What Does Crude Protein Really Mean in Dry Dog Food?

One thing is sure – it has to be good, because protein is the most expensive ingredient in any good. For many dry good sellers and manufactures, this protein include carcasses and some other waste from some other animals. It is actually a high quality protein, and you can find it in many meals. Sometimes, I give my dog a Halo food because it contains crude protein, and it is safe. You really don’t need to be worried, because it is something that your dog can use and be safe. This is one of those measurements that can be especially slippery for us to figure out when we are choosing a good food for dog. 

Dog Whisperer, thank you so much for the answer. I have to admit I am relieved now. As much as I saw, on almost every pack of a dog food that was written and I didn't have idea what it stands for. Truth to be told, it's not clear yet :) But at least I know it isn't something bad. But really, I never had a habit to read things on the back of food packs, but when I heard that my cousin's cat went sick after some food she's been feeding her with, now I am more concious and aware. 

Hey. You two are partially right, crude protein isn't anything bad, of course. But it isn't some special kind of protein, "crude" stands for the measurement of proteins in certain food, it's like unit. So, Mima, it is completely normal and expected that you see that on dog food, it tells you amount of proteins, usually in percentage. It is calculated in some specefic way which I am not quite sure of, a friend told me, but I forgot, it isn't important that much. But for those who wants their dogs to take more proteins - check the label and see crude protein. :) 

Hey, guys.

The “crude protein” words on dog foods labels gave me many headaches. I always thought that amount of crude protein meant that food is having high percentage of high quality proteins but that is not a case.

Proteins came from various sources, both animal and non-animal. Obviously, animal proteins are better, but you cannot determine its percentage just from reading how much crude proteins are in it.

The best way is to choose a food that lists real whole meat on the bag as the first ingredient. That way, you will be sure that your dog will get enough nutrition in his/her meal. 

@Dalmatian_lover, a friend told me something similar to that, so I believe you’re right. Thank you so much for the explanation, I didn’t get it when my friend tried to explain it to me. 

I’ll now pay more attention to those labels on the back. I didn’t pay much attention to that before.@old_dog_new_trick, I always look for that when I buy dog food but not so many dog foods actually list whole meat on the bag as its first ingredient.

Do you have any suggestions for dog food choices? Which food do you use and what is the best if we’re talking about crude protein? 

You are welcome. We are here to help you and to help you understand that crude protein is not something bad for your dog. About the food, I like to give my dog Halo, it is natural and it has all other ingredients that my dog needs. To be honest, I really don’t know if there is some other food that I would give to my dog, now it seems that this is something that I am not so experienced with. If you have any suggestion, let us know, ok?

Because, I really would like to know more about this.