Dog muscle supplements are a vital part of an athletic dog’s diet. A healthy dog needs a higher intake of protein for muscle strength, growth, and energy. You can opt for a natural method of giving your dog proteins; with vegetables, fish or meat! However, these sources are not always enough.
Proteins are made up of amino acids. Dogs cannot fully produce all the amino acid chains they require in their bodies. They require additional help from supplements and a balanced diet. If their diet is not sufficient, owners can opt for a muscle supplement for dogs. It will provide the dog with its much-needed protein intake.
This makes dog muscle supplements essential to a dog’s diet. Especially if they are muscular breeds of dogs or are athletic of nature.
Benefits of Muscle Supplements for Dogs
There are many benefits to incorporating a good muscle supplement in your dog’s diet. Listed below, are multiple ways supplements can help a dog with maintaining their immune system and aiding with muscle growth.
Muscle Growth & Recovery
Some dog breeds appear to look better with a muscular aesthetic. Muscle growth is especially important when it comes to Watchdogs and Guard dogs; they require that muscular build that looks to be more intimidating for out lookers.
Moreover, some dog breeds not only look better but also support a muscular body, rather than a lean one. There are many muscular dog breeds like an American Staffordshire Terrier, Rottweiler, and Pitbull Terriers, that have excellent muscle mass and recovery. They tend to favor larger muscles and faster growth as compared to an average dog.
The muscle supplement helps the dog repair their muscles at a much faster rate than just with a protein-rich diet. Hence, for this reason, is it vital that the dog has daily exercises that involve heavy training activities. These exercises can include sledding, pulling weights and running laps.
The exercise allows the muscle to tear, repair and grow even more. As older muscle fibers tear and maintain, it is important to give the dog a protein-rich diet to help with the repair process. Keeping a balanced diet of protein-rich foods along with the supplements is equally as important.
Muscle Strength & Power
Muscle strength is a measure of how heavy of a pull/push a dog can manage in one repetition. Muscle strength and power are important factors for a dog, especially if you own an athletic dog or perhaps a muscular breed.
Dog owners who have their dogs participate in competitions, and challenges require their dog to have a lot of muscle strength and mass. Especially in weight pulling events! These competitions require physical agility and multiple tasks for which a dog must be fit. Athletic dogs require strength and energy to fulfill these tasks.
Many events require jumping, running, hurdling, and specialized challenges that are the ultimate test for your dog. In such cases, it is highly recommended to make use of the appropriate dog muscle supplement. The whey protein present in this supplement helps build muscle strength and repair them.
However, it is important to note that specialized challenges require specialized diets too! Muscle supplements for dogs should not be the primary source of balanced minerals in their diets. Regular exercise can significantly help with building strength and power.
Stamina & Endurance
Stamina and endurance are key features when it comes to assessing your dog’s performance. It is the measure of how long your dog can do strenuous tasks, how easily they get tired and keep their efforts sustained.
Stamina is only built with practice. Don’t expect your dog to have good stamina from the start. Stamina and endurance ability significantly improves when your dog has daily tasks to build on. Laps, running, pulling weight will contribute to their muscle growth.
As the muscle repairs and grows, it also contributes to the stamina of the dog. It allows them to keep up with different activities without exhausting themselves after a shorter period. Dog muscle supplements help with the repair and growth of muscles, all while contributing to the endurance a dog is likely to have.
A dog is likely to perform athletic activities. They love fetching or even going on a run with their owner. Stamina is essential since you don’t want your dog to stop to catch a breath if you take them on a run or their day to day activities.
Muscle Atrophy Prevention
Muscle atrophy is when your muscles start to waste when not in use for longer spans of time. This can happen to pets facing injury or perhaps disease that stops them from using a certain limb as frequently as others.
Muscle atrophy can also happen if your dog is suffering from joint pain, arthritis, or just an aging dog. It also happens when the muscle can no longer support the activity and weight of the dog. However, a great solution to this is supplements.
