Taurine is essential for dogs and cats to maintain health and well-being. Taurine is abundant in most meats, especially in the heart muscle and tongue.
There is a link between legumes, lentils, sweet potatoes, and taurine deficiency. I consider these foods taurine inhibitors, and you’ll soon learn why.

But first, let me tell you a story about the commercial kibble industry.

Sweet potatoes, lentils, and legumes were added to commercial kibble as “grain-free” food became more popular. The industry decided to add human nutrition logic to our pets and make kibble “healthier” by removing grains. Unfortunately, this caused an increase in taurine deficiency in many pets and a deadly condition known as dilated cardiomyopathy.

The reason for this increase in taurine deficiency and dilated cardiomyopathy is that lentils, legumes, and sweet potatoes all inhibit or block taurine absorption. Although kibble companies have tried to remedy this issue by adding synthetic taurine, its absorption is still blocked by inhibitors.

Taurine deficiency symptoms and complications are dilated cardiomyopathy, seizures, collapsing, fainting, excessive panting, bloody urine, urinating pain, generalized pelvic pain, abdominal pain, moderate to severe blindness, digestive issues, and even death.

Dilated cardiomyopathy, or DCM, is a heart muscle disease in pets characterized by the heart becoming enlarged.

As the heart enlarges, its chambers dilate, and it becomes more challenging for the heart to pump blood. Heart valves may begin to leak, which can cause a buildup of fluids within the chest and abdomen, eventually leading to a condition known as congestive heart failure, which can be fatal.

Dilated cardiomyopathy was almost nonexistent, and very few cases were reported yearly. However, grain-free food causing taurine deficiency in dogs and cats has become more prevalent. It affects more dogs and cats annually, but it is occurring in younger pets in devastating numbers. Taurine deficiency is the cause of dilated cardiomyopathy.

When plant-based ingredients are used in high amounts in commercial pet food, these plant-based ingredients are deficient in taurine and other essential amino acids.

Taurine and other amino acid deficiencies are also linked to increased dilated cardiomyopathy cases. Many professionals think it is inaccurate to say that grain-free diets are responsible for or cause dilated cardiomyopathy, as this implies that diets rich in grains are a healthier choice. However, grains-rich diets are associated with and linked to inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), obesity, gut dysbiosis (imbalance of bacteria within the gut microbiome), chronic inflammation, and much more.

Feeding a diet rich in animal-based proteins instead of plant-based proteins is essential to prevent health issues from developing.

Taurine and amino acids are found in most animal-based proteins, but they are plentiful in poultry, small oily fish, brain, heart muscle, and liver of animals. Amino acids are found in lesser amounts in the following sources: beef, goat, lamb, dairy, and eggs.

Lamb-based raw diets and processed diets are often deficient in amino acids like taurine, which is why balance is essential for species-appropriate nutrition to be achieved. Feed variety.

Supplying various animal proteins in your dog or cat’s diet is crucial to avoid health issues, including dilated cardiomyopathy.

You can always have your veterinarian test for taurine deficiency and have them perform an echocardiogram if you are unsure and want to confirm that your animal is in good cardiovascular health. Species-appropriate raw diets that are meat-based and rich in organs like liver, heart, lung, and kidney are best to prevent amino acid deficiency and avoid dilated cardiomyopathy from developing. Avoid legumes, lentils, and sweet potatoes to prevent taurine deficiency.

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1. Not Species Appropriate

Kibble is not species-appropriate for our pets. Let’s get technical. Dogs are facultative carnivores. Meaning they have a very high amino acid and meat requirement. They can survive on a plant-based diet, but they cannot thrive. They adapt but can be plagued by all sorts of health consequences of malnutrition. This is why I consider dogs to be obligate carnivores. That being said, cats and (dogs) are obligate carnivores. They are not omnivores, meaning they do not have a choice regarding having meat in their diet. They NEED large amounts of meat to thrive and avoid malnutrition and deficient delated disease. Fruits, vegetables, and occasionally grains are found to be predigested in minimal amounts within the digestive tract of the small animals they are supposed to consume.

Dogs and cats do not manufacture significant levels of the digestive enzyme amylase (the enzyme necessary to break down carbohydrates) present within their bodies. Still, they have PLENTY of lipase and protease enzymes. This makes sense as protease and lipase break down fat and protein, essential for their high-protein diet. Amylase breaks down carbohydrates, which is why it ISN’T found in abundance in the body because dogs and cats do not require it, or expanding on that thought, they do not need plant matter. Their teeth are made to cut meat and chew on bones, and they do not have the teeth required to grind grain.

