High protein diets do they affect behaviour

Do high protein diets affect our dogs behaviour.

Theres a lot of information out there concerning high protein diets affecting a dog behaviour, as it is possible to have too much protein and be negatively affected by it. Excessive protein can lead to increased fat storage which in turn leads to obesity and fun fact obese dogs can have increased stress hormones due to the fat storage, and these stress hormones lead to more fat storage and muscle loss.

Some studies also suggest that a diet with excessively high protein can be linked to increased occurrences of aggressive behaviour, A dog’s behaviour is very closely related to the health of their digestive system. And what we feed relates to the dogs health and alters the chemicals that influence mood and behaviour, these chemicals live in the epithelium of the gut and either thrive or struggle based on diet.

Protein in the diet is necessary for the growth and repair of tissue as well as hormone production, energy sources, combating infections, oxygen transportation and cell wall structures. Proteins are complex molecules that are formed of amino acid chains, there are essential amino acids that need to be provided through diet and non-essential amino acids which can be synthesized by the dog’s body.

Tryptophan is an amino acid which naturally occurs in the dogs diet, it is part of the process that produces serotonin, and serotonin controls the balance of the dogs mood, which too little can lead to depression, anxiety and some forms of aggression, it can also increase appetite and restlessness in dogs. As the majority of serotonin is stored in the epithelium of the dogs’ gut, what we feed relates to the serotonin source that the dog relies on. Tryptophan has to compete with the other amino acids found in protein to gain access to the brain, high protein in the diet can lead to tryptophan being crowded out by the other amino acids, this affects the dogs behaviour due to lack of brain serotonin because of the decrease in absorption of tryptophan, reduced absorption means less serotonin is made, so too much protein can lead to lack of serotonin in the brain.

BUT a lot of this is dependent or majorly influenced by the food format you feed your dog, due to the way the body receives, processes and uses the different food formats. The gut is the core of the dog’s health and research suggests that poor gut health can significantly affect our dog’s behaviour, The gut microbiome helps break down food, creating fuel that feeds cells throughout the dogs’ body which also supports the immune system and regulates the metabolism. The gut bacteria and the brain influence mood and emotions and the connection between the gut and the brain is called ‘gut-brain-axis’. Gut bacteria makes chemicals that communicate with the brain through nerves and hormones, it’s these chemicals that send messages that can cause anxiety and therefore causing behavioural issues, which can then lead to aggressive behaviours.

The food format we feed majorly influences the health of gut, and most of the serotonin and other mood enhancing chemicals are found in a healthy gut, it is only when a dogs gut health is poor a high protein diet can be an issue, as its only when the gut health is poor the dog is lacking in accessible serotonin. Which is why the food format we feed is important.

 In reality high protein isn’t really an issue, it’s the food format which influences the health of the gut where problems may lie. High protein isn’t an issue in terms of a fresh food or a Raw diet as its minimally processed or even unaltered making them naturally more digestible so they will develop increased gut health through digesting it, as they are breaking down the food in its natural state, creating a much healthier gut environment.

 The biggest issue lies with ultra processed foods and its disgestsblity due to the quality of ingredients used in the food which result in poor gut health. The food format you choose, wet, kibble, fresh, cold pressed, freeze dried or raw will directly influence your dog’s behaviours and general health.

How digestible a food is will affect how bioavailable the nutrients in that food are. A dogs dietary protein requirements depend on the digestibility of the protein source, and not all sources of protein are equal no matter the food format, the lower the digestibility the more the dog will require, and not all proteins have the same amino acid composition, so a diet with mixed proteins can be beneficial to supply a mix of amino acids.

We all want our dogs to thrive and not just survive, so we have to find the food format that suits our individual dog, as nutrition is not a one size fits all. And we don’t have to feed only a fresh or raw diets for our dogs to have a healthy gut, with in each food format there are different levels of quality and not all processed foods are bad the key is to read the ingredients, regardless of what is mentioned on front of the pack understanding an ingredients list will help you pick through the good the bad and the ugly.

There are ways you can enhance your dog’s diet without changing the food format you feed, as the food format we feed our dogs also has to be suitable and do able for us as the owners whether that’s down to, cost, storage or availability of the food, we have to feed a food type we can manage.  Adding toppers to your dog’s food can help boost your dog’s gut health, such as adding fresh fruits or vegetables, or things like bone broth or goats’ milk. Even just adding water to a dry food can be beneficial to the dog. There are many ways we can enhance our dogs’ diet and doing your own research will help you to find what is right for your dog, but be careful to not over feed and make sure you monitor your dog’s weight, so we don’t end up with an overweight dog.  

Dogs have no minimal requirements for carbohydrates, so you won’t find a nutritional guild line for them to be added to a diet as dogs can synthesize their own which is why they are not necessarily needed in the diet, but they can be beneficial or useful for some dogs. For example, with highly active dogs they can support glycogen replacement as glycogen depletion is a risk for dogs that are highly active for consecutive days such as working border collies, or gun dogs. Carbohydrates can also help with weight management and with overweight dogs as carbohydrates per gram have fewer calories than a gram of fat, which can also help the dog feel fuller and they can also be beneficial for dogs that are pregnant or lactating. Dogs that are fed processed foods increasing carbohydrates can sometimes help with some behaviour problems such as fear, as carbohydrates encourage the body to carry tryptophan through the blood brain barrier. But not all carbohydrates are equal, so this is something to look out for.

Last note

It’s important that when comparing food types, to compare them accurately we need to do it on a dry matter basics, as some food types will significantly be different to what is reported on the label. We can do this by using an online dry matter calculator which should be free and typing in the analytical constituents (crude protein, fats/oils, ash, fiber, moisture) on the packet. Raw diets tend to be about 70% moisture so using a dry matter calculator will help when comparing to a kibble which usually have about 8%.

Handy resource

Dry matter calculator https://www.omnicalculator.com/biology/dry-matter

Metabolic energy calculator https://www.vetcalculators.com/calories.html

Choosing a dog food https://www.allaboutdogfood.co.uk/

Ref

https://www.furryfriendsnetwork.org/resources/betterfood/#:~:text=When%20diets%20are%20high%20in,anxiety%2C%20fearfulness%2C%20and%20aggression.

https://cidbt.org.uk/do-probiotics-helpdogsbehaviour/#:~:text=Gut%20bacteria%20makes%20chemicals%20that,anxiety%20and%20therefore%20behavioural%20issues. IMDT Nutrition for dog trainers British college of canine studies canine behaviour-hormones, health & diet COF canine nutrition