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Why does Bellfor dog food contain taurine? We continually hear this question from highly engaged dog owners. After all, we are proud of the fact that our food is made exclusively from natural ingredients.
At least at first glance, taurine additives therefore seem at odds with our philosophy, and customers sometimes even doubt whether it is healthy for their furry friends.
Even though we absolutely understand their skepticism, there is, however, a good reason why our food for your dog contains taurine, and we will explain this in the article below.
Taurine is best known to most people as an ingredient in energy drinks, where it aims to increase the effect of the caffeine contained in the drinks, thereby increasing the stimulant effect of the drink.
Taurine is an aminoethanesulfonic acid, which is created by the breakdown of the amino acid, cysteine. Taurine is required, among other things, to produce bile acids, and thus can be presumed to contribute to muscle growth and the central nervous system.
The term, taurine, is derived from the Greek word tauros (bull). This is due to the fact that taurine was first isolated from the bile of oxen in 1824.
A lack of taurine significantly increases the risk of cardiovascular diseases in dogs. This applies primarily to dilative cardiomyopathy (or DCM) which is one of the most common cardiovascular diseases in dogs.
In principle, dogs are capable of creating taurine in their own bodies by breaking down specific amino acids. However, there are some breeds, which either cannot do this, or in which taurine deficiency is very common, due to reasons that are still unclear.
Larger breeds in particular, such as Newfoundlands and Dobermans, are clearly most widely affected. However, there is relatively little empirical data on this topic.
By giving additional taurine in the form of a nutritional supplement, or incorporating it as an ingredient in dog food, it is possible to reduce the risk of taurine deficiency significantly, thereby preventing possible harm to the dog.
Our dog food is a complete feed that provides all breeds of dog with the nutrients that they need for a healthy life.
As a dog owner, therefore, you should not have any concerns as to whether our food is suitable for your breed of dog.
Even though our current state of knowledge suggests that taurine deficiency and dilative cardiomyopathy primarily affect larger breeds, taurine is nevertheless an essential aspect of the canine diet.
High-quality dog food that contains lots of fresh meat (as in our case), and which is free from artificial additives, is no exception to this rule.
For this reason, we have decided to add one gram of taurine to each kilogram of our dog food. As such, we can be certain that your four-legged friend receives enough of this important aminoethanesulfonic acid and that the risk of DCM can be minimised, irrespective of its breed.