Amino Acid Profile

An amino acid profile is the pattern of essential amino acids in a protein source. Dogs require 10 essential amino acids that they cannot synthesize and must get from food: arginine, histidine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, threonine, tryptophan, and valine. Animal proteins (chicken, beef, salmon, lamb, egg) deliver complete amino acid profiles in proportions that match canine requirements. Plant proteins (peas, lentils, soybean) deliver incomplete profiles and need to be combined or supplemented. This is why a recipe heavy in pea protein with little meat is nutritionally inferior to a recipe built on named meat, even at the same crude protein percentage.