Does More Protein Mean a Healthier Pet Food?

Is pet food high in protein better for your pet? The real scoop on pet food is that it must be balanced. While protein needs to be part of that balance, too much may not be best for your pet. It's crucial for pet parents to understand the importance of protein, while also knowing what other ingredients to look for in dog and cat foods.

Balanced Is Better

The first step in finding a dog or cat food that has a balance of protein and other healthy ingredients involves looking at your pet's age and lifestyle. At certain points in a pet's life, he may need more or less protein, but he always needs about fifty key nutrients. Many times one ingredient can have several nutrients; The danger comes when pet owners mistakenly go with a high protein food that doesn't deliver the other nutrients that cats and dogs require.

Protein is the building block of all cellular material. Various pet food ingredients can deliver this nutrient. Cats and dogs can digest protein from more than just meat. Eggs, whole grain corn, corn gluten, whole grain wheat, and whole grain sorghum are all non-meat ingredients that have protein. The dangers of a high protein cat food (or high protein dog food) include missing other key nutrients that promote functions like healthy joints, tissues, and metabolism. Pet foods that contain ingredients like corn gluten meal, whole grain corn, and wheat deliver protein while also giving your pet amino acids. Since amino acids serve as a building block for proteins, having these various ingredients with multiple nutritional values is a win-win for you and your pet when it comes to food choices.

Think about the old food pyramid, or portion control plates for humans. While the nutritional requirements of dogs and cats are different than humans, they like us, rely on a proper balance of various nutrients to ensure they are getting everything they need to grow up strong, happy and healthy.