24 replies to this topic

[Javaluva]

Some good informational links about dietary Taurine deficiency and Dilated Cardiomyopathy:

http://www.vetmed.uc...-2_Taurine.html

http://www.petcarena...ealth_bible.php

[Stef]

I feed heart regularly because of studies like this... Heart is high in taurine.

[Arda]

Raw or cooked? Beef or humane? How much? How often? What are you doing? Someone get ahold of Carolann and ask her. I'll do it if it keeps them alive one minute longer. I'll eat it too. Escepially if it's Knarf's.

[CAB]

Escepially if it's Knarf's.

Is this his new name?

[Stef]

I feed it raw... Cow heart.

From Raw Dog Ranch:
For our dogs we use beef heart and ground turkey. The beef heart is rich in Taurine – an amino acid that has links to helping control seizures. Dogs do not have a dietary requirement for taurine since they can make it out of Vitamin B and amino acids currently in their system. Cats cannot process taurine and must have some every day. Taurine has also been shown to be a very effective supplement for congestive heart failure.

They say dogs produce their own - but studies have consistently shown a link to low levels of Taurine and DCM. It's water soluable - so it is just flushed if it isn't needed...

From B-Naturals:
Taurine is found in most animal proteins, but like l-carnitine, cooking can destroy it. Serve the meat raw or lightly cooked. A good home made diet will contain plenty of taurine, but if necessary add 500 mg per 50 lbs (25 kg) of body weight daily.

I guess raw is best ...

[Arda]

Enough is enough....I'm calling the butcher. They will grind it up for me. I'm ready to fight back.

[Stef]

Other sources of Taurine:
brewer's yeast, eggs and other dairy products, fish and red meat

Magnesium, zinc, and B-complex all increase the effectiveness of Taurine.


Taurine

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Taurine is a non-essential sulfur-containing amino acid that functions with glycine and gamma-aminobutyric acid as a neuroinhibitory transmitter. Taurine, along with methionine, cystine and cysteine, is a sulfur-containing amino acid. Unlike true amino acids, taurine is not incorporated into proteins, and is one of the most abundant free amino acids in many tissues, including skeletal and cardiac muscle, and the brain. In the body, taurine is synthesized from the essential amino acid methionine and its related non-essential amino acid cysteine. Taurine is an end product of l-cysteine metabolism and the principal free intracellular amino acid in many tissues of humans and other animal species. Taurine is the second most abundant amino acid in the muscle amino acid pool (after glutamine). Taurine is important in the visual pathways, the brain and nervous system, cardiac function, and it is a conjugator of bile acids. Taurine is incorporated into one of the most abundant bile acids, chenodeoxychloic acid where it serves to emulsify dietary lipids in the intestine, promoting digestion. Basically, its function is to facilitate the passage of sodium, potassium and possibly calcium and magnesium ions into and out of cells and to electrically stabilize the cell membranes.



Taurine functions, uses, and health benefits

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Taurine is the body's water soluble anti-oxidant, and inhibitory neurotransmitter. he major antioxidant activity of taurine derives from its ability to scavenge the active oxygen species hypochlorite. Taurine has putative hypocholesterolemic, hypotensive, antiatherogenic and detoxifying activities. Taurine may also suppress peroxidation of membrane lipoproteins by other reactive
oxygen species. Taurine's other biological functions include cellular growth, membrane stabilization, sperm motility, bile acid conjugation and neurotransmission. Taurine works in electrically active tissues to stabilize cell membranes. Taurine aids the movement of potassium, sodium, calcium and magnesium in and out of cells and thus helps generate nerve impulses.
Due to its ability to neutralize hypochlorous acid, a potent oxidizing substance, taurine is able to attenuate DNA damage caused by aromatic amine compounds. Taurine is a potent neuroprotectant, protecting against glutamate excitotoxicity, cerebral ischemia, oxidative stress, and the buildup of toxins (including carbon tetrachloride and ammonia). Taurine protects many of the body's organs against toxicity and oxidative stress due to various substances. Taurine neutralizes the toxin hypochlorous acid, thus protecting from DNA damage. As an antioxidant, taurine is used to quench hypochlorite secreted by leukocyte immune cells. Taurine also aids in osmoregulation (maintenance of proper concentrations of ions) inside the cell. Taurine may also benefit athletic performance as it acts as an insulin mimetic, thereby allowing for better glucose deposition into muscles.

[Stef]

I didn't know this - I feed fish too ... but I was thinking heart was the best...

Salmon needs to be cooked before being fed... It may contain the parasite: Nanophyetus salmincola. I feed most of my fish from canned sources - I've never fed raw fish. Apparently it can also result in a thiamine (a B vitamin) deficiency leading to loss of appetite, seizures, and in severe cases, death. More common if raw fish is fed regularly. Hmmm.... Interesting!