Coupled with the fact that they don’t produce enough digestive enzymes to break down carbohydrates, we know that dogs and cats are not omnivores and have no choice regarding meat consumption. Additionally, dogs share 98.8% of their DNA with wolves. They can even interbreed because these two species are so similar. Cats share 95.6% of their DNA with tigers.

The Alternative

Raw food is very beneficial for overall health and is considered species-appropriate, and here is why:

Raw food is fantastic for digestive health.

Raw food can help naturally expel and prevent intestinal parasites and intestinal infections from occurring. Raw food also starves cancer and inflammatory cells. Fruits, vegetables, and sometimes grains are found to be predigested in minimal amounts within the digestive tract of small animals they consume. The most species-appropriate diet is the raw food ancestral diet, an 80:10:10 ( 80% muscle meat, 10% bone, 10% organ) or whole ground animal. This supplies all the needed nutrients, including plenty of taurine, abundant in the heart muscle, and some other meats such as beef tongue. A taurine deficiency can cause dilated cardiomyopathy. Although dogs can manufacture this amino acid in small amounts, it is still required in the diet. Cats cannot manufacture taurine even in those small amounts, so their requirement is slightly higher than dogs and is mandated in their diet. When pet manufacturers switched to grain-free food formulations and added lentils, legumes, and sweet potatoes to their food, taurine absorption was inhibited, and a fatal heart disease that was almost nonexistent became prevalent. Taurine inhibitors should be avoided.

 

2. Oxidization Of Fat

The fat within kibble oxidizes and becomes rancid when exposed to light, air, or heat, which increases free radical damage throughout the body (linked to cancer). When you open your pet’s bag of kibble, the air gets in, and oxidation occurs. Air, light, and heat all increase the oxidation process of the processed kibble. Oxidation may occur before you even open the bag during shipping and processing. And every time the amount of oxidation increases so does the health risks associated with consuming the rancid fats within the kibble. The fats and oils in the dry kibble are very susceptible to oxidation. So, every time you open the bag, the fat particles break down into more minor compounds, such as malondialdehyde (a marker of cancer risk), and the fat within the food becomes rancid.

Problems with rancid fat in food:

Rancid fats destroy vitamins and minerals, which leads to vitamin and mineral deficiency and overall chronic malnutrition in our pets, making them more susceptible to disease, injury, or illness.

Dogs and cats are often vitamin D deficient because they cannot absorb it from sun exposure. It has to be attained through diet, but most diets are chronically vitamin D deficient due to low-quality sources, whether supplemental or food. In lab studies, pets suffered vitamin, fat, and protein deficiencies when fed diets with rancid fats.

Rancid fats have also been linked to many other health issues, such as malnutrition, hair loss, diarrhea, liver and kidney disease, reproductive problems, cancer, and even death.

 

3. Overcooked & Processed

Kibble is overcooked and processed at extremely high temperatures.

It contains very few nutrients because of overcooking and using low-quality ingredients, so they add tons of synthetic vitamin and mineral premix, which is less bioavailable than whole food sources. As we previously discussed, dogs are essentially obligate carnivores just like cats, meaning they NEED high-quality meat in their diet to survive and thrive. (We know this because they have plenty of the digestive enzymes necessary to break down meat protein but not many enzymes that break down carbohydrates and plant matter.) Most kibble contains low-quality meat and many plant-based proteins and amino acids that aren’t bioavailable to our pets.

 

4. Digestibility

Our pet’s digestive tracts were made for digesting raw meat with a high water content. Pets on kibble typically pass substantial stools daily, often multiple times a day, because their body doesn’t absorb much, if anything, in their dry food. Because of the high water content, raw passes through the digestive tract much quicker. The body assimilates almost everything, so the stools are small and infrequent. Pets barely drink water on a raw diet because they are so well hydrated by the water and moisture within their meat. Finally, the digestive systems were made to tolerate the bacteria within the meat, which is why the gut microbiome of raw-fed dogs is typically so healthy, and they continue to pass small stools and do not present with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) or gastrointestinal symptoms as dry fed pets can.

