Protein & Healthy Dog Treats: Chemical Differences You Should Know!

Before we review why the Protein and its ‘essential amino acids’ of Animal products (meat and offal) are different from the same NAME ‘essential amino acids’ found in plants, there is a BIG benefit that animal protein has over plants.  The reason why Animal protein is and always will be much better for your dog than Plant proteins – is that Animal protein has a more balanced profile and much higher BIOAVAILABILITY for your dog – their digestive system uses much more of it. Because they evolved to eat meat.

For years large corporations have been trying to convince owners that your carnivore-based dog is really a omnivore.  And because of that, they only need the woefully low protein amount of 19% (from any source) in dog food sold in Australia. This is what all dog food Australia is held to, a low protein rule, based on the American volunteer group ‘aafco’.

But the simple matter is that most dogs still retain the gut requirements, and nutrition requirements of their wolf ancestors. And that 19% protein just isn’t all bio-available to be used by your dog.  We even go through a very simple example below to show this.

In this short blog, we will have a quick look at what the chemical difference is between animal protein and plant protein, and why animal protein is the most natural, most useable by your dog.  And that means, it’s the main thing that their body needs, but wont always get sufficient amounts from the majority of dog food available on the Australian (or American) market.

The ‘National library of Medicine’ is a hefty, scientific based, not for profit organisation that explains it best:

The difference in structure and bio-availability of plant and animal proteins

To make this simple, imagine that your dog food has 20% protein, or it just reaches the aafco minimum standard for protein in dog food.  There are minimum levels for the 10 included ‘essential amino acids ‘ in that protein too, but let’s firstly see how bio-availability works.

If a food is 100% bio-availability, then the dog will be able to utilise ALL of that 20% protein for its chemical reactions.  If they are allotted 300g of dry- food per day (based on their total energy intake).  Then they would get 60g of useable protein.

More realistically dry dog food will be 70% plant matter, 30% mdm meat and meat bi-products.

If that plant matter is 60% bio-available, and the meat is 80`% bio-available – which is typical, this is how much protein your dog will get.

Example: 100g dry DOG food USEABLE PROTEIN =  70g plant (15% protein x 60% bio avail)+  30g meat (70% protein x 80% bioavail) =    70g x  0.09  +    30g x  0.56   =    6.3 g +  16.8 g   =   23 grams protein.

Note that 100g of dog food will usually include 10% water and other inert products that don’t include protein, like added fibre or ash (burnt bone).  So the above calculation might even struggle to reach 19% useable (bioavailable) protein for your dog.

As you can see, the meat does most of the ‘heavy lifting’ as far as useable protein goes.

Plants provide excess sugar (that dogs don’t need),  and fibre (that they do need, if it’s the right TYPE of semi and non-fermentable fibre).   But because you will read a long list of minerals and vitamins added to the ingredients list of just about every commercial dog food- clearly plant matter at 70%, The plant matter isn’t even providing adequate minerals and vitamins !

And the decision by aafco,  (and its American source, NRC) to have such a low level of total protein seems to be a result of the volunteer committee members, many of them who are aligned with the 3 major dog food manufacturers in the world, who clearly want the input ingredients as cheap as possible.

If you accept that domestic dogs evolved from wolves on 20,000 years ago, and started domestication as recently as only 2- 4 thousand years ago – you might also accept that a domestic dogs physiology and digestion in particular is still very similar to a wolf’s.

Since wolves are STRONGLY carnivore, then and now, they are healthy on a virtually ALL animal diet. Meaning that they are getting closer to 80% protein, that is bio-available, NOT the 20-30% our domestic dogs are given.

Hence the reason for the existence of Healthy, meat-based dog treats – to equalise the bioavailable protein for your dogs.

How chemically different are plant and animal proteins?

“Plant and animal versions of the same essential amino acids generally do not differ significantly in their basic chemical structure, as the core components (amino group, carboxyl group, central carbon) are the same; however, the key difference lies in the side chain (“R-group”) which can vary slightly depending on the organism, potentially impacting the protein’s overall function and properties. “ REF 1

“Incomplete protein sources: While individual amino acids might be chemically similar, the relative abundance of different amino acids can vary greatly between plant and animal proteins, leading to the concept of “incomplete proteins” in some plant sources, where certain essential amino acids may be present in lower quantities. “ REF 1

Except from having different total amounts of the essential amino acids in plants and animal based foods, The question is: How does their different chemical shapes,  cause for different take up by your dog of these building blocks of their body?

“The difference in chemical structure between plant and animal essential amino acids, visible in a ball-and-stick model, impacts their bioavailability primarily due to the varying arrangement of amino acid chains within the protein molecule, which affects how easily the protein is digested and absorbed by the body, with animal proteins generally having a more readily digestible structure leading to higher bioavailability compared to plant proteins; this often involves the presence of compounds like fiber and phytic acid in plant proteins that can bind to amino acids and hinder their absorption.   REF 2

Why does that mean that protein from MEAT, especially in treat form (100%) , is BETTER for your dog?

“Animal proteins generally have a simpler structure with a more balanced amino acid profile, allowing for easier digestion and absorption by the body. “  REF2

For instance there is such a thing as ‘limiting amino acids’.  This means that if there is not enough of a specific essnetial amino acid, then a dog cant utilise all of another ESSENTIAL amino acid that their body needs to function correctly.  Hence why you often see on dog foods that are high in plant matter – ADDED amino acids in their ingredients list !

