What The Research Has To Say
Recent research suggests that diet is a factor in less than 20 to 30 percent of dogs with DCM. Some of these dogs will improve with taurine supplementation. And that raises even more questions about it!
For one thing, taurine may not even be the real culprit. Taurine production relies on adequate methionine and cysteine in the diet. So the problem may be a deficiency of those amino acids, rather than a lack of taurine itself.
The microbiome may also play a major role in taurine deficiency. This turned out to be the primary factor in cats. The taurine from bile is reabsorbed in the colon but bacteria can steal taurine and prevent this crucial recycling.
Processing may also play a significant role in dogs as well as cats. This has not, to date, been considered or investigated.
Natural Dog Food Benefits
Hello again dog lovers, back with an article that may be quite beneficial to you. How many of you dog owners have heard or are familiar with taurine? Is it something that you need to be aware of? You will find the answer to these questions below and learn why taurine in dog food may be critical to the health of your pet.
Be honest, how many of you have ever heard of taurine? Even if you have, do you know why it is used in dog food? If not, dont feel bad as I am quite confident that most pet owners are not familiar with this term either. Lets get right to it, and take a look at taurine.
American Journey Salmon & Brown Rice Protein First Recipe
- Real, deboned salmon as the first ingredient
- Balanced blend of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids
Most Affordable: As a responsible dog owner, you want to do whats best for your dog, but you have to operate within your own limitations.
WHY YOU SHOULD BUYIf youre concerned about the cost of your dogs food, choose a brand that is known as much for the quality of their products as for their affordability American Journey.
From Chewys in-house brand, this American Journey Salmon & Brown Rice Protein First Recipe Dry Food is a great choice if youre looking for the best dog food with taurine. It features fresh salmon as the primary ingredient. Salmon is a rich source of protein and taurine as well as omega fatty acids.
This recipe also contains menhaden fish meal for supplemental protein and digestible whole-grain carbohydrates like brown rice. This formula contains fresh fruits and vegetables, providing natural sources of essential vitamins with chelated minerals ensuring optimal nutrient absorption.
Overall, this formula provides 25% crude protein and 15% crude fat with a balance of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids.
- Pros: Fresh salmon rich in protein and taurine, digestible whole-grain carbohydrates, affordable price tag, fresh fruits and vegetables, blend of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids
- Cons: May be too high in fiber for some dogs, plant proteins are a main ingredient
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Keep Yourself Up To Date
The best place for up-to-date information on brands can be found on Facebook, in the Taurine DCM group.
While there is a great deal of speculation and misinformation in the posted comments youll find a few helpful items. They have a current chart of cases, including breeds, as well as specific brand names. Youll find these in their Files Section.
Its way too early to hit the panic button, but its certainly good to be aware of this ongoing issue.
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Why Does Iams Add Taurine To Cat Diets
Taurine is supplemented in IAMS dry and canned cat foods to ensure that we provide optimal levels of this essential nutrient. IAMS wet cat foods are supplemented with taurine because they must contain as much as twice the amount of taurine found in dry food for cats to maintain adequate blood taurine levels. The canning process may affect the complex taurine balance in your cat. Our wet cat foods are supplemented with taurine to meet these higher needs.
IAMS dry cat foods also include taurine as an ingredient to supplement the primary source of this amino acid, which is animal-based protein from sources such as chicken, egg, lamb, and fish. However, these sources can vary in their taurine content, and adding more taurine is a sound approach to ensure optimal taurine levels.
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Are There Any Drug Interactions I Should Be Aware Of
There are no known drug interactions with taurine however, vitamins, herbal therapies, and supplements have the potential to interact with each other, as well as with prescription and over the counter medications.
It is important to tell your veterinarian about any medications that your pet is taking.
Simply Nourish Lamb & Oatmeal Recipe Dry Food
- With real deboned lamb, turkey meal and lamb meal
- Made with brown rice
- Includes real vegetables and fruits
If youre in the market for an affordable brand of dog food that uses high-quality natural ingredients, try Simply Nourish Lamb & Oatmeal Recipe Dry Food. This recipe features a protein-rich blend of fresh lamb, turkey meal, and lamb meal to provide plenty of animal protein it also contains supplemental taurine to help meet your dogs needs.
WHY YOU SHOULD BUYThis recipe features a protein-rich blend of fresh lamb, turkey meal, and lamb meal to provide plenty of animal protein it also contains supplemental taurine to help meet your dogs needs.
This recipe contains dried fruits and vegetables for nutritional support and your dog wont be able to resist all the natural flavor packed in every bite. Plus, it is completely free from artificial additives as well as low-quality grains and fillers.
The recipe also features whole-grain carbohydrates like brown rice and oatmeal which, in addition to providing carbohydrate energy, provide supplemental fiber for healthy and regular digestion.
