Recent research indicated that higher levels of protein in your dog’s diet might lead to kidney failure. Do you know if your dogs diet is safe? Are you killing your furry sidekick by providing too much protein in your dogs diet?
The studies that demonstrated a relationship to high protein levels and kidney failure, that sparked concerns about protein levels in dogs diets were not complete. The research was performed on rats, not dogs. Rats chiefly eat plants as their natural diet. Naturally, rats biological makeup would suggest trouble digesting diets containing high levels of protein. The rats have trouble excreting protein due to their particular dietary requirements, not because the high protein diet causes kidney failure.
Thus, where do we stand on protein in your dogs diet? Dogs are naturally omnivorous. In the wild, dogs would hunt or scavenge for food. Your dogs diet would normally be of both animals and plants. Naturally dogs are meat eaters too. Because of this, a dog can easily manage with a diet consisting of 30% protein or more.
When protein intake is reduced in a dogs diet, renal function does not improve. Renal lesions are not less likely to form when a dog is fed with a low-protein diet. It is not until a blood urea nitrogen, or BUN, test indicates a level of 75, that a reduction in protein intake be considered for your dogs diet.
If you have concerns about the amount of protein in your dogs diet, schedule an appointment to speak with a professional on the subject. Your trusted veterinary can advise you on the specifics in regards to your dogs diet.
It is not correct that dogs can not ordinarily digest high levels of protein. Kidney problems do not result from having high levels of protein in your dogs diet. Large amounts of protein are digested safely in your dogs diet, particularly when they primarily come from animal origins.
10 amino acids should be given in your dogs diet through protein. Only twelve of 22 amino acids can be made in your dogs liver. Because of this meat such as heart, spleen, and meat by-products should all be in your dogs diet.
If you buy high-quality dog food it should contain meat as the main ingredient. This will supply the right amount of protein in your dogs diet. If you think about a dog in its natural environment, would you see a wild dog grazing in a cornfield at mealtime?
Aging dogs should not be put on lower protein diets just because of age. In point of fact, some aging pets want a dogs diet that is higher in protein than when they were at a younger adult stage. Unless your vet advises not to, you should always provide your pet the advantage of quality protein in your dogs diet.
Feeding your dog protein should not cause you concern. We all want what is best for our dogs and nature tells us that protein will assist your dog to live a healthy life. If you have questions about protein and kidney failure in your pet, then you should speak to your vet about your dogs diet.
