All About Our Dog Food’s Protein Sources

Protein is an essential part of every dog's diet. It helps grow hair, form new skin cells and build muscle tissue. It also assists in creating the hormones and enzymes necessary for strengthening the immune system, bodily functions and energy. 

Often, when we look at dog food, we focus on the amount of protein in the recipe. Whilst this is important, a high percentage doesn't always mean it's better quality food. It all depends on how digestible the proteins are.

At Designer Dog Foods, we make sure all freshly prepared meats are gently cooked to 90 degrees Celsius to protect the nutrient content. This allows your pet to have optimal nutrient bio-availability whilst ensuring that the protein is readily available and easily digested.

Protein needs can vary, especially between puppies and adults. Puppies require a high protein diet since they are growing and developing rapidly. Adults, on the other hand, won't need as much. 

As dogs get older, it's essential to give them dog food that will provide nutrients that support things like joint health and eyesight. 

Labradoodles are prone to being sensitive to grains and chicken. Therefore we've created chicken-free, grain-free dry dog food. We designed it specifically for doodles to make sure that we reduce the risk of an allergic reaction.

Often with chicken or grains like rice, doodles develop symptoms like itchy ears and skin irritation. Since we wanted to create natural dog food for allergies, we worked with a vet to work out the best dog food ingredients. 

With that, here is a list of all the meat we do use that is both delicious and nutritious. If you want to know which fish protein we use, check out our 'Why Fish Is Good For Your Dog - And What Ingredients We Use' post. 

Angus Beef

Angus Beef originates from Aberdeen, Scotland. It's specific to a breed of cattle that resides there. With superior marbling, Angus Beef is of higher quality than regular beef. 

It contains:

• Iron
• Zinc
• Selenium
• Vitamin B12
• Vitamin B6

Our beef dog food is called 'Beefcakes' and contains sweet potato and carrot. This particular recipe is full of vitamin A in the form of beta-carotene to help support eye health and vision. 

Duck

Duck is delicious! It's a very lean source of protein and contains a lot of iron. It's also an excellent source of these vitamins and minerals:

• Selenium
• Vitamin B
• Zinc

But what do these nutrients do?

Selenium is necessary to support the immune system and thyroid gland.

Zinc is essential if you want your dog to have great skin. It's a vital ingredient to ensure your dog has luscious locks.

Our duck with sweet potato and orange recipe is one of our most popular choices. We call it 'Thank Duck for Doodles', and it really is scrumptious. 

Lamb

Lamb is a nutrient-dense, delicious and highly digestible protein source for dogs. Because of this, we've created our own grain-free lamb dog food. With sweet potato and mint, this tasty adult dry dog food consists of 50% lamb, with at least 26% of this freshly prepared. 

Lamb is full of the following vitamins and minerals:

• Vitamin B12
• Selenium
• Zinc
• Niacin
• Phosphorus
• Iron

Iron and vitamin B12 help keep nerve and blood cells healthy and help the synthesis of proteins. Lamb is also a wonderful source of omega-3, which also contributes to the health of cells.

Niacin (also known as vitamin B3), supports a variety of bodily functions. If your dog doesn't have enough niacin in their diet, it can increase their risk of heart disease. 

Phosphorus helps body growth and maintenance.

Our lamb dog food is called Labradoodle Lunch. It's suitable for all doodles including Goldendoodles, Cockapoos and Cobberdogs. 

Pork

Most people would agree that pork is a delicious protein source. Not only does it taste amazing, but it provides the following vitamins and minerals:

• Thiamin
• Niacin
• Riboflavin
• Vitamin B6
• Phosphorus
• Potassium
• Zinc

Thiamin is essential for brain health as it requires this vitamin for carbohydrate metabolism. 

Riboflavin is also known as vitamin B2. It's great for your dog's skin and converts fat into energy. 

Potassium makes sure the body maintains proper fluid balance. It's also necessary for muscle function, nerves and enzymes. 

We have a pork dog food with sweet potato and apple for adults. It's called Peppa's Picnic, and our dogs love it!

Turkey

Turkey is lean, white meat. It's a rich source of protein and amino acids. It's low in fat and helps with muscle development. It contains the following nutrients:

• Phosphorus
• Vitamin B12
• Niacin
• Vitamin B6

Since we often associate turkey with our Christmas dinner, we thought we'd reflect that in this recipe. Our 'Everyday is Christmas' adult dog food is festive all year round, with sweet potato and cranberry. 

We've also got a large bite option called Doodle Royale+. It's the same recipe, but the kibble size is much easier and safer for larger breeds. 

Venison

Whilst it might seem an odd choice; our venison dog food is full of protein and nutrients. Venison is low in sodium but rich in the following vitamins and minerals:

• Iron
• Vitamin B
• Vitamin B12

As a fantastic source of iron, in particular, venison is a wonderful meat for dogs. We only have one venison recipe - and we had fun naming it. 'Breakfast at Bambi's' is made from venison, sweet potato and mulberry.

All our recipes are made from responsibly sourced, high-quality ingredients. They have been created specifically for doodles at all life stages. 

Designed with natural ingredients, designed with love.