Hi Jazzy’s Mom –
To calculate the protein level of a food on a dry matter basis (the actual amount of protein) you want to do the following:
1) Subtract the % moisture listed on the package from 100% – this is the % dry matter.
2) Divide the as fed protein percentage found on the package by the % dry matter.
3) Multiply this number calculated in step 2 by 100% to get the actual level of protein in the food.
You’ll notice that the more moisture the food contains, the greater the actual level of protein in the food is in comparison to what’s stated on the packaging.
Adding vegetables to the food would decrease the level of protein, however, I’m not certain if you could add enough to get the protein where you need it to be without throwing off the nutritional balance of the food. No more than 20% of the diet should be unbalanced extras.
