Even people who are very far from biology are probably well aware that proteins are the basis of the body of any animal and person. They are like “bricks” built from muscles, ligaments, and other organs. Therefore, it is not surprising that protein in your Border Collie’s diet is greatly important.
Why Do You Need Protein in Your Border Collie’s Meal?
Proteins are the main building material in the body of all mammals. Without it, new cells and tissues will not grow, and new enzymes and hormones will not be able to be synthesized.
Protein is essential for the normal growth of dogs. Protein forms the basis of muscle tissue in animals, so growing dogs and actively moving animals experience the greatest need for protein. The latter has a high metabolic rate, so it is necessary to restore worn-out body tissues.
The need for protein substances is also high in females in the second pregnancy period, during lactation. Unbalanced feeding during this period leads to the birth of non-viable offspring, low weight of puppies, and significant loss of weight by the mother.
Protein is part of the hair so when there is a lack of protein, a dog’s coat is disturbed, alopecia may form, the coat becomes brittle, and ends up poorly retained. The problem of protein deficiency is especially acute in long-haired dogs, such as Afghan Hounds, where it can lead to a loss of show qualities in the dog. In kennel dogs, a bad undercoat will lead to hypothermia and colds. In addition, the protein is the basis for other derivatives of the skin – claws.
Protein is also important for males, in which, with its deficiency, the quality of sperm production and sperm activity decrease.
Therefore, the importance of protein nutrition for dogs is enormous. A lack of protein in the diet can even lead to the death of a dog.
Functions Of Protein
Protein performs various functions in the body. Almost all proteins act as enzymes or are a necessary part of enzymes, hormones, immune bodies, and other vital substances by which metabolism is carried out and regulated, or the body’s defenses are created.
Proteins as electrolytes are involved in maintaining the water-salt balance in the body and contribute to the transport of several substances. With a lack of protein in the feed, especially amino acids, the body’s resistance to diseases decreases.
What Does A Lack Of Protein Do?
The general lack of protein intake in the feed leads to nitrogen starvation, which affects the content of plasma proteins in the blood and leads to hypoproteinemia. This is caused by a decrease in the urea content in the total urine nitrogen and a reduction in the amount of hemoglobin in the blood.
With prolonged protein starvation, the enzymatic function of the liver decreases, and a large amount of amine nitrogen is found in the urine, which cannot be normally absorbed due to a lack of enzymes.
Simply put, life itself is impossible without protein. With a lack of proteins, rather specific symptoms quickly develop:
- Chronic exhaustion, in severe cases, can reach cachexia (an extreme degree of pathological fatigue).
- Edema phenomena. This is due to a violation of oncotic pressure when the liquid part of the blood freely enters the surrounding tissues.
- Symptoms associated with hormonal imbalances and enzyme synthesis disorders (for example, sharp deterioration and indigestion).
Types Of Amino Acids Your Border Collie Needs
There are 22 amino acids that animals need. Twelve of them can be synthesized by themselves. The rest must be obtained from outside.
The proteins that the animal’s body cannot synthesize are essential amino acids. Arginine, isoleucine, histidine, leucine, phenylalanine, methionine, threonine, valine, and tryptophan.
Dogs can synthesize taurine and therefore do not need it in their diets. (Cats cannot).
Proteins differ from each other in their ability to decompose into amino acids. So not all proteins are the same. Some are better for animal nutrition than others. The biological value of protein is the ability of the protein to be absorbed by the body and decomposed into the necessary amino acids.
The greatest biological value is the egg, which serves as a measure of the nutritional value of products. If the biological value of an egg is taken as 100, then meat, fish, and milk all score 92, with beef having a score of 78, and soybeans only ranking a score of 67.
The Amount of Protein Needed In Dog Food
Before we describe the rate of protein content in dog food, I would like to digress a little from the topic. Inexperienced breeders suggest that the most harmful thing is the lack of protein in the diet. This is partly true, and we have already described the consequences of nutritional deficiency in food above.
Important! An excess of protein is also extremely harmful. Excess protein may well contribute to the development of arthritis, arthrosis, and other joint problems. In addition, it has a bad effect on the condition of the kidneys and liver.