- Pros: Rich in real animal protein, contains supplemental taurine, digestible whole-grain carbohydrates, fresh fruits and vegetables, rich in omega fatty acids
- Cons: Main sources of fat are plant-based
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Symptoms Of Dcm In Dogs
Symptoms of DCM in dogs include:
- Tiring easily
- Weakness
- Ataxia
If you have any concerns about your dog or the food youre feeding, talk with your vet about testing. Your veterinarian can submit blood and plasma samples to UC Davis for analysis.
However, as expected, their laboratory has been overwhelmed since the FDAs announcement. So it could take weeks to get your dogs results.
Is It Safe To Make Your Own Dog Food
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Merrick Classic Real Chicken & Green Peas With Ancient Grains Dry Food
- The first ingredient is real poultry
- Scrumptious recipe
- Unique blend of whole grains like brown rice, barley and quinoa
Most Popular: If youre at a complete loss for what to feed your dog, you can always go with a popular brand like Merrick. Merrick has a long history of producing high-quality, nutritionally balanced diets for dogs like this Classic Real Chicken & Green Peas with Ancient Grains Dry Food.
WHY YOU SHOULD BUYMerrick has a long history of producing high-quality, nutritionally balanced diets for dogs like this Classic Real Chicken & Green Peas with Ancient Grains Dry Food.
This recipe features fresh chicken as the main ingredient with chicken meal, turkey meal, salmon meal, and chicken liver as supplemental sources of both protein and taurine. This recipe contains whole grains like brown rice and oatmeal with supplemental fiber and essential nutrients from green peas, quinoa, and barley.
It also contains fresh fruits and vegetables to provide natural sources for key nutrients with supplemental vitamins and chelated minerals for complete and balanced nutrition. Youll also be glad to know that this formula contains probiotics to ensure healthy and regular digestion as well as optimal nutrient absorption. If your dog is allergic to grains, try one of Merricks grain-free recipes.
Taurine & Amino Acids
Nutritional research indicates that taurine is generally not considered an essential amino acid for dogs, because these animals can synthesize taurine from cysteine and methionine. Nearly all the grain-free products had methionine-cystine values above the minimum nutritional requirement of 0.65 percent for adult maintenance food for dogs published in the AAFCO Official Publication .
The FDA is still gathering information to better understand if taurine metabolism may have a role in these reports of canine dilated cardiomyopathy.
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Why Taurine Should Be Added To Grain
Last year, scientists made a connection between a rare disease that had begun showing up in dogstaurine-deficient dilated cardiomyopathyand grain-free dog foods. But unlike cats, for example, dogs can synthesize their own taurine. So whats going on here? Learn why veterinarians are calling for manufacturers to fortify their dog foods with taurine and why taurine is so essential for pets.
You Dont Have To Be A Pet Nutrition Expert To Understand The Importance Of A Balanced Diet For Dogs
In your own life, you strive to achieve a healthy diet . You eat fresh fruits and vegetables, lean proteins, and healthy fats. You can make your own dietary choices, but your dog relies entirely on you to provide for his nutritional needs.
Nutritional deficiencies are just as big a problem in dogs as they are in people. They are just harder to diagnose.
Many deficiencies dont present with obvious symptoms, as is the case with taurine deficiency. Taurine is an essential nutrient that supports heart health and function.
It is very important to make sure that your dog gets enough taurine in his daily diet.
In this article, well explore the subject of taurine deficiency in dogs. Well talk about what taurine is and why your dog needs it. Well also dig deeper into the grain free dog food debate. Youll see our top picks for the best taurine rich foods for dogs.
See below for the 10 BEST Dog Foods to combat Taurine Deficiency!
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How Taurine Functions In The Body
While taurine is sometimes referred to as an amino acid, its actually an amino sulfonic acid. Taurine is not used to build proteins but instead mediates a variety of processes in the body, mostly intracellularly. High concentrations of taurine are found in the heart, brain, spinal cord, retina, and skeletal muscles.
The most important functions of taurine include:
- Regulating cell volume and osmotic pressure
- Modulating calcium signaling
How Much Taurine Does A Dog Need Per Day
If you arent sure that your dog really needs a dog food with a heavy focus on taurine, you can actually work with your vet to determine this.
Through a blood panel, your dogs taurine levels can be tested.
A vet can take the numbers that come back from bloodwork and let you know whether or not they believe supplementation or new food is necessary.
For dogs with very low taurine levels, supplementing with taurine is the best option.
For dogs with varying or medium levels, changing to a food with well-balanced amino acids should be enough for those levels to improve.
Ultimately, there is some info your vet can give you that you cannot know on your own. Working with a vet to determine your feeding plan can be a great option.
