Animal Protein in Your Pet’s Diet

We are often asked whether dogs and cats really need that much animal protein. Or whether it is enough if the package simply says “high protein content”.

In my opinion, there is one very important nuance that often gets lost here: protein is not just protein. The question is not only about the percentage on the package, but where that protein comes from, how well the animal can utilize it, and whether it meets their actual needs. Animal protein and plant protein have very different importance for animals.

Dogs and cats were not designed to eat food based only on what is convenient to press into a kibble. A cat is an obligate carnivore, which means its body has a particularly clear need for nutrients of animal origin. A dog has adapted to a broader diet while living alongside humans, but its digestive system and biological needs are still strongly connected to animal-based food.

Why is protein so important in the first place?

Protein is often called the building block of life, and for good reason. A pet’s body is largely made up of proteins: muscles, bones, skin, coat, nails, blood vessels, heart, brain, liver, kidneys and lungs all need protein.

Proteins also play a role in transporting oxygen, moving fats and cholesterol around the body, enzyme function, hormone production and everyday repair. So protein is not some “extra bonus”, but one of the most important nutrients of all. And incidentally, the older an animal, or a human, gets, the more important protein becomes.

It is also important to remember that the body does not store protein in the same way it stores fat. That is why good-quality protein needs to be present in the diet regularly.

Animal protein vs plant protein

The protein percentage on a food package may look impressive, but that number alone does not tell us enough. Protein can come from both animal and plant sources. Plant protein is often used in commercial pet food because it is cheaper.

The problem is that animal and plant protein are not equal for dogs and cats.

Dogs and cats need 22 amino acids to stay healthy. Dogs can synthesize some of them themselves, cats fewer. The rest must come from food. Animal proteins such as meat, organs and eggs provide a more complete amino acid profile and are more natural for a pet’s body.

Humans can process plant proteins fairly efficiently and assemble the necessary “pieces”. Dogs can do this to a limited extent. Cats, however, essentially cannot do it in the same way. So for a cat, plant protein is not simply “another type of protein”, but often a poorer solution for its actual needs.

Cats have an especially clear need for animal-based food

With cats, it is always worth remembering that a cat is not a small dog. A cat is an obligate carnivore and its body needs animal meat and organs. Plant proteins, grains and vegetables cannot meet its needs in the same way.

Cats lack the necessary enzymatic capacity to use plant protein as efficiently as animal protein. Protein from animal tissues provides amino acids in a form their bodies know how to use.

That is why, when choosing cat food, it is especially important to look at where the protein comes from. If most of it comes from plant sources, the number on the package may look great, but the cat’s body may not get what it actually needs. Dry food is convenient and inexpensive for cats, but from the perspective of a cat’s nutritional needs it is certainly not optimal. So it is worth adding wet food made from 100% animal protein or raw food.

This also provides essential moisture, because cats tend to drink little, which places greater pressure on the kidneys.

Dogs also benefit from high-quality animal protein

With dogs, there is sometimes an assumption that because a dog “eats everything”, it does not matter where the protein comes from. I do not agree.

Different studies have examined how different protein sources affect adult and older dogs. Dogs whose diets contained more chicken and less corn gluten had better results in body composition and muscle mass. When there was less animal protein and more plant protein, lean body mass decreased and body fat increased.

This is especially important in older dogs. A senior dog does not simply need to “eat less”. Very often, they need better-digested, high-quality food that helps maintain muscle, overall tone and quality of life. Animal protein plays a major role in maintaining muscle tone!

Not all animal protein is high-quality protein

There is, however, one very important point here. The fact that a protein is of animal origin does not automatically mean that it is highly digestible or high quality.

Beaks, feathers, hooves, skins, tails and snouts are animal protein too. But can a dog or cat really obtain the amino acids they need from them efficiently? Most likely not.

So it is important to look not only at whether the ingredient list contains “animal protein”, but also at the quality of the animal raw material. Egg has a very high biological value, fish is also a valuable protein source, but feathers, for example, provide very little usable nutritional value to a pet. Yes, feathers are edible, but their nutritional value is not the same as that of high-quality meat or organ meat.

In other words, the protein percentage on the package can look beautiful, but if it comes from poorly digestible raw materials, it may offer little benefit to your pet’s health.

Why are corn and soy used so much?

Corn and soy are fairly common in pet food because they allow manufacturers to raise the protein percentage shown on the package more cheaply than by using meat. That does not mean they are the best choice for a dog or cat.

One article points out that soy can be problematic for pets and links it, among other things, with effects on thyroid function, allergenicity and estrogenic activity. In the US, for example, it is stated that around 95% of soy is genetically modified. Corn is also discussed in connection with GMOs, allergenicity and glyphosate contamination. Corn is not necessarily bad in itself, but its quality and the way it has been processed matter.

Hydrothermally processed corn is fairly easy for dogs to digest, and if the raw material is high quality, it is not a bad ingredient in food.

For me, the most important point is this: if a manufacturer can use inexpensive plant protein to display an attractive protein percentage on the package, the owner may get the impression that the food is very protein-rich and good. In reality, we should ask how much of that protein the dog’s or cat’s body can actually use. And one of the best practical clues is the amount of stool your pet produces.

If the amount of stool is essentially as large as the amount of food your pet eats, then your pet’s body is not digesting that food very well.

What about raw food?

In my opinion, raw food can be very beneficial for pets because by nature it is closer to what a dog’s or cat’s body recognizes more naturally: animal protein, meat, organs, natural moisture and fewer heavily processed components.

At the same time, I always emphasize one thing: if you feed only raw food, you need to know very well how to balance the diet. Meat alone is not a complete menu. Feeding an unbalanced raw diet for a long time can lead to nutrient deficiencies and, from there, health problems.

So raw food itself is not the problem. The problem can arise when it is fed without sufficient knowledge. If the menu is properly formulated, raw feeding can be a very good way to provide high-quality animal-based food. If you do not yet have the knowledge, start carefully, learn more, or use complete and balanced solutions. Rotation is also very important: feeding a dog only chicken and broccoli for nine years is not a balanced raw diet!

What should you look for when choosing food?

I would focus primarily on these things:

1. Where does the protein come from? Is it mainly from meat, fish, eggs and organs, or from corn, soy and other plant sources?
2. Is the ingredient list clear? The more clearly the raw materials are named, the easier it is to assess what you are actually feeding your pet.
3. Is the protein high quality and digestible? The percentage alone is not enough. Poorly digestible animal protein or inexpensive plant protein is not the same as high-quality animal raw material.
4. Does the food suit your individual animal? Your dog’s or cat’s age, activity level, digestion, allergies, body weight and health always matter.
5. Does the food support muscle mass and overall well-being? This is especially important for older dogs, whose muscle mass tends to decline with age.

In conclusion

For me, the most important idea in this whole topic is that protein is not simply a number on the package. What matters greatly is where that protein comes from and whether the dog’s or cat’s body can actually use it.

Dogs and cats need high-quality animal protein. For cats this is especially critical because they are obligate carnivores. In dogs, too, we see that animal protein plays an important role in supporting muscle mass, body composition and overall health.

This does not mean that every pet must eat only raw meat or that every dry food is bad. It does mean that we should not be misled by an attractive protein percentage. The question is always one of quality, source and digestibility.

Your pet’s bowl is not just something that fills their stomach. It is the foundation of their health.