Intestinal parasites are common in pets. Common causes of intestinal parasites in pets include but are not limited to ingesting a parasite or its eggs in contaminated water and, in some cases, food, licking items, or surfaces contaminated with feces from an infected animal. They can also spread from pet to pet through their feces. Luckily, many alternative interventions for parasitic infestations generally have few side effects from the drugs conventional practitioners often prescribe for pets. You can check your pet’s stool for parasites or send the sample off to be examined by a lab. Laboratory testing is much more definitive and what I recommend to most pet parents. You can drop off a specimen at your pet’s primary veterinary office for analysis, or if your pet doesn’t have a primary, you can buy a test kit online without needing a script from a veterinarian.

 

Alternative Interventions for Parasites:

Pumpkin seeds contain this incredible amino acid called cucurbitin, which paralyzes and eliminates parasites in your dog or cat’s intestinal tract. This amino acid can lose potency, so I recommend grounding and giving immediately. You can accomplish this by putting whole organic pumpkin seeds in a coffee grinder.

Therapeutic Dosage for Pumpkin Seeds: 1/4tsp per 10lbs of body weight one to two times daily until parasites clear

Raw diets are exceptional for preventing infestations because they maintain the health of the digestive tract and the animal’s general health, making their gut less hospitable for parasites.

When fed briefly, coconut oil can kill intestinal worms and works well. It can even rid your dog or cat of tapeworms, roundworms, giardia, and other parasites. When an animal consumes coconut oil, their body converts lauric acid to monolaurin, which is a monoglyceride that has been shown to be very effective in the treatment of viruses, bacterial infections, tapeworms, giardia, and many other parasites as well.

 

Therapeutic Dosage for Coconut Oil/MCT:

1/8tsp Cats, 1/4tsp Small Breeds, 1/2tsp Medium Breeds, 1tsp Large Dogs, 1tbsp

Giant Breeds, up to twice daily Coconut oil can cause diarrhea in some pets initially.

I recommend starting with half a dose.

However, to prevent parasites, I recommend MCT oil given daily.

When fed daily for two weeks, food-grade diatomaceous earth also works as a deworming agent. All parasites are typically eliminated within a week when fed daily, but it can be provided for up to thirty days safely to eliminate all internal intestinal parasites.

Food-grade diatomaceous earth is known to eliminate whipworms, roundworms, pinworms, and hookworms.

Dosage:

1/4 tsp for kittens 1tsp for large cats

1 tablespoon per day for dogs over 55lbs

1 teaspoon per day for small breeds and puppies

How it works:

Diatomaceous earth has microscopic sharpness and a strong drying effect. It can dehydrate the exoskeleton of insects and intestinal worms, ultimately killing and expelling parasites from the body.

Carrots are high in vitamin A and can help expel intestinal parasites.

Coarsely chopped carrots scrape the walls of the stomach and gut as they are digested, removing harmful mucus and even parasites that build up in these walls.

Highly Active Antiparasitic Agents for Severe Infestation: Olive leaf contains oleuropein, a phytochemical that is effective for expelling parasites from the intestinal tract. Extracts with 12% oleuropein or higher are the most effective.

Therapeutic Dosage For Olive Leaf:

Do not exceed 20mg for cats

Small pup-150mg per day

Medium pup-250mg per day

Large pup-500mg per day Olive leaf can be given for up to 8 weeks.

Oregon grape is a powerful antiparasitic agent.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Oregon grape can be slightly harsh on the liver, so make sure to give with a high-quality milk thistle such as HerbSmith and give your animal plenty of access to water. That being said, it is not safe for animals with liver disease. It is also not recommended for nursing pets.

Therapeutic Dosage for Oregon Grape:

Around six drops per 10lbs of body weight for cats

Around twelve drops per 20 lbs of body weight for dogs

I do not recommend long-term use, especially for prevention.

This herb should be reserved for infestation.

My parasite cleanse product –

I have a product that is formulated as a homeopathic dilution for pets that focuses on eliminating all present parasites.

 

My Guide to General Prevention Practices:

(1) Feed a biologically appropriate diet. Raw diet (80:10:10)

(2) Supply a prebiotic and probiotic supplement for maintenance.

Provide digestive enzymes specifically for older pets as their enzymes decrease with age or if your pet is on a moderate to high carbohydrate diet. Along with a gastrointestinal targeted anti-inflammatory and gut healing protocol if gut damage or dysfunction has occurred.

(3) Apple cider vinegar in pet’s water.

It creates a more alkaline digestive system, a less desirable environment for parasites, and one where survival is difficult.

Therapeutic Dosage for Apple Cider Vinegar 1/2-1tsp for all pets

The healthier your animal’s gut (gastrointestinal tract) is, the less inhabitable it will be to parasites.