Dog muscle supplements tend to tackle the symptoms of muscle atrophy. During atrophy, when muscle sizes reduce, it can cause your dog problems with their days to day activities. Dog supplements help with muscle repair, growth, and strength.
It is difficult to see your healthy dog go through an injury and in turn, damage their health in the long term. These supplements can help prevent muscle from happening altogether. It develops your chain of amino acids in their body that builds up their metabolism and repair to act quicker on the muscles that need it.
It is important to know that along with muscle supplements the dog requires daily movement. Exercise is key to the prevention of muscle atrophy in sedentary dogs.
Body Reinforcement
Dog muscle supplements are ideal for the high protein intake a dog needs. Proteins are made up of chains of amino acids. Dogs require 22 different types of amino acids to active muscle growth and body reinforcement.
However, they cannot produce all these amino acid chains on their own. They require a balanced diet and supplements to give that extra push. These amino acids help with muscle growth and reinforcing the existing muscles in the body of a mammal.
It helps with muscle growth, building the connective tissues and sustaining healthy development and repair of muscle mass. In general, it is essential to maintain your dog’s health and keep up with their daily activity levels.
Best Ingredients in Dog Muscle Supplements
Dog muscle supplements have many ingredients. They are extremely beneficial for maintaining not only your dog’s muscle strength but their overall health and metabolism too! Here are some compounds commonly found in muscle supplements for dogs.
Amino Acids
One of the key ingredients in muscle supplements for dogs is amino acids. Amino acids are known as the building blocks of tissues. They are essential for the body to synthesize connective tissues and tendons. As mentioned earlier, an average dog requires over 22 different chains of amino acids.
These chains make up the protein that the dog uses to maintain good health and prevent illnesses. Amino acid makes the dogs’ immune system stronger, prevents weight loss, bone deformities, skin issues, and low energy levels.
It massively contributes to their health. Hence, as an owner, it is vital to make sure that their diet includes protein-rich foods and a good muscle supplement for dogs that can provide these essential compounds.
Beta-Alanine
Beta-Alanine is another ingredient in muscle supplements for dogs. It is beneficial for building muscle mass as it helps prevent muscle fatigue. If your dog participates in heavy exercises that involve pulling or pushing weights, running laps or jumping hurdles at first their muscles will not be used to the higher levels of activity.
However, dog muscle supplements aid muscle PH levels and lower fatigue after strenuous exercises. This helps your dog last longer and enhance their overall performance. In addition to this, they are less likely to get exhausted or experience spells of low energy.
Using muscle supplements provides the dog with a sufficient dose of Beta-Alanine that helps with building endurance and stamina over time. Your dog is less likely to get exhausted during and after exercise, which is why it is recommended for athletic dogs and those looking to develop their dog’s muscle mass.
Dextrose
Dextrose is a simple sugar that is present in the bodies of mammals. It is identical to the structure and role of glucose in the body. Dextrose is mainly to give a boost of energy, which is mainly done by maintaining the blood sugar level.
Dextrose is present in most dog muscle supplements to provide that boost of energy that helps them work out. It can help your dog regain a balance of minerals and compounds that they tend to loose after strenuous activity.
It is also useful in replenishing muscle glycogen, which is essential when it comes to building muscle mass and maintaining it. If a supplement is given a few hours before the activity, it gives the dog a rush of energy to sustain themselves throughout their exercise, without getting exhausted.
Calcium
Calcium is as necessary for dogs as it is for humans. An average 11-lbs dog needs approximately 250 mg of calcium per day. Their calcium requirement grows with weight and changes with different ages and breeds.
Calcium is essential to good bone health. It helps keep bones strong so they do not give away under exercise and activities. Dogs under training require exceptionally good bone health that can aid them during their activities.
Moreover, calcium is also used in the process of muscular contraction. Muscles cannot contracts fully without proper calcium intake. A good dog muscle supplement provides the dog with the exact dosage of calcium they require throughout the day.
