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How much protein do pets really need?

6 October 2023

The meaty truth about protein

Protein: the truth of the meaty matter

When you start researching what diets are best for your cat or dog, you’ll often come across statements like ‘animal protein needs to be listed as the first ingredient on the label’. But is this fact, or just a load of fluff?

It’s fluff.

It is true that cats and dogs have high protein needs – 20-28% of a dog’s daily calories should be protein, and 28-38% for cats. It’s essential for growth and energy. However, protein can come from many different sources, and the quality of the protein is always more important than quantity.

What protein actually does.

Proteins are broken down into amino acids, which are often referred to as the ‘building blocks’ of the body. Amino acids are essential to many functions including growing, repairing tissue and producing energy.

High-quality proteins are not only richer in essential amino acids, but also have a much higher bioavailability – a word that describes how easily something can be absorbed in the body and put to use. The higher the bioavailability, the easier it is for the body to break down the protein into useful amino acids.

Pets can’t digest high amounts of protein.

Most labels only tell you about the proportion of the weight the protein makes up, and nothing about the quality. While it might seem like your pet’s getting lots of protein, most of it will be excreted as waste if it doesn’t have good bioavailability or digestibility.

Because high-quality proteins are richer in amino acids and have greater bioavailability, you don’t have to feed as much to meet your pet’s daily nutritional needs. Your pet gets more nutrients out of them gram-per-gram when compared to lower-quality proteins.

At Nosh, only the perfect amount of fresh, human-grade protein from Aussie farms goes into our meals, and that’s some of the highest quality protein around. So, you can be sure that your pet is getting exactly what they need to thrive. Nothing more and nothing less.

Check out our range today

 

Want to learn more?

  • Handling Alternative Dietary Requests from Pet Owners by J.M Parr. & R.L Remillard. Veterinary Clinics of North America Small Animal Practice. 2014;44(4):667-v
  • Protein in dog food by R.G Brown. Canadian veterinary journal. 1989;30(6):528-31

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