Protein is made up of building blocks called amino acids. There are 22 different amino acids that can be arranged in various ways.
Dogs and especially cats should eat protein daily because protein is needed for proper body function and tissue repair. Protein and amino acids cannot be stored like fat so daily intake is needed to prevent the breakdown of muscle and/or tissues.
High quality animal proteins are highly digestible and provide an assortment of amino acids in adequate amounts. When the animal is getting an appropriate amount of proteins in its diet, you should see this through the following:
- A shiny and abundant coat.
- A lot of stamina when training and competing.
- Overall healthy appearance.
Performance dogs need more protein than non-working dogs because of the following:
- Training and exercising increases synthesis of plasma (blood) proteins.
- Training increases the number of red blood cells.
- Competitive dogs have higher numbers of contractile proteins in their muscles.