Proteins are the most critical components of food for your canine carnivore.They are also the most abundant element in your dog’s body.Your dog needs

proteins to produce hair,nails,tendons,cartilage,and all the connective tissues that support the rest of the tissues and orgens in her body.So adequate protein is

important for your dog’s growth and proper development,for her muscle development and strength,for a functioning immune system. for the production of

functioning hormones,for the proper volume of blood,for injury repair and prevention,and much,much more(see figure 4-1). you can see why protein is the

most important of all the nutrients in a dog’s food!

Beside being a major structural componed of your dog’s body ,your dog’s body can also use proteins to produce energy if necessary.Fats and carbohydrates

are much more readily available sources of energy,but,proteins can be broken down and converted when necessery,for example during times when there is a

low food supply.

TECHNICAL STUFF

Proteins are made up of amino acids that are linked in a chain.when your dog eats protein,enzymes secreted by the pancreas into the intesting break the proteins

down into short chains of amino acides called polypeptites,which are small enough to be absorded by the intestine.There are 20 different amino acids-some are

considered nonessential amino acids.As the name implies,the essential  acids are required by your dog,so she need to have those amino acids supplied

in her food.Food that contains all the essential amino acide is referred to as a complete protein source. The nonessential amino acids are…drumroll,please….

not essential,which means that if you dog doesn’t get them in her dite,she can convert some of the other amino into those that she’s missing.

Your dog can get proteins from both animals and plant source.But only animal-source proteins are complete protein sources,and not all of them are complete .

Examples of complete protein sources that come from animals are egg,whole milk,and lean meat.Grains are another important source of protein in dog foods,

but they are incompleteprotein source beacouse they don’t contain some of the essential aminoacids your dog need.plant protein sources that are frequently

used in dog foods include soybeans,wheat,and corn.

REMEMBER

Your dog’s major source of protein should be animal product,not grain.Don’t buy a dog food in which soybean meal,soy fiour,or corn gluten meal is the primary,

or even the secondary,source of protein.Dogs dont’s have sufficient enzymes to digest them and used them properly as source of proteins.

TIP

The American association of Feed Control officials (AAFCO) is the orgnization that sets guidelines as to what specific nutritions dogs need in their foodsand how

much of those nutrition are required for their health.they have determined that foods for adult dog should contain no less then 18 percent protein,andthat food

eaten by lactating femals or puppies should have a minimum of 22 percent protein.military or police dogs,mushing dogs,and other dog who are working hard

every day or under a lot of stress may need more protein.Dogs who are recuperating from injuries or surgery may need more protein as well,so that they can

build new proteins and repair muscles,tendons,and ligaments.

TECHNICAL STUFF

Not all complete protein source are created equal.For example,a cow’s hoof and a filed mignon may both have all this essentil and nonessention amino acieds,

but your dog can get  the amino acieds she need more easily from the filet mignon then she can from the cow’s hoof. Some protains are just more digestible

then others;digestible protein can be broken down and absorbet by your dog’s gastrointestinal tract,given her the nutrients she need.so how do we know in

which from the proteins are digestibleand in which form they aren’t?To measure digestibility,nutritionists measure the amount of pritein in a food,feed it to dog,

and then measure the amount of protein in the dog’feces.(I never said it was a preety jop.)The difference  between how much was in the food to begin w ith

and how much the dog excretes tells us how much of the protein the dog actually absorbed,and that is the digestible protein.It stands to reason that a protein

isn’t very useful to your dog if it ends up fertilizing your laws instead of nourishing her body.Hair and feathers are a cheap source of protein-but they’re also

indigestible,so even if your dog wanted to eat a pile of feathers,she wouldn’t get much protein from her meal.Eggs,on the other hand,are highly digestible

but they’re also expenise the dog food.So,as with many things in life,ou get what you pay for.

WARNING

Beware of foods that advertise over 90 percent digestibility.The higest quentity dog food are 82- to 86-percent digestible,whereas economy foods (like the

inexpensive foods you can get in grocery stroes) are around 75-percent digestible.The percent digestibility of a dog food is not stated on the lalel,althought most

dog food manufacturers will provide you with that information on request.

If your dog’s faces are voluminous,this may be a sign that her food isn’t highly digestible.