The Effect of Increased Dietary Fat upon the Protein Requirement of the Growing Dog

Abstract

The effect of a high-fat, or high-calorie diet upon the percentage protein requirements of the weanling pup has been investigated. The data show that, under ad libitum feeding, increased increments of dietary fat in the ration of the weanling dog increased the present protein requirement as measured by rate of growth and by food efficiency. The diet which contained 20% fat needed 25.0% protein to obtain a maximum growth response in the weanling pup in these experiments. Further increases in protein were needed to obtain a maximum growth and food efficiency rate when the diet contained 30% fat. The food efficiency for the weanling pup was distinctly superior with the 30% fat diet over that with the diet which contained 20% fat.