Taurine Benefits for Pets

Detection of heart disease in dogs mean that the days of your dog are numbered. All you can do at that time is keep your dog as comfortable as possible in his last days. Researches in veterinary science have revealed a strong connection between this killer heart disease in dogs and taurine deficiency. Deficiency of taurine, an essential amino acid, can lead to heart failure, an enlarged heart, a dilated cardiomyopathy or DCM, in dogs as well as cats. It is almost next to impossible to determine whether a dog is suffering from a taurine deficiency, as biopsy of the heart tissue has to be done to detect it, and this is not something that is routinely done in dogs. So, the only way for dog owners to avoid the occurrence of heart disease in dogs is to add taurine in their diet either through foods or by giving the dog taurine supplements. Let us know about the taurine benefits and side effects, for dogs as well as for cats.

Benefits of Taurine for Dogs
Raw meat is considered to be a very rich source of taurine. Among them, chicken has the highest taurine content. Certain organs of the animals such as brain, heart and even eyes, should be fed to dogs to overcome taurine deficiency. Following are the health benefits of taurine.

• Maintains the health of the heart.
• Brain health of the dog improves with regular intake of taurine.
• Maintains the health of different organs as well as the structure of the body, such as breasts, gallbladder and kidneys.
• Taurine deficiency can lead to hyperactivity, can cause blindness, swelling and even hypoglycemia. Supplying the dog with foods rich in taurine can prevent the occurrence of all such diseases in dogs.

Besides providing the dog foods rich in taurine, taurine deficiency in dogs can be met by taking additional taurine supplements. The main benefits of taurine supplements are that they are entirely safe to be used along with the regular medication, have almost no side effects, regulate the heart beats and help in improving the heart function, aid in building the lean body mass and help in improving exercise tolerance in dogs.

Taurine Benefits for Cats
Similar to dogs, taurine deficiency in cats can cause a number of abnormalities, such as retinal degeneration, platelet function abnormalities and dilated cardiomyopathy. So, to avoid these, cats should be fed with taurine rich foods such as raw meat or dry cat foods available in the market, which are a rich source of taurine too. Below are some of the taurine benefits for cats.

• Lack of taurine in cats can lead to dysfunctional retinal cells, causing feline central retinal degeneration in them. This may result in blindness or impaired vision in cats. So, taurine is very essential for the development as well as proper functioning of the cells of retina.
• Other taurine benefits in cats include making the heart muscles strong, thereby preventing heart failure or other heart diseases in them.
• Taurine has many benefits for cats when they are reproducing. Adequate level of taurine in cats during pregnancy, ensures a healthy pregnancy and proper structural growth of the unborn kitten.

Taurine Side Effects in Animals
Generally considered safe for animals, taurine can cause certain side effects in some animals. Taurine supplements should not be given to animals who show an allergic reaction to the same. Taurine may cause toxicity in an occasional animal, especially after an oral dosing. Taurine may also cause drug interactions with certain medications such as cisplatin, paclitaxel, etc. So consuming taurine drugs along with these, should be avoided.

As one can see, taurine benefits, both for cats and dogs, are immense. So, planning a diet for pets, which has sufficient amount of taurine in it, is a must, to maintain their overall health and to avoid the occurrence of diseases in future.