Sarnewfie ..I'm really pleased you brought up the concern about taurine deficiency. Taurine is a naturally occurring amino acid or a non-essential amino by definition ... because the body can synthesize it from the "sulfur" amino acids methionine and cysteine. In sports nutrition we think of it as being "conditionally" essential because we make the distinction between minimal and optimal levels of certain substances. Taurine's importance is highlighted by the fact that it's the second most abundant amino acid in the muscle amino acid pool after glutamine. But, all kinds of stress (especially exercise) depletes our reserve of taurine and the body may not be able to keep up appropriate production so... in the short run an appropriate taurine level is important because it maintains cell wall integrity and is of interest to body builders and athletes because it induces a volumizing effect on muscle cells (makes them hold water ...leading to larger better defined muscles...increased strength and muscular endurannce. However in the long run, deficency can lead to anxiety, epilepsy, hyperactivity, and poor brain function. So as a result, physically hard working and athletic humans and dogs really should consider supplementation.
Please also consider, the following (from a paper by Dr. Andrea Fascetti and Dr. Robert Backus ... "dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is one of the most common acquired cardiovascular diseases known to occur in dogs.
In cats, a diet deficient in taurine clearly results in DCM, but in dogs, the need for dietary taurine has not been generally recognized because dogs (just like us) are known to be able to synthesize taurine from the amino acids cysteine and methionine.
Yet, during the past two years, veterinary nutritionists Drs. Andrea Fascetti and Robert Backus documented low plasma taurine concentrations in dogs with clinical signs of DCM. Some animals died....the prognosis is poor for dogs with this disease..while some survived when given supplemental taurine and supportive care.
The cause of taurine deficiency in the canine DCM cases was not readily apparent, yet the common factor was diet history. Some of the dogs had been eating home-made diets, while others were eating similar commercial diets....the diets appeared sufficient in protein and sulfur amino acid content, and had passed testing in accordance with Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) feeding trials for all life stages.
These cases and findings in several pilot studies suggest that diet does affect taurine metabolism in dogs and may play a role in the development of DCM.
Recent evidence also suggests that taurine stores and the development of DCM may be affected not only by diet, but also by a dog's size. There is a prevalence of DCM in families of dogs and specific breeds, many of which are large and giant breeds.
Dr. Backus found evidence in a study of Newfoundland dogs with taurine deficiency to support the idea that taurine metabolism may be influenced by "metabolic" body size, which takes into account that the amount of energy needed by the body is correlated with total body surface area, not just body weight.
Last year Dr. Backus found diet-associated taurine deficiency and cardiac insufficiency in more than half of a group of 21 privately owned Newfoundland dogs, which excreted extraordinary amounts of taurine in their urine. Drs. Backus and Fascetti are now planning a larger project to estimate the prevalence of a possible widespread taurine deficiency in the Newfoundland breed. Non-invasive clinical tests and feeding trials will determine if taurine deficiency in Newfoundlands might result from 1) a reduction in protein digestibility, 2) a diminished capacity to synthesize taurine from sulfur amino acids, or 3) loss of taurine in urine. Also, pedigree analysis may reveal a genetic basis for taurine deficiency."
So this "long winded"
post is a way for me to introduce the idea of supplemention within our dog's diets ...I mentioned previously we supplement our dogs natural diets with Mapleton Canine Metabolizer ......curious what others may think about supplementation within their dog's diets ????
love those newfies .......
