all dog foods be like that? Since only the minority of brands offer kibble that is very rich in meat, maybe there is something wrong about it? Is it a question of costs? Or is the argument that kibble high in meat mirror's the dog's physical diet just an overrated marketing argument?


What is the Ash Content of this Czech brand?


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## Shell (Oct 19, 2009)

Bumper1 said:


> What is the Ash Content of this Czech brand?


It's on their website. Under Nutritional parameters.

Chicken formula 8%
Salmon and white fish 6%
Sea fish and turkey 8.8%
Lamb and Boar 7%


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## Bumper1 (Jul 14, 2013)

Shell said:


> It's on their website. Under Nutritional parameters.
> 
> Chicken formula 8%
> Salmon and white fish 6%
> ...


Looks like an excellent product on paper. It certainly does not look like you are making any compromises with this food.


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## Kathyy (Jun 15, 2008)

Some people that put dogs with digestive issues on raw find that the problem vanishes. Some people believe that plant foods irritate dogs digestive tracts. 

If you put your dog on a prey model raw with no plant foods then your dog might improve dramatically in health. Max did. I thought he was fine on kibble. Good poop, liked it fine and all. Found out those annoying eye goobers were from eating grains. Found out he could have some muscle if I just fed him some protein. Found out that nasty sticky undercoat turned silky smooth and soft if I just got some fat into him.

Other dog owners find it doesn't change things much. Ginger is extremely happy to be eating raw but her soft coat is the same, her flea allergy isn't going to disappear and her weepy eyes aren't going away. She is losing weight but I would be working on that no matter what food I was giving her.

A diet that is 100% protein would be something like dehydrated egg white. Nobody could eat that and do well even if the appropriate vitamins and minerals were added as fat is an essential nutrient. Max's raw diet is about 60% protein and 40% fat by dry weight and it is 100% meat/bone/organ. By wet weight he gets more like 10% protein as raw is about 2/3 water!


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