Overall, it helps maintain their muscles, bone health and are good for gums and teeth too! They are also vital ingredients to some co-enzymes in a dog’s body, that are crucial for growth, repair, and development.
Biotin
Biotin is a name for a complex form of Vitamin B. Most dog muscle supplements contain this compound, as it is essential to maintaining many bodily functions in a dog.
Biotin is a great way of energy synthesis. It breaks down fat and provides the body with a source of energy. That is a good option for owners looking to cut down fat and building more muscle for their dogs. Furthermore, it is important for muscle formation too.
Biotin provides the dog with energy and acts as a dietary supplement as it helps them digest food better. Biotin breaks down other elements and eases the digestive process. This reinforces their metabolism and immune system.
Dog Muscle Supplements – FAQ
Here are some of the frequently asked questions an owner might have before administering muscle supplements to their dog.
There are many brands in the market that offer quality muscle protein supplements. One of them is the Gorilla Max Protein Muscle Supplement. One pouch can last a dog owner a month. Each serving contains 20 mg of protein, which aims to improve the dog’s immune system, muscle growth, and overall health.
This supplement has an array of different compounds that are useful for a dog’s health. It has probiotics, 27 different minerals and vitamins, digestive enzymes, and omega fish oil. Users were significantly satisfied with the product as it showed results as early as 2 weeks of use.
It also claims to have no psychological effect on your pet. Some supplements tend to cause hyperactivity or mood swings. However, this vet-approved formula will not bother the dog.
Most dog owners are often concerned with the safety of using muscle supplements for dogs. It is one of the main factors people hesitate to use them. However, almost all dog supplements come under the regulation of the Federal Department of Agriculture.
In addition to which, supplement manufacturers go through rigorous testing processes to ensure high nutritiousness and bioavailability. They also make sure their products can promise safety to their consumers. Moreover, all dog supplements go through lab testing and approval before being sold in the market.
As a dog owner, make sure that you purchase your supplements from an authentic source and the right company. A little research can go a long way when it comes to your dog’s health. It is essential to look up ingredients, company, and healthy manufacturing practices before purchasing a supplement.
However, it is important to note that too much of anything can be harmful. While muscle supplements can help your dog’s muscle growth and strength, they can also cause an excess of minerals. It is essential to follow proper dosages.
Dogs are similar to humans in a lot of ways when it comes to muscle building. It is important to note, that muscle building and growth involves patience. It is unlikely to find results overnight.
The dog will gradually build muscle mass and a noticeable difference can be seen after a few weeks of use. However, solid changes will take up to a month or more. The best way to keep up with the dog’s progress is to document them week by week. A picture can very evidently show little changes.
Muscle mass is the physical size of the muscle. Muscular breeds of dogs tend to have muscle mass near their shoulders and legs, while muscle strength is a measure of the kind of stain a dog can handle.
It is often measured with how heavy a weight a dog can pull or push during one repetition, while muscle power refers to the speed and agility a dog has during that repetition.
While these three may be very different things, they all combine to form a healthy active dog, with a proper muscular structure.
Protein is essential for not only muscle growth but for maintaining and repairing the muscle as well. Strenuous exercises, often involved with muscle building and development can lead to tissues tearing. These tears when getting repaired; is the process of how the muscle builds over time.
Dog muscle supplements help with exactly that. The chains of amino acids help repair muscle and connective tissues that can help gain muscle much faster than normal. These supplements also have a high ‘biological value’
Biological value is a measure of how smoothly a body digests nutrients and compounds present in the food. If a food has a low biological value, then it will pass through the system without absorbing any good nutrients in the bloodstream. This is also a reason why a diet may not always be sufficient without supplements.
Muscle supplements have a higher biological value. A dog can very easily absorb minerals present in a supplement. That will allow a much faster recovery of muscles and strength.