Quality pet foods are created to be an all-inclusive source of nutrients for pets. The food must have all the essential components like proteins, energy, vitamins, and minerals. You can easily meet your pet’s nutritional needs with digested, delicious, and secure food.
Recently, plant-based protein sources have become increasingly popular pet food. As a result, excellent nutritional content and reliable soybean meal are popular plant protein sources. Soy is versatile and can be transformed into pet food in various forms, such as dry extruded, semi-host, and canned pet food. Here are some reasons why soy is an essential diet for your pet.
- Source of proteins
There are different kinds of proteins, which are made of complex compounds. Although dogs and cats can produce their amino acids, they must get some amino acids from other sources. Soy has a vast range of animal protein, mainly rich in amino acids that the pets may need for various nutritional benefits.
Protein is a good source of energy for your pet, providing 3.5 kilocalories per gram of weight. Proteins allow your pet’s body to function properly. Your dog’s amino acid from protein enhances healthy hair, skin, and muscle development.
- High content of potassium
Potassium is an electrolyte and is vital for your pet’s health. Potassium helps keep the heart, neurons, and muscle cells’ electrical currents flowing smoothly. Additionally, potassium works with calcium and phosphorus to promote healthy bones and teeth.
Also, potassium aids your dog in digesting and absorbing nutrients faster. Some signs that show this essential mineral is lacking in your pet include; unusual lethargy or lack of appetite. Loss of muscles and weight are other possible signs.
- Source of vitamins and folic acid
Folate for dogs is required mostly before and during pregnancies. One of the vitamins in soy is folate which is soluble in water and naturally present in various foods, mainly supplements. Folic acid is necessary for your pet’s normal metabolic functions and red blood cell production.
Additionally, folate helps in the rapid growth of cells during infancy, regulating homocysteine levels in the blood. It can also be used in your pet if they are at risk of folate deficiency.
- Provide pet with vitamin C
Just like humans, pets need the right balance of vitamins to keep them healthy. Although dogs produce vitamin C in their bodies, supplementation may be beneficial in certain situations. Vitamin C improves your pet’s immune function by enhancing white blood cell functions and activities.
Additionally, vitamin c can benefit sick or stressed dogs. Physical stress, in particular, can deplete your pet’s vitamin C, so dogs who hunt, herd, and track could benefit from an additional vitamin C in their diet.
- Easy to break down proteins
Soy proteins, easily digestible by your dog’s digestive system, can be metabolized and used for fuel and other bodily processes. The less digestible the protein, the less amino acid your pet will get from its food. Therefore, you must feed your good pet quality digestible proteins so that your pet can acquire the essential amino acids to remain healthy.
- Provide your pet with fiber
Fiber is not digestible by dogs, cats, or humans; it does not provide any nutrition to the diet. Quality pet food contains nutrients that are 90 to 100% digestible. Once those nutrients have been broken down and utilized by the body, there would be nothing left in the digestive tract.
Your pet’s food should move through the digestive tract smoothly for the best digestion. Therefore, fiber improves digestion, soothes the digestive tract, and assures firm, consistent bowel movement.
- Concentrated source of fatty acid
Essential fatty acids and other healthy fats are essential to your pet’s diet. Though they cannot be created by your pet naturally, they have to be acquired through your dog’s diet or supplementation. There are two types of fatty acids deemed essential for your pet, omega-6 fatty acid and omega-3 fatty acid. They provide energy, modulate inflammation, help absorb vitamins, process hormones, and promote brain and heart health.
- Improve palatability
Formulations that combine palatability and digestibility meet the current demand in the pet market. Quality pet foods are carefully formulated not only to be highly nitrous but also to be highly palatable. Highly palatable dog diets contain various ingredients, including palatants. Palatants can be found in powder and liquid form and are most commonly used for dog and cat food.
- Less allergic reactions
One of the reasons why soy can be the right choice for your pet is a food allergy. Contrary to the common belief that soy can create food allergies, soy that is broken into small pieces-hydrolyzed-soy can be helpful for your dog with allergies. It is used for both the diagnosis and treatment of canine food allergies.
- Reduce bladder stone
Soy is good for your dog if it is prone to bladder stones, known as urate stones. This disease commonly affects Dalmatians and English bulldogs. The diet used to prevent a recurrence of urate stones must be low in protein components called purines. The protein in soy is lower in purines than in animal tissues like chicken and beef.
Conclusion
Above are just some of the few reasons why soy is essential for your pet’s diet. Therefore, if you plan to introduce soy into your pet’s diet, it is recommended that you visit a veterinarian or pet nutritionist. The vet will further advise you on whether the benefits outweigh the dangers. Also, if you are buying soy products for your pet, read the labels carefully to ensure that they don’t contain other substances that could harm your pet.