Fish are the best sources of taurine. Cold-water fish such as salmon and cod are recommended as these are also rich in beneficial omega-3 essential fatty acids. Taurine is an amino acid component of protein particularly common in fish protein. It has been shown to decrease elevated cholesterol levels by decreasing the absorption of cholesterol in the intestines in addition to increasing the conversion of cholesterol into bile, thereby removing it from the body. Studies have shown that individuals with higher intakes of taurine have a lower risk of death from ischemic heart disease. To gain the maximum protective benefit, eat a serving of fish at least 5 days a week.

[Javaluva]

Just read this in an article I'm reading about pet food diets:

"History has shown that commercial pet food products can cause disease. An often-fatal heart disease in cats and some dogs is now known to be caused by a deficiency of the amino acid taurine. Blindness is another symptom of taurine deficiency. This deficiency was due to inadequate amounts of taurine in cat food formulas, which itself occurred because of decreased amounts of animal proteins and increased reliance on carbohydrates. Cat foods are now supplemented with taurine. New research suggests that supplementing taurine may also be helpful for dogs, but as yet few manufacturers are adding extra taurine to dog food. "

http://www.api4anima...ts?p=359&more=1

[Javaluva]

From the above source...

"...breeds prone to developing dilated cardiomyopathy should get supplemental Carnitine (50-100 mg) daily."

[Vicki_Wood]

The Dick VanPatten food has one called fish and sweet potato; I give the canned to my dogs with the dry, but not that often because it really smells fishy. Think I'll start buying more.

Question: I'm assuming the Carnitine comes in capsules and can be bought where they sell vitamins, etc.?????


Question: Does anyone know if that stuff (don't know the name of it) that you can give dogs to neutralize their urine so it doesn't burn the grass, is harmful to the dog????

[Javaluva]

Carnitine Info:

http://ods.od.nih.go...s/carnitine.asp

It's available in both capsule and liquid forms:

http://shopping.yaho...0Type=Carnitine

[CAB]

Question:  Does anyone know if that stuff (don't know the name of it) that you can give dogs to neutralize their urine so it doesn't burn the grass, is harmful to the dog????

Does this really work?

[Vicki_Wood]

I don't know; meant to ask that question as well.

[Javaluva]

I don't know how the stuff works, but I think I'd be leary of using a product that neutralizes a dog's urine. Urine is meant to be acidic. It helps keep infections away by being so. I'd hate to alter the pH balance that nature intended simply for the sake of your grass. I think a better solution would be to isolate a spot for the dogs to use and only let them go there, or keep them from going all over the parts of the yard you want to keep looking nice.

[CAB]

I don't know how the stuff works, but I think I'd be leary of using a product that neutralizes a dog's urine.  Urine is meant to be acidic.  It helps keep infections away by being so.  I'd hate to alter the pH balance that nature intended simply for the sake of your grass.  I think a better solution would be to isolate a spot for the dogs to use and only let them go there, or keep them from going all over the parts of the yard you want to keep looking nice. 

Good point!

[Vicki_Wood]

That's why I love this message board. Thanks!

[Javaluva]

"For dogs, a typical therapeutic dosage is 500 mg 2 to 3 times daily.

Safety Issues
Taurine is thought to be quite safe. However, maximum safe dosages of taurine supplements for children, pregnant or nursing women, or those with severe liver or kidney disease have not been determined; similar precautions are probably warranted in pets."

http://www.petcarena...ealth_bible.php

[doberpagegirl]

I want to start feeding Buddy and Alley a taurine source. My question is, how much heart or salmon should i feed each day? How do I know how many mg of taurine are in a piece of meat? I lost my baby Page to DCM and I want to do anything I can to protect my new babies. I have easy access to salmon pretty cheap and would start with that til I find a place to get heart. Can anyone tell me or direct me to a site with this info? I see you can buy the powder or tablets, but I would prefer to give them the fresh meat. thanks

Sarah

Edited by doberpagegirl, 15 August 2007 - 01:14 PM.

[Javaluva]

I want to start feeding Buddy and Alley a taurine source. My question is, how much heart or salmon should i feed each day? How do I know how many mg of taurine are in a piece of meat? I lost my baby Page to DCM and I want to do anything I can to protect my new babies. I have easy access to salmon pretty cheap and would start with that til I find a place to get heart. Can anyone tell me or direct me to a site with this info? I see you can buy the powder or tablets, but I would prefer to give them the fresh meat. thanks

Sarah

My male Dobe, Gunner, at 75 lbs., gets 3-4 oz. of raw heart meat a day. You could use that as a guide and scale down from there if need be.