Protein

　　When we usually feed dogs, we might think dogs eat everything, so we don’t pay much attention to the components of their food. However, today I want to tell you that dog food must contain protein components, though not in excess. Let’s take a look at the specific reasons!

　　Protein is the most abundant substance in the dog’s body besides water. It forms various tissues and organs, composes various enzymes involved in material metabolism, and antibodies which provide immune functions are also made of protein. Protein also plays an important role in forming the fetus, milk, and repairing tissues.

　　Protein is made up of amino acids, which can be divided into essential amino acids and non-essential amino acids.

　　Essential amino acids refer to those that the dog’s body cannot synthesize or synthesizes too slowly to meet growth and developmental needs, so they must be obtained from food.

　　Generally, an adult dog needs about 5 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight daily, while growing dogs need about 10 grams. Lactating females and dogs recovering from illness require more protein in their diets. If protein or some essential amino acids are insufficient, protein metabolism in the dog’s body becomes disordered, appetite declines, growth slows, body weight decreases, immunity lowers, and the dog becomes prone to disease; males experience reduced libido and poorer semen quality; females have irregular heat cycles, difficulty conceiving, and even when pregnant, fetuses often develop poorly, leading to deformities or stillbirths.

　　However, protein feeding should not be excessive. Excessive protein feeding not only wastes resources but also causes metabolic disorders in dogs, leading to dysfunction of the heart, liver, digestive tract, central nervous system, sexual dysfunction, and even acidosis.