“The order in which amino acids are linked in a protein chain can influence how the protein folds and interacts with digestive enzymes, affecting its digestibility.   Side chain properties: The chemical properties of the amino acid side chains (e.g., hydrophobicity, charge) can impact how the protein interacts with water and digestive enzymes, influencing its absorption. “ REF 2

CHEMICAL Composition Plant v animal protein

“Amino acids are the monomers that comprise proteins. Each amino acid has the same fundamental structure, which consists of a central carbon atom, or the alpha (α) carbon, bonded to an amino group (NH₂), a carboxyl group (COOH), and to a hydrogen atom. Every amino acid also has another atom or group of atoms bonded to the central atom known as the R group”  REF 3

For each amino acid, the R group (or side chain) is different (see Figure).

There are 20 common amino acids present in proteins. Nine of these are essential amino acids in humans. 10 are Essential (have to be ingested by food) for domestic DOGS, and domestic cats have 11 essential amino acids.

“Essential” means that your dog can only get these amino acids by foods, they cant synthesize them internally like the common amino acids – so getting them from the BEST protein source is vital for their health.

If you are after a more extensive analysis of the difference in bioavailability of different amino acids from plant matter (mostly grains) and different meats – I have created this article before  https://www.healthydogtreats.com.au/amino-acids-bioavailability/

In this previous article we compare the specific bioavailability of some SPECIFIC AMINO acids for common grains found in dog food. NOTE bioavailability is based on the type of grain (and its chemical structure) and the species of animal eating it. That is why the bioavailability of a true herbivore, or even a human (changed to omnivore) is quite different to the average domestic dog, that can tollerate plant matter.

CONCLUSIONS

At healthy dog treats we have performed a lot of analysis into the amounts, and bio-availability of different common grains and meats that are available to dogs.

THE higher bioavailability of every meat over every plant in existence is further proof that dogs are more carnivore based than true omnivores. And that they require more bioavailability of MEAT in their diet, which we provide via safe dried meats, bones and offal.

The main difference in this article is that we explored the REASONS behind why animal proteins are more bioavailable to domestic dogs, which it seems is the more flexibility nature of the amino acids and the placement of the R chain on them.

While some dogs will enjoy a sweet fruit or eat a whole plate of vegetables, this is often a learned behaviour from their owners, rather than them knowing what is good for them. Also if a dog gets plenty of regular commercial dog food, then seeking out interesting non-essential foods to snack on becomes a fun thing to do, rather than hunting big game for survival like their ancestors.

Dogs have also learned to be scavengers, to supplement lean times and ensure that they carry enough body weight for survival. So any food, is better than no food for them.

Wolves are scavengers as are domestic dogs, but wolves often get the chance to scavenge bones, rotting carcasses of large animals, or old skins, rather than what non-meat products that domestic dogs might find in the dog park, or their owners bins.

We created this dog treat company to benefit the actual real health of dogs. Not as a profit imperative. That is why unlike dog food companies that aim to put the minimum amount of costly meat into their formulas, we promote 100% meat additional to a dog’s regular diet.

❓ FAQ Section

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1: What exactly do you mean by “chemical difference” in protein sources for dog treats?
A1: While all animal-proteins supply amino acids, The food itself differs in terms of digestibility, amino acid profile, fat content, mineral/vitamin load (especially in organ vs muscle meat) and how they are processed. When we talk about the chemical difference for the same NAME essential amino acid –  we are talking about how the slight chemical difference between animal and amino sources, makes the animal source a much more bioavailable (digestable) option!

Q2: Does the protein source in dog treats matter for my dog’s health?
A2: Yes — the protein source impacts a dog’s lean muscle repair, coat/skin health, energy levels, and even allergy risk. Choosing a high-quality named animal protein (e.g., “chicken breast”, “roo jerky”) rather than vague terms (“meat meal”, “animal protein”) – these terms are often used in lower quality dog food.

Q3: Are some protein sources better than others for dogs with allergies or sensitivities?
A3: Absolutely. Dogs with sensitivities often benefit from novel or single animal protein sources. If your dog has reacted to common proteins like chicken, beef, or lamb – it always worthwhile considering trialling them on a SINGLE ingredient NOVEL protein like: kangaroo, fish, crocodile or emu –  to reduce allergy risk.

Q4: Can high-protein dog treats help with training or active dogs?

A4: Yes — treats with higher quality protein (MEAT BASED) can support muscle repair, energy and engagement during training or high-activity periods.  Using a high value, high reward meat based training treat means your dog gets both nutrition, and an incentive to learn.

Q5: How often should I give protein-rich treats?

A5: Some texts refer to a mythical value that ‘Treats should ideally make up no more than ~10% of your dog’s daily caloric intake’.  However this is mostly the case if they are plant based, as they will dilute the amount of useable meat protein your dog gets. A single ingredient meat treat will actually boost your dogs protein intake (and proportion of total protein consumed) and can make up to 20-30% of their food – as long as you reduce their kibble by the same amount.

REFERENCES

REF 1  Google Overview

REF 2    https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6723444/

REF 3  https://opened.cuny.edu/courseware/lesson/615/student/?section=3