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<SNIP>Evaluating Protein Sources
A protein molecule is made up of chains of amino acids. Different sources of protein contain different combinations of the 22 or so amino acids. Of these amino acids, 10 are considered “essential” amino acids; because dogs and cats cannot make them on their own, these particular amino acids must be present in the diet. When a dog or cat consumes protein, it gets broken down during the digestive process into its individual amino acids. Those amino acids are then reassembled into the building blocks of body tissues such as skin, hair, muscles, and organs. Amino acids are also utilized to produce metabolic enzymes that are necessary for many bodily functions including the regulation of antibodies within the immune system and the transfer of nerve impulses.
Protein from animal sources contains the most complete and most easily digested and assimilated amino acids for dogs and cats. Animal proteins are not only more bio-available and contain a wider array of amino acids – both essential on non-essential, they are also more palatable for you companion. The biological value of a protein is determined by how readily the amino acids broken down and used by the body. For dogs and cats, egg whites are at the top of the list with a biological value of 100, followed by muscle meat (beef, chicken, lamb) at 92, and organ meats at 90. Wheat and corn are way down the list with biological values of 60 and 54. Cooking meat at the high temperatures required for canned foods and kibble reduces it’s biological value, providing another reason to include raw or less processed foods in your companion’s diet such as freeze dried or dehydrated meals.
When evaluating the protein source on a bag of kibble, keep in mind that whole meats, such as an ingredient listed as “chicken” or “beef,” contain 75% water. So if a whole meat is listed first, the next ingredient should be a specific meat meal to insure the protein in the food is from animal sources, not grains (i.e. chicken meal or beef meal, not generic “meat meal” or by-product meals). The top-quality pet foods on the market use USDA sources (human grade) for their meat meals. If the ingredient lists “chicken” first followed by grains or grain by-products, you can be sure that much of the protein in the food comes from the grains and is less bio-available to your pet. Trying to force carnivores to derive their amino acid requirements from grain sources is one of the main contributors to the pet obesity epidemic facing our dogs and cats today.
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