PROTEIN FOR DOGS – THE TRUTH THAT YOU WON’T HEAR FROM THE COMMERCIAL PET FOOD INDUSTRYProtein for dogs is essential for optimal health… Protein is a major building block to health and is needed for growth, maintenance and repair of the entire body, so without good quality sources, a dogs body will deteriorate over time: Certain, ‘essential’ amino acids can only be gotten from ‘complete’ proteins such as meat, dairy, eggs and poultry. These amino acids are broken down, absorbed and reformed to create new proteins that are used in the body. It is also necessary for the production of antibodies, which fight against infection and illness, and is the main nutrient that keeps your dogs coat shiny and their bones strong. Protein is a major component of all muscles, tissues and organs and is vital for practically every process such as metabolism, digestion and the transportation of nutrients and oxygen in the blood. Why is protein for dogs particularly essential? Dogs are predominantly carnivores and therefore protein is the main category of food that is consumed by wolves in the wild. Our domestic dogs only differ by a mere 2%, genetically, from their wild ancestors; their digestive systems are just the same. In the wild a wolf will mainly live off the prey they have caught. From this, they will eat various parts including certain bones, muscle meat, organ meat (kidney, heart, liver etc) and the stomach contents. So, with that in mind, would it not make sense that to thrive, a domesticated dog’s food should simulate, as much as possible, the natural diet? And be fed food that the stomach can easily draw nutrition from? The answer is… yes, of course! What if his food says it meets the minimum required amount of protein for dogs? The majority of commercial foods today falls way short of providing your dog with the essential health foundation of protein that he or she will need in order to thrive. And I mean ‘thrive’ not just ‘survive’… You must be aware that the minimum amount of protein that must legally be in commercial dog food, for an normal adult dog, is ONLY 18% ! As long as the food meets this standard, then they can claim it is ‘balanced’ and meets all protein requirements… This is not enough – as I have mentioned above, it is essential, and in LARGE amounts. This should equate to at least 70-80% of their diet. Check the labels and make sure protein is high on the list – check out my blog on dog food reviews for more info on this. As well as low levels of protein for dogs, a lot of commercial dog food has low quality protein which comes from undesirable sources such as soy, wheat and corn. These are all extremely hard for your dog to digest – if at all – and provide no nutritional value whatsoever. Why do they use these forms of protein? Quite simply… because it’s cheaper. Did you know that most breeds of dogs should genetically, live longer, sometimes even up to double what is normally accepted as a ‘good’ age, when fed a species appropriate diet (i.e. a fully balanced raw diet) as opposed to a commercially processed one? Make sure your pet is getting a good quality food as without it, he could be facing the future with a multitude of health problems such as cancer, diabetes, digestive problems, allergies, heart failure and even death at an early age, as the body wears out from lack of proper protein for dogs. Keep your dog safe and healthy and make an informed choice. To your dogs health!
1 Comment
Oscar's Organics
5/4/2017 15:20:55
So what is a good source of protein for dog? Here’s a few ideas:
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