Macronutrient Preferences of Your Pets

You consume protein to build muscle size and strength, but it might surprise to you learn the animals you share the home with don’t necessarily share your macronutrient preferences. Consider the findings of an interesting study published in the Journal of Experimental Biology.

Researchers gave 17 healthy adult dogs and 27 cats a choice of taste-matched food options for 28 days. They could eat high-fat, high-carbohydrate, high-protein or balanced meals.

High-protein meals were the least popular with younger dogs with less body fat, but younger cats with less body mass preferred high-protein meals. None of the dogs or cats wanted to get the majority of their calories from protein. On average, dogs preferred a diet of 41% fats and 36% carbs. The ideal cat diet was about 43% carbs and 30% protein.