Pets with food allergies? Try another Novel Protein: Kangaroo, also a great source of Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA)

In my comment Pet itching for relief? Leading cause Allergies Part 3 Treating Food allergies with single or novel protein sources I wrote: When food allergies are suspected, a dog or cat is often put on a diet consisting of either a single protein or a novel protein and carbohydrate. Single protein means for example either turkey or chicken only, not chicken & turkey. A novel protein is simply a brand new one that your dog or cat has never been exposed to. Lamb and rice foods were originally formulated to meet this need. The idea became so popular, however, and so many manufactures jumped on the lamb and rice bandwagon that most dogs and many cats have eaten lamb at some point in their life. The result is that lamb is no longer such a novel protein. Pet food manufacturers seeing the growing market for such novel and unique foods continue to produce allergy formulas or hypoallergenic foods with ever more exotic sources of protein. One of the latest (on the American market) exotic protein sources is kangaroo. This so far here unknown, yet very effective novel protein is in addition also another way to help your pet stay strong and healthy with Conjugated Linoleic Acid. There may be a lot of hype about Conjugated Linoleic Acid or CLA but what is it really? CLA is a form of omega-6 fatty acid and can be found in kangaroo and dairy products. It is abundant in the meat and bone of ruminant grazing animals, about 3 to 5 times more than animals fattened on grains. Even though it is not a ruminant animal, research has shown that kangaroo has up to 5 times the level of CLA as compared to other meats. Kangaroo meat has always been used in Australia as a form of pet food and is now gaining wider recognition in the global market.
How does CLA benefit my dog, you wonder? CLA supports important body functions for overall health and fitness. Like for instance an improved immune system. CLA can enhance immune response from the body and provide greater overall resistance. CLA may also inhibit the growth of cell related diseases, which involves the mutation of normal living cells. For example, the presence of CLA could slow the growth of cancer cells or help them destroy themselves. Another benefit is the fact that CLA is capable of reducing inflammation. Inflammation occurs because it is the body’s way of responding to an infection or irritation. The presence of CLA in kangaroo may be able to help reduce inflammation by responding quicker to any foreign attack. A reduction in the risk of inflammation means the risk of developing allergies is also lesser, a perfect alternative for allergic dogs. Kangaroo is also less likely to cause a reaction in your pet’s body, as it is a novel protein. Dogs develop allergies to those foods that are most frequently fed. Hence feeding new protein sources lowers the chances of him/her developing any adverse reaction.
CLA enhances the building of lean muscles and more lean muscles result in a lower fat percentage. Lean muscles are known to burn more calories than fat. Hence with CLA, your pet may stay leaner and will be better capable of burning any excess energy. A leaner body mass also means a lower fat percentage and a healthy weight, resulting in lower possibilities of contracting heart-related illness like coronary heart disease.
Coming back to the actual protein source kangaroo: Some benefits of kangaroo meat are: It is a succulent red meat and a form of novel protein, which is ideal for lowering the risk of developing allergies. It has a low fat content (40% of the fat in kangaroo meat consists of long chain polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) molecules). When purchasing food or treats with kangaroo as ingredient make sure they are free from by-products, artificial colors, flavors and preservatives.
We recently added to our on-line store assortment the Australian pet food brand Addiction. This company offers quite a few of novel feeds. They include New Zealand venison, unagi, kangaroo and a protein meat source most of us have not heard of before: The New Zealand Brushtail. With this article it is not my goal to advertise yet another healthy pet food but to introduce and create awareness of a truly novel protein source to pet owners confronted with the problem of food allergies. I call kangaroo a “truly” novel protein source since it is almost guaranteed that neither you nor your pet until now were able to get it. Please e-mail me if you have further questions.
See also:
Pet itching for relief? Leading cause Allergies Part 1 Introduction, Flea, atopic (inhalant) and contact allergiesPet itching for relief? Leading cause Allergies Part 2 Food allergies, allergy testing and treatment
Pet itching for relief? Leading cause Allergies Part 3 Treating Food allergies with single or novel protein sources
Tip for Food Allergies: Novel Protein Source New Zealand Brushtail