Protein:
What It Is and Why Your Pet Needs It
Protein comes up a lot in the dieting world. We know it's a
type of energy lower in calories, but it actually has a much more integral
function than just fueling us up - it's one of the building blocks of life.
That's why it's important to make sure that your pet is getting all the right
kinds of protein he needs.
Protein is an essential nutrient that has numerous functions
in the body, including muscle growth, tissue repair, enzymes, transporting
oxygen in the blood, immune functions, hormones, and providing a source of
energy. A protein is defined as a group of amino acids linked to each other in
different quantities and sequences. Each protein is a unique combination of
amino acids and the arrangement of these amino acids is what determines the
specific function of a protein. Dietary protein that is digested in the stomach
and small intestine is broken down to its individual amino acids that are then
absorbed into the bloodstream. Amino acids travel to various cells of the body
where they are used to build body protein structure.
Over twenty amino acids are involved in building different
types of protein in the body. Essential amino acids are those that cannot be
formed fast enough or in sufficient amounts to meet the requirements for growth
and maintenance and, therefore, must be supplied in the diet. Nonessential
amino acids are those that the body can produce in sufficient amounts from
other nutrients and metabolites and, thus, do not need to be supplied in the
diet.
Although essential amino acids are not stored as such in the
body for any significant period of time, they are constantly metabolized.
Consequently, they must be provided simultaneously in the proper proportions in
a pet's diet. The essential amino acids for dogs include:
- arginine
- histidine
- isoleucine
- leucine
- lysine
- methionine
- phenylalanine
- threonine
- tryptophan
- valine
Protein comes from both animal and plant sources. Most
ingredients contain inadequate amounts of one or more amino acids, which make
them unable to be used as the only source for meeting protein needs. However,
by careful selection and combination of different protein sources, the pet's
protein needs can be met. For example, soybean meal and corn gluten meal complement each other perfectly, because the amino acids that are deficient in
one are present in the other. Neither meat nor plant protein sources are
complete on their own; however, either can be adequate if fed in combination
with another complementary source of amino acids.
If you feed your pet any Doginos formula according to our
recommended feeding guidelines, you can feel confident your pet's protein needs
are being met.
