Showing posts with label how much protein should be in dog's diet. Show all posts
Showing posts with label how much protein should be in dog's diet. Show all posts
Tuesday, February 19, 2019

How Much Protein Should Be In My Pet’s Diet?



When choosing a pet food for your cat or dog, it’s important to look on the label. Pet food manufacturers will include a breakdown of protein, carbohydrates, fat and fiber as well as a list of ingredients.  Cats are carnivores and need a substantive source of protein from meat, fish or poultry.  Most active,  young dogs fare better with a low carbohydrate diet with animal-based protein.  Unfortunately most pet foods are high in carbohydrates to keep the costs down. This is especially true of dry food which is made with starchy carbohydrates such as potatoes, peas or legumes (e.g chickpeas).  Not only are these diets harder for pets to digest, but high carbohydrate diets spike insulin levels faster, making pets hungrier contributing to obesity.

To help your cat or dog maintain a healthy weight and optimal health, choose higher protein diets with a minimum of starchy carbohydrates.  Even if your pet has pancreatitis, you can select a food with low fat protein sources that are lean such as fish or venison.  The only time to choose a higher carbohydrate diet is if your pet is suffering from liver or kidney disease and protein levels must be restricted.  Even then you can choose healthier low-glycemic carbohydrates such as sweet potatoes over  pro-inflammatory grains such as oats and wheat.

To learn more about how pet nutrition and choosing the right diet for your pet, please see our library of Pet Health articles.
Tuesday, August 14, 2018

How Much Protein Is In Your Cat Or Dog's Diet?


Is your pet always ravenous? Begging for treats all day long? Is your pet overweight? One reason could be that the protein percentage in your pet’s diet is too low. Pets need ample amounts of real protein from real food. Many pet foods amp up the protein percentage on the label sourcing with protein from potatoes, peas and soy. Animals (especially cats) require natural protein from meat, poultry or fish. If one of these sources isn’t the very first ingredient on your pet’s food, then the diet might be lacking. Protein builds a healthy immune system, muscoloskeletal system and regulates blood sugar. Protein is an essential building block for bones, muscles, blood and hormones. Diets low in protein are often high in carbohydrates which can cause insulin to spike leaving pets feeling hungrier just a few hours after eating. What’s a pet owner to do? Invest in a higher quality food and if possible keep dry kibble to a minimum (most dry food is high in carbs). If possible, feed your pet a raw frozen diet or include some raw frozen nuggets as a portion of your pet’s meal. Give your pet freeze dried protein treats (e.g. salmon pieces) vs biscuits or cookies made from grains. Look for grain-free foods (remember grain-free could be sourcing the protein from peas, legumes or potatoes) but more importantly look for pet food where the first ingredient is meat, poultry or fish.

Note: Pets with kidney or liver disease need a controlled protein diet and some elderly pets as well.