You don’t have to be Australian to fall in love with kangaroo dog treats. You don’t even have to run your own business selling the multitude of kangaroo treat options that are suitable for EVERY dog on the planet.
But the fact is, I do run a business, and kangaroo is definitely one of my favourite healthiest single ingredient dog treats.
We have waxed lyrical about the sustainability of this wild over populated creature for years. The Government quotas only are about one third filled each year, so these wild sustainable renewable resources are the perfect human food and dog treat alike. The gamey taste ensure that humans don’t over demand from this market, meaning that the price for one of the best treats on earth is highly reasonable.
Yes, it ticks all boxes, but apart from its very wide range of applications (soft, hard, big and small pieces – all 100% kangaroo) there is the overwhelming unquestioned value of its nutrition.
Let’s look at the specific functionality of this wonderous treat.
Kangaroo dog treats – the lean high protein unique amino acid profile.
Human athletes love lean meat sources for their protein content. BUT if you want to buy organic meats, you often end up paying twice the price.
Organic just isn’t a sanctioned label a manufacturer buys; it should be apparent that a wild animal not grazing in areas of pesticides and herbicides is naturally organic. The difference there is that kangaroos because of flat demand and not high farm costs, makes the meat highly affordable.
A quick update on protein for dogs. Dogs require TEN amino acids from their foods. Of the 20 amino acids in dog food protein, TEN are essential and can only be provided by food.
Single ingredient kangaroo chews for dogs naturally contain Kangaroo meat protein which has some of the highest percentage amounts of the essential amino acids of all meats used in dog food and dog treats.
For instance, it has 5.1 % Arginine while the aafco minimum requirement is only 0.51%. it has 6.1% Leucine compared to affco requirement of 0.6%.
Kangaroo meat contains 82-86% protein content on a dry matter basis. It also has a VERY LOW 2-4% fat content on a dry matter basis.
Beef meat is also relatively high in protein, with 70-78% protein content on a dry matter basis. But its fat can vary from 10-20%. This is not bad in itself, but unless the meat is either a very good cut, or rendered at high temperatures (which can damage the protein) – it will add a lot of extra energy to your dog that it will have to burn off, or get fat.
Chicken meat has a similar TOTAL protein amount to beef. 70-75% protein content on a dry matter basis. And its fat levels are similar. By comparison to kangaroo, neither of these dried to the same level, are anywhere near as lean.
Lamb has one of the lower protein amounts of the common meats, with 65-75% protein content on a dry matter basis. Its fat content is similar to beef and chicken.
Fish is a healthy alternative to these, with some fish having a similar level of protein and bio availability to kangaroo, but on a direct weight comparison, high quality fish are in demand for the human table, and so can be considerably more expensive than kangaroo. Plus with the myriad of species of fish, its hard to tie down one specific protein amount.
protein is crucial for dog muscle development, tissue repair, and overall vitality. If your dog has a continually growing coat, much of the food protein goes into growing that.
Protein is also vital for maintaining lean muscle mass in dogs, this is important for active breeds (working and hunting dogs) or those who are being trained. But more than that, older dogs tend to lose a lot of muscle from their rear legs as they age. If they have arthritis then this muscle loss causes a major dog stability issue – and a falling dog can break legs and have major life-threatening injuries.