Why animal protein is important in your dog’s diet
From the Pet Nutritionist
REAL MEAT FIRST: Why it’s better
Dogs have fast, efficient metabolisms (see our article on calorie requirements and you’ll be jealous us humans don’t have their metabolism too ). They need complex mixes of amino acids, essential fatty acids, vitamins and minerals. That’s why meaty, nutrient rich, digestible diets are important.
Protein digestion is especially important to release amino acids into the body. Amino acids have two critical functions. First they are the building blocks for all proteins, which are long chains of amino acids. Second they are central cogs in cell physiology. There are twenty common amino acids. Dogs can synthesize only ten of them, and must get the other 10 from food. These are the “indispensable” amino acids, meaning that they are indispensable in the diet. For optimal health, all indispensable amino acids must be available at appropriate ratios and concentrations.
What are the best sources of animal protein?
Meat, fish, poultry, eggs, organ meat like liver, chicken meal and fish meal are great ingredients for dog foods because they provide the right mixes of indispensable amino acids in the right ratios. A diet that has multiple sources of proteins, including fish and organ meat, helps ensure that your dog gets the right amounts of all the essential nutrients (see our article on why essential fatty acids are important in your dog’s diet).
Dogs digest animal muscle and organs with minimal waste. For a host of reasons, dogs digest plant ingredients much less efficiently. Even soybean, which has relatively high amounts of indispensable amino acids as well as essential fatty acids, is less digestible than many animal tissues.
Good nutrition has a positive effect on your dog’s entire body and keeps him both HAPPY & HEALTHY.
→ Look for diets that have sources of meat, poultry and fish in the ingredient panel.
→ Look for diets whose protein comes more from animal sources, and be wary of diets rich in vegetable-based ingredients like soy or corn.
High Hopes® Nutritional Profiles
65% of High Hopes® Grain Free Lamb & Salmon formula is from Animal protein.
70% of High Hopes® Whole Grain Chicken & Salmon formula is from Animal protein.