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Importance of protein and fat in Dog food
Make a difference TODAY in your Dog’s life. What is the daily recommended protein and fat for Dogs?
How? Just read this article and understand the daily recommended protein and fat for your Dog.
Like every human being on earth, your canine also needs nutrients to survive better in this world.
Protein and fat are the two necessaries for a Dog to stay healthy and strong.
Did you know? Dogs cannot survive without protein in their diets. Yes, you heard me right…
Isn’t this shocking!!! Protein has to be supplied in daily value through foods to your Dogs.
Now you better take care of his food.
The reality is each Dog requires protein in a different nutritional value depending on the age, breed, size of the Dog. Every Dog needs a lot of protein now that’s TRUE!!!
Gestating Dogs and growing puppies require more protein comparable to adult or senior Dogs.
Know more about protein
Well…. Dogs require 22 amino acids to build body protein. Among these amino acids, Dog produces 10 amino acids on its own. The rest 10 amino acids should come from the daily nutritional food provided. Is that CLEAR Now!!!
HEY, want to know the functions of amino acids in your Dog’s body.
The function of amino acid: Amino acids produce body proteins that act as enzyme components, hormones, several body secretions, and structural and protective tissues.
Note: Protein is a strong source of energy, delivering the energy of 3.5 kilocalories per gram.
This was a brief about protein, you can check more on “The essential nutritional requirement for your Dog”.
How much protein should a dog have daily?
Considering the growth stage, during the first six months of life, your puppy requires more protein than an adult Dog or senior Dog.
If you have a healthy Dog with a balanced diet, your pooch needs 1 gram protein per pound of ideal body weight every day.
For instance, just imagine your canine is 20 lb he needs 20 grams of protein daily.
Now, are you ready to learn about fat?
Like protein, let me tell you some brief information on fat.
What are Dietary fats?
Dietary fats are the fat obtained from animals and the seed oils of different plants, which give the most concentrated source of energy in the diet.
Fat is the first and foremost excellent source of energy needed for your Dog to stay active.
That doesn’t mean you have to load his meal with fat. If your Dog is inactive or lazy excessive fat can lead to obesity, pancreatitis problems.
Do you want to protect the skin and fur of your Doggies? Provide omega-3 and fatty acid-rich food.
What are the major dietary fats?
There are four major dietary fats in the foods
- Saturated fats
- Trans fats
- Monounsaturated fats
- Polyunsaturated fats
Your puppy needs a variety of fats for healthy skin, hair and immune function, inflammation process regulation, and prenatal growth.
Fatty acids contribute to the physical structure of all the cells of the Dog at a molecular level.
What are fatty acids?
It is the building blocks of the fat in Dog’s bodies and in the food they eat.
A healthy Dog metabolizes 90-95 percent of fats consumed.
These fat breakdowns into fatty acids are later absorbed into the blood.
Note: The complex molecules called fatty acids, lipids and oils are made up of carbon, oxygen, and hydrogen.
Chains of fatty acid
- Double bond fatty acid chain – Unsaturated Fats
- Single double bond fatty acid chain – Monosaturated
- Many double bond fatty acid chain – Polysaturated
Usually, saturated fats are solid at room temperature, and typically liquid is unsaturated fats.
What are the essential fatty acids(EFAs)?
EFAs are necessary as constituents of cell membranes, for the synthesis of prostaglandins that is necessary for contraction and relaxation of smooth muscle and related compounds, and in controlling the epidermal loss of water.
Did you know dietary fat is necessary for the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins like A, D, E, and K?
It is clear, you have to provide a daily value of fat and protein to your Dog.
Now pay attention to THIS!
You can go through the table below to know what is the recommended fat and protein for your Dog.
Percentage of fat and protein requirement for a Dog
| Species and Growth Stage | Protein Recommended % | Fat Recommended % |
| Puppy | 28% | 17% |
| Adult Dog | 18% | 9-15% |
| Performance Dog | 25% | 20% |
| Sporting sled Dog | 35% | 50% |
| Lactating Dog | 28% | 17% |
According to the National Research Council, a growing puppy requires a diet that is about 28 percent protein(by weight). This protein should provide about 20-25 percent of his dietary calories. Adults need about 18 percent of dietary protein.
Commercial Dog food manufacturers typically use a range of 5-20% fat.
25-50% of the daily energy requirements that can be supplied by fat during periods of high caloric need such as growth, lactation, or physical exertion.
Daily recommended allowances for protein and fats
Protein and fat required as per your Dog(weight in grams)
| Puppies | Adult Dogs | Pregnant /nursing Dogs | |
|---|---|---|---|
| (Weighing 12 lb, 33 lb at maturity) | (Weighing 33 lb) | (Weighing 33 lb with 6 puppies) | |
| Crude protein | 56 g | 25 g | 69/158 g |
| Total fat | 21 g | 14 g | 29/67 g |
Fatty acids and Amino Acids in Dog food
| Amino Acids | Fatty acids |
| Arginine Histidine Isoleucine Cystine Tyrosine Lysine Phenylalanine Threonine Tryptophan Leucine Methionine Valine | Linoleic acid Alpha-linolenic acid Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) |
Recommended Protein and fat levels for Dogs
| Nutrient | Minimum recommended for each stage | |||||
| Adult based on MER | Early development stage | Late Growth | ||||
| Protein* | 21.00g | 18.00g | 25.00g | 20.00g | ||
| Histidine | 0.27g | 0.23g | 0.39g | 0.25g | ||
| Arginine* | 0.60g | 0.52g | 0.82g | 0.74g | ||
| Leucine | 0.95g | 0.82g | 1.29g | 0.80g | ||
| Lysine* | 0.46g | 0.42g | 0.88g | 0.70g | ||
| Isoleucine | 0.53g | 0.46g | 0.65g | 0.50g | ||
| Methionine* | 0.46g | 0.40g | 0.35g | 0.26g | ||
| Methionine + cystine* | 0.88g | 0.76g | 0.70g | 0.53g | ||
| Phenylalanine | 0.63g | 0.52g | 0.35g | 0.81g | ||
| Phenylalanine +tyrosine* | 1.03g | 0.89g | 1.30g | 1.00g | ||
| Threonine | 0.60g | 0.52g | 0.81g | 0.64g | ||
| Tryptophan | 0.20g | 0.17g | 0.23g | 0.21g | ||
| Valine | 0.68g | 0.59g | 0.68g | 0.56g | ||
| Fat* | 5.50g | 5.50g | 8.50g | 8.50g | ||
| Linoleic acid (ω-6) | 1.53g | 1.32g | 1.30g | 1.30g | ||
| Arachidonic acid (ω-6) | 0.30mg | 0.30mg | ||||
| Alpha-linolenic acid (ω-3) * | 0.08g | 0.08g | ||||
| EPA + DHA (ω-3) * | 0.05g | 0.05g | ||||
| MER – Maintenance Energy Requirements | ||||||
So, what’s the takeaway?
To conclude, The detailed charts and data given in this article will definitely help you in choosing the right food for your Dog.
Your canine companion will have a strong immune system only if you settle him with the right food. You don’t want to miss these, “Fat and protein the two necessary things for a well-balanced diet“
He is the best companion you can ever have in your life. So you please ensure that your Dog gets the best and try to know more about Daily recommended protein and fat for Dogs.
I’m sure this article would surely benefit you with all your queries regarding daily recommended protein and fat for Dogs
