A balanced diet for dogs should place a significant focus on proteins, as these nutrients are essential for the animal's well-being. In this blog post we explain the importance of a high protein diet for dogs and give tips on how to best implement it.

What are proteins?

Proteins are known as the basic components of the body and are present in every cell, which underlines their essential importance for all living things. Nevertheless, proteins vary considerably because they are macromolecules and can be composed of different atoms. They are made up of amino acids, which in turn can be linked in the form of “chains”. A protein is formed when the amino acid chain contains more than 100 amino acids.

The amino acids are divided into three categories: Non-essential amino acids, such as arginine, alanine and glutamic acid, which dogs can produce in their bodies. On the other hand, there are essential amino acids that the dog cannot synthesize itself and therefore has to get from food. This group includes leucine, valine and threonine.

Why are proteins so important for dogs?

As “molecular machines,” proteins are involved in many functions in dogs’ bodies. Depending on their function, proteins are divided into different types: Contractile proteins are responsible for the muscles and the musculoskeletal system and enable movement. They are also important for building muscle and can serve as an energy reserve. The structural protein collagen is responsible for a shiny coat and determines the shape, strength and tissue composition of cells. Proteins are also involved in various metabolic processes and enzymes play an important role here, as they are essential for a variety of biochemical reactions in the dog's body. Proteins also have a protective function because antibodies are also proteins.

How are proteins best absorbed in dogs?

The amount of protein your dog gets from dog food, dog snacks or treats depends on the types of meat you feed. Beef chews and turkey chews are particularly high in protein. However, it is important to ensure that the treats consist only of natural ingredients and do not contain any chemical additives. Muscle meat and offal are the best sources of protein, and fish dog chews are also excellent sources of protein. These are also low in fat and are good for overweight dogs. Insects are also a wonderful source of protein.

How do we approach this with BugBell?

We know how important proteins are for the health and well-being of dogs, which is why we attach great importance to a balanced and nutritious composition when producing our products.

Our focus is to produce future-oriented pet food. Therefore, for us, the use of alternative proteins is out of the question with regard to sustainability and resource-saving use. Our dog food contains a variety of high-quality protein sources, from the animal source "insects" to plant sources such as broad beans, sunflower, hemp seeds or potatoes. We only use natural and healthy ingredients that are free of artificial flavors, colors or preservatives.

Our goal is to provide our customers with high quality products that keep your dogs healthy and happy. We are proud that we can contribute to improving the health and well-being of dogs.