![]() ![]() ![]() It is true that high temperatures can denature taurine and make it unusable, however good, high quality brands such as Valens and Orijen cook foods at lower temperatures so most of the taurine will stay intact and accessible. Therefore, if you are looking for a food high in taurine then you should be looking for a food high in meat content. This information comes from a study done by the Department of Molecular Biosciences, School of Veterinary Medicine at the University of California (3). On the other hand, taurine IS available from various other food sources including meat, dairy, eggs, moss, and yeast. In fact, fruits, vegetables, legumes, and grains all do not contain taurine. By not present, I do not mean that it is there in very small amounts, I mean grains do not contain ANY taurine. However, taurine is not present in grains. However, these articles claim that the only foods that have enough taurine in them are those with grains that add a synthetic or concentrated form. Taurine deficiency can be a major problem and is a concern, we are not denying that. There have been quite a few articles recently claiming that grain free foods cause taurine deficiency in dogs. Taurine deficiency does not show up right away and can take from months to years to show up. Taurine deficiency symptoms include blindness caused by retinal degradation, cardiomyopathy often characterized by an enlarged heart, progressing to lethargy, digestive upset, permanent blindness and even death (1). We believe that any nutrient like this that is on the fence whether it is required or not should be included in a food anyways. It is a required nutrient in cat food for this reason, but not in dog food since they are believed to be able to make their own. However, cats, and it has now been shown some breeds of dogs, cannot synthesize it in this way at all or not as efficiently. Taurine is an amino acid that in most mammals is synthesized from a different amino acid called cysteine and is therefore not required (2). (Just a warning, this is a bit of a long read, but it’s necessary to get the point across).įirst, let’s discuss what taurine is and what a taurine deficiency looks like in pets. I will also add links to articles at the end of the blog for you to peruse. All of the things stated in this blog post are not opinion based, they are based on science and we have done our research and will reference articles when appropriate. I would like to take this opportunity to shed some light and dissolve this misconception and its influence on our pets. If you have been anywhere on a pet forum on social media recently you have read or heard from someone about the lack of taurine in grain free pet foods causing deficiencies in dogs. ![]()
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