What is Taurine?
Taurine is an amino acid found in foods of animal origin.
What happens if there is a deficit?
Taurine deficiency leads mainly to heart problems (dilated cardiomyopathy) and visual problems, among many other things.
Why are cats most affected?
Both dogs and cats need taurine. The fundamental difference between the two is that dogs can synthesise taurine, whereas cats cannot synthesise the necessary amount, so it must be provided in their food, as it is an essential amino acid for them. This means that it is essential that it should be included in the diet. Otherwise, eye problems (such as blindness) and heart problems, as well as reproductive problems, growth problems in kittens and immunological problems can occur.
In the wild, cats do not usually have any problems, as the meat of the prey they hunt provides them with more than enough.
So, it is not necessary to provide it in the diet for dogs?
As we said, its intake in dogs is not so essential as they can synthesise it in sufficient quantity if they receive an adequate diet, but it could be indicated in breeds predisposed to suffer a deficit and therefore dilated cardiomyopathy, such as the Labrador or the Cocker.
How do I ensure that my dog/cat receives the necessary dose?
Simple, by feeding it correctly. Quality feeds, by default, add the optimum amount of taurine according to need (dog/cat).
In fact, the vast majority of feeds, including those of lower ranges, provide at least the minimum necessary, after a large number of dogs and cats died of unknown causes in the 70’s. It was later discovered that the cause was taurine deficiency. It later emerged that the cause was taurine deficiency. From that time on, pets began to be fed with animal feed, but this was of very low quality, incorporating a huge amount of cereal and very little meat to reduce costs. Under these conditions, even the dogs were not able to synthesise enough taurine and died of cardiomyopathies.
How much taurine should my puppy/adult cat’s food contain?
Kittens need to take a minimum of 300 mg daily, ideally in excess of 500 mg.
The recommended dose for adult cats is 100 mg per kilo of body weight. In other words, if it weighs 3kg, you need at least 300 mg per day.
This is one of the reasons why you cannot feed your cat with dog food as a rule. It’s okay for him to peck a little (sometimes it’s unavoidable if they live together) but it is essential that he eats cat food as well, as dog food will not provide him with the taurine he needs.
Special attention should also be paid to the feeding of natural cooked diets. Just as the BARF diet usually meets the necessary requirements as it is raw meat, if it is offered cooked, much of the taurine is lost through heat, so it would be necessary to supplement it once it is cooked.