As for the average norms, for every kilogram of live weight of an adult dog, there should be at least 4.5 grams of pure protein. For puppies, this figure is exactly twice as high, i.e., for every kilogram of their body, it should account for at least 9 grams. This protein must be of high quality and have complete amino acid content.
However, keep in mind, these norms are averaged; meaning, they do not consider many nuances.
- Service, hunting, and mount animals need an increase by about 30% since their needs are much higher.
- The same recommendation applies to pregnant dogs, whose body needs to feed themselves and their unborn puppies.
- In addition, animals recovering from serious illnesses will certainly require enhanced feeding (but not always, the veterinarian should decide this).
High Protein Foods
As a rule, feeds with a high protein content are not classified as therapeutic. These diets contain up to 68% high-quality protein and are used mainly for the following categories of animals:
- Recovering after serious illnesses, emaciated
- Pregnant and lactating dogs
- Service, sled, hunting, and other dogs experiencing heavy physical exertion
- Puppies of large and giant breeds growing at an “intimidating” pace in the first year
Here are some examples of premium feeds:
- Orijen high protein range: The composition includes elk, wild boar, and other rare and high-quality varieties of meat.
- ACANA: An excellent, albeit not cheap, choice.
- Pronature: The “chip” of the company is the use of raw materials exclusively from its farms.
- Go!: The Canadian line of feeds is known worldwide due to the highest quality of the natural ingredients used. Owners of elite show animals often use these diets.
- Grandorf: Product of joint work of Belgian and Italian manufacturers. The food of this line is distinguished by the use of high-quality and rare varieties of meat and vegetables rich in dietary fiber.
- Brit care: A feed from British manufacturers
Can My Border Collie Eat Food With a High Protein Content?
It depends. Theoretically, suppose a healthy animal eats too much protein. In that case, the excess will be excreted through the excretory system, and the rest will be used as calories or processed into fat and will not harm the body.
However, high protein is not recommended if your dog has kidney disease. Protein is the most expensive ingredient in a feed from a cost-saving perspective, so why would you pay more than you need to?
Many pet food companies fall into the sweet spot. The food meets the minimum recommended requirements, but a little is added on top just in case.
Low Protein Food
First, you need to figure out why you need a feed with a low protein content:
Animals with kidney disease. Sometimes, only low protein food can maintain sick dogs’ normal quality of life without killing their body. Although not all veterinarians are unanimous about low protein diet in this case. Check with your own veterinarian if you are unsure.
Old dogs. A diet rich in proteins contributes to the development of arthritis and arthrosis in older dogs.
Pets suffering from food allergies to protein. The less protein, the lower the likelihood of an attack. In this case, we would advise choosing foods with rare proteins (lamb, rabbit, pheasant, duck, etc.).
Most “low protein” foods have a protein content of 18%. In the most “extreme” cases, protein accounts for no more than 8% in the finished diet.
Below are some quality low-protein diets:
- Flint River Ranch Senior. We don’t see it often, but veterinarians recommend it. The base is lamb and free-range chicken.
- Eukanuba Veterinary Diet. The food is therapeutic, it is prescribed for kidney diseases, but it is also excellent in other cases.
- Hill’s Prescription Diet (food series). It is also a therapeutic dietary diet. Salmon, rabbit, duck, lamb, and other nutritional meats are used in production.
- Purina Veterinary Diet (series). The characteristics are similar to the previous diet.
- Waltham’s Royal Canin. Most often, duck is used for production. (Found In Stores)
- ACANA feed line. It isn’t cheap, but we would recommend them. Very high-quality ingredients, rare proteins (elk-based feeds), excellent for constant feeding.
- Dog-Friendly Chicken Soup. Another leader in medical nutrition. This type of food is semi-liquid broths. It is based on high-quality chicken, and most of the proteins used are hydrolysed (less likely to be allergic, higher digestibility).
Bottom Line
There’s a lot of misinformation about protein intake for your Border Collie or dogs in general. Many breeders would recommend that if you want to control the aggressive nature of your dog, give them a low-protein meal. That is not right.
The amount of protein that your dog needs is highly debated among pet owners. Some say that you need to feed protein in bulk while others say it can be dangerous. However, it’s dependent on many factors including but not limited to age, activity, and breed. Working dog breeds like Border Collies or other shepherd dogs need meals with higher protein content.
If you are unsure about changing your dog’s diet, see a vet.