LA Animal Control Practice Test

Dry matter protein content expresses how much protein is in the food after removing all water, so it’s a true comparison across foods with different moisture levels. Most dry dog foods have about 10% moisture, so when you convert to dry matter basis, the protein percentage goes up.

For old-age formulas, the protein level is typically moderate to support aging dogs’ lean mass without overloading the kidneys or affecting palatability. That tends to place the dry-matter protein in roughly the fifteen-to-twenty percent range. Numbers much lower would risk muscle loss, while numbers much higher are less common in standard senior diets.

So, the approximate dry-matter protein content of a typical old-age formula is about fifteen to twenty percent.