Protein Powder
First of all let me say I am NOT interested in doing this, just interested as to somebody elses thinking.
I came across a couple of posts on the net yesterday about people feeding their dog Whey Protein (human grade) with their food. I understand the idea why a human would take it, to bulk up etc but is this not dangerous for a dog and what if any would be the benefit/thinking behind doing it?
Comments
The one and only use I could imagine is if there's no access available to any other source of animal protein.
But a dog that is on a balanced nutrition including enough animal protein from meats and poultry, for example, is already getting all the protein its body needs.
Adding even more protein in a highly concentrated form - as it comes in whey protein boxes - in some dogs with a preexisting health condition can even cause serious kidney problems.
Also an excessive protein intake is assumed to cause hyperacidity in the body, which is also assumed to participate in acalcinosis and a decrease in bone density in humans.
It is a highly discussed thesis and so far has only been researched in humans as far as I know.
So I don't know, if this effect is in fact scientifically proven and transferrable to dogs also.
But, honestly, why take the risk? What for?
A dog on a balanced nutrition with enough exercise will build muscle in no time more easily than any human can do, just because it is designed to do so by nature - especially breeds such as the Bull Terrier.
Besides, while whey protein is animal protein, it is a dairy product after all.
I don’t know, if dogs with sensitive stomachs would even tolerate this product very well. The least that I can imagine to happen is that they become horribly gassy … and again, what for?
It’s the same as with so many things in life: Humans tend to try and make EVERYTHING better, because in the human eye nature can never do good enough.
So people design products that come in concentrations ten, fifty, a hundred times higher than nature provides on its own. Because "more is always better", right?
That “tuning” goes on until it ends up in real extremes - extremes that come at a cost. And the price is usually something health related.
Protein is a great source of life. But even the real good things can have adverse effects, if you just overdo them.
Because constantly manipulating a system that bases on balanced processes sooner or later WILL have consequences.
"It's not just a Dog, it's a Bull Terrier!"
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