Does some treats have too much protein for puppies?

[SILLY6PAK]

I give my dogs Texas Taffy by Merrick. One a day, sort of signals the end of the day. No more rough housing after the taffy is dispersed/
Anyway my brother's shep puppy LOVES LOVES them. I gave my brother some to get him through until he orders his own.

Last night I was looking on the analysis and saw how high in protein they are

83% crude protein
2.7% Fat
1.2% fiber
9.3% Moisture

Piper had them as a pup but I do not want to stear my brother wrong.

The puppy is 30 pounds and gets 1-2 a day.

Thanks

 

[gmacleod]

How big are they? They don't look terribly large. Anyway, unless they're a significant size - significant or numerous enough that they could be considered a decent portion of the dog's food - I wouldn't be worried about the protein content. If it's an incidental to the diet, then even at 100% protein it's not going to make any significant difference to the amount of protein she consumes overall.

The reason so much fuss is made of dog food ingredients and macronutrient breakdown is because it's what the dog eats every single meal, every single day. It's not like you having McDonalds once a week - it's like you having it for breakfast, lunch and dinner daily if you feed something of junk quality. But treats - as long as it's all in moderation, then it matters far less. It's like the biscuit you have mid-afternoon. Better if it's not loaded with artifical and highly processed stuff, but not the end of the world even if it is. When it's the main meal, every meal though - then the impact is massive and it DOES matter that it's not junk. Does that make some sense to you?

 

[SILLY6PAK]

Thanks.
It is sort of what I thought. I emailed Merrick for the grams and calories. Abby hardly eats anything and cannot shed a few pounds. I wonder if those are the culprit. At least I know I haven't endangered my brother's puppy.

 

[gmacleod]

Yes, treats can often contain an amazing number of calories. How do you think Abbey might take to getting bits of fruit or cubes of grilled chicken instead? LOL