HOW MUCH PROTEIN DOES A DOG NEED FOR PROPER DEVELOPMENT

Just like humans, dogs are biologically considered as omnivorous so this implies that a dog can take up his requirement of various nutrients from both plants and animals. A dog may need a well-balanced diet for the proper functioning of the body but among other beneficial nutrients, protein is considered the one without which a dog can’t survive.

Proteins are considered the building blocks in animal nutrition as it is necessary for the overall growth of the dog. The protein contains amino-acids which are essential for a dog’s health.  There are 22 amino acids that they need, out of which they can synthesize 12 naturally and other remaining has to be consumed, its deficiency can cause many health-related issues.

Every source of protein contains different levels of amino acids and each protein has different ability to break down into amino acids so due to which some are considered a good source of protein for dogs and some are not. High-quality source of protein for your dog in animal origin would be fish, egg, meat, lamb whereas in plant origin you can feed wheat, rice, barley, corn, vegetables, legumes etc.

There was a misconception in people’s mind that feeding excessive proteins may lead to joint and skeleton issues but it is proven wrong in the latest studies. Protein helps in building nerves and other tissues. It is ok to feed a healthy dog, food high in protein as the excessive will be excreted in the urine and rest be used by the body. In a study, it is found that 18% of protein is required by a dog’s body.

Protein requirement varies in dogs of different age group, an infant puppy would require more protein as it will help him to grow faster whereas an adult dog would require much less amount of protein in his diet as consuming more calories may lead to obesity so take care of the calories consumed by the dog

Protein requirement of a new puppy:

As puppies are full of energy so they need to be fed keeping that in mind. Food high in protein would help them to grow faster and also make their muscles much stronger. They are 4 times energetic than an adult dog. As they are so tiny so would be their appetite, the dog owner needs to feed him high protein food at regular intervals.

Protein requirement of a teen dog

When your dog reaches his adult height then it’s time to alter his diet plan as now he is almost an adult so his nutrient requirement is different. Now the dog owner needs to feed him high-quality animal protein to maintain his muscles.

A dog is considered senior when he enters the last phase of his life (8yrs old to 12 yrs old). At this point of time, he doesn’t remain as active as he used to be earlier so his calorie requirement would reduce so the dog owner needs to feed him food which is low in protein as excessive of protein may harm his kidney or can make him obese.

So keep the age factor in mind while giving him proteins. As it may be considered as the main component in a dog’s diet but you need to give him only that much that will help to ensure his state of well-being.

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