Taurine is a water-soluble amino acid. It has recently become a hot topic when referring to the nutritional composition that makes up the human and animal physical structure. Taurine has been found to be very beneficial to various components of the mammal skeletal system such as heart, kidneys and blood.
Quoted directly from dictionary.com, the definition of Taurine goes like this - "a colorless crystalline substance, C2H7NO3S, formed by the hydrolysis of taurocholic acid and found in the fluids of the muscles and lungs of many animals."
Taurine, being a catalyst, is needed to help the flow of important elements within the body from one cell to another. Elements such as Potassium, Calcium and Sodium rely on Taurine to move between cells.
Taurine has been a present element in cat food due to its vital properties and just recently pet food manufacturers have been implementing Taurine into dog foods also realizing that this can be very beneficial to dogs as well as cats.
Taruine can be found mainly in the retina. There were cases of kittens that were blind because of a lack of Taurine. On the other hand, when Taurine was used the same cases kittens experience vision recovery.
Taurine provides an immense value to the heart as well. For example, there were cases of dilated cardiomyopathy in kittens, an illness of the heart muscle for some unknown reasons, because of a low level of Taurine.
You have to understand that not all dog foods out there contain Taurine. That is why you must read the label cautiously. Most dog food producers are out there for monetary gains and do not care for the health of your dog. It is for this reason that we as dog owners have to know what kind of foods we are giving our dogs.
Dogs don't know any better, of course, and will eat anything at all that is placed before them. Your dog depends on you to feed him the best.
With so much competition, research is not high on a dog food manufacturer's list so that is why you must be so vigilant. Research takes time and money so you will pay for the better more nutritious foods. Take the time and do your own research to ensure that you have touched all of your nutritional bases.