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What Are Some Effects Of Taurine Deficiency
- Blindness
Taurine is essential to the proper development and function of cells in the retina of the eye. If insufficient taurine is present, the retinal cells dont function properly and may die, eventually causing impaired vision and even blindness. This process is referred to as feline central retinal degeneration.
- Heart Disease
Taurine is also necessary for normal function of the heart muscle cells. Taurine deficiency leads to weakening of the heart muscle, which, in turn, can lead to heart failure. This condition is known as dilated cardiomyopathy and can be fatal.
Taurine is necessary for optimal reproductive and growth performance. Both the queen and kittens must maintain adequate taurine levels during pregnancy, lactation, and growth to ensure proper structural development.
Is Grain Free Dog Food Bad For Dogs
There was a news report that the FDA is investigating a link between grain free diets and heart conditions. The FDA focused their investigation on a possible lack of taurine but their findings have been inconclusive. They havent identified that a lack of taurine is the actual culprit, but it has been a common thread in some cases. Azestfor has taken a proactive approach and has added Taurine to the vitamin formulation.
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Benefits Of Taurine For Dogs
I always thought that dogs created their own taurine so we don’t have to worry. It was only cats that were at risk. Recently, we’ve learned that this isn’t the case some dogs with heart conditions and some breeds of dogs may be predisposed to a taurine deficiency. Taurine does a lot of great things for our dogs
- Helps to build and strengthen the heart muscle
- Prevents muscle degeneration
- Prevents arrhythmias
- Supports eye/vision health
What Is Carnitine And Why Do Dogs Need It
Carnitine refers to several compounds. These are L-carnitine, acetyl L-carnitine, and propionyl L-carnitine.
They play an important role in the energy production and the transport of certain amino acids.
L-Carnitine is an important amino acid that plays a role in producing the energy needed to contract the heart muscle.
As with taurine, carnitine does not require special supplementation in healthy dogs. This is because they produce enough of this important compound.
Its deficiency is a serious problem in dogs because not enough taurine gets into the heart. This can even lead to fatal heart disease called dilated cardiomyopathy . The heart muscle weakens , so blood flow will also be insufficient.
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Want To Feed The Best Diet For Your Dog But Dont Know How
Now there is a fast and easy way to learn!Check out Lew Olsons easy-to-follow, on-line course videos!Read on to learn about Canine Nutritionand preparing Raw and Home Cooked Diets!
What does Taurine do?
Taurine is thought to help with insulin regulation which is helpful for those with, or prone to, diabetes. It can reverse some cardiac issues, help with renal disease, reduce seizures in some cases, help with fatty liver disease, and appears to help with fat burning and weight loss. The more important of these for dogs, is that it helps with heart health and integrity, and can help prevent some renal disease and deterioration. It is also important for liver health as it helps reverse fatty liver.
It has also shown to help prevent retinal damage and helps with problems of tinnitus for both dogs and people.
Symptoms of taurine deficiency in dogs include:
- Excessive panting when not exercising
- Collapsing or fainting
What Food Sources contain Taurine that are best for my Dog?
Scallops and Mussels contain the highest amount of Taurine, but neither of these food sources are sensible or economical to include in your dogs diet. The next highest meats for Taurine are dark meat turkey and chicken, followed by Pork, Lamb and Beef. Milk and milk products are relatively low in Taurine and eggs, while they are abundant in all other amino acids, they contain very little taurine.
History Of Taurine In Dog Food
Before WWII, more than 90% of commercial pet food came in cans, and contained mostly meat. However, metal was needed for the military, and by the time the war ended, 85% of pet food was dry kibble. It still contained a good amount of meat, and this is what prevented taurine deficiencies from occurring.
The primary machinery for producing what we now know as dry food is called an extruder. This piece of equipment was introduced in the 1950’s. To get the correct consistency of dough for the extruder, the recipe called for a minimum amount of starch. This started the trend of ever-increasing quantities of cereal grain, such as corn, in dry foods. At the same time, meat processors were becoming increasingly proficient at getting more meat from livestock carcasses. So, pet food makers substituted other leftover animal tissues or “by-products.” Over time, the result was a high-grain, low-meat dry food, for which the profit margin was – conveniently – much higher than for canned food.
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Where To Find Taurine In Dog Food
For those looking to find a quality source of dog food that contains Taurine, I have listed a few of these below. Feel free to click on these items to compare and research these products if you so choose. Here you go:
When you buy something from this website, I may receive an affiliate commission. These are my opinions and are not representative of the companies that create these products. My reviews are based on my own personal experiences and research. I never recommend poor quality products or create false reviews in order to receive a commission. My intention is to provide you with information so you can make decisions to which products may best suit your needs.
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2. Wellness Core Grain-Free Original Deboned Turkey, Turkey Meal & Chicken Meal Recipe
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3. Merrick Grain-Free Salmon & Sweet Potato Recipe
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