You should seek the advice of your veterinarian if your pet is ill as only he or she can correctly advise on the diagnosis and recommend the treatment that is most appropriate for your pet.

Protein deficiency

Protein is an important component of pet rations. Proteins consist of chemical sub-units called amino acids some of which are essential and must be provided in an animal's diet.

Problems can occur if  :

• inadequate total protein is eaten
• there are insufficient quantities of one or more of the essential amino acids in the ration
• the ratio of certain amino acids to each other in the food is incorrect
• too much protein is lost by the body (eg in via the kidneys in urine) compared to that ingested in food

Signs of protein deficiency include :

• Poor growth rate in young animals
• Weight loss
• Poor performance eg strenuous exercise
• Poor production of milk during lactation
• Poor coat quality - hair looks dry, dull, rough, coarse unkempt  and there is excessive shedding
• Reduced ability  to synthesis antibodies to fight infections
• Reduced ability to replace tissue cells with a high turn-over in the body, skin cells and cells lining the gastrointestinal tract. 
• Sometimes, fluid accumulates in tissues due to severe protein deficiency

Fortunately, protein deficiency is not likely to occur in your pet unless :

• You are feeding a home-made ration, or a poor quality protein ration. Provet advice : Feed a complete, balanced ration compounded by a reputable pet food manufacturer.
• Your pet is losing excessive amounts of protein from it's body due to a disease process. Provet advice : Take your pet to your veterinarian for a check up if you notice signs such as weight loss.
• Your pet is not eating at all, or not eating sufficient food. Provet advice : take your pet to your veterinarian for a check up if it is off it's food.
• You feed cats a dog food. Although cats will eat dog foods, cats have a much higher requirement for protein (24% +) than dogs (14%+) and some dog foods will simply not supply enough. (Also Note : cats require a specific Beta-amino acid called taurine which is not present in sufficient quantities in dog foods) Provet advice : Only feed cat foods to cats, never feed just dog foods to cats. 

Updated October 2013