Twee interessante links betreffende taurine en hart:
A. http://feline-nutrition.org/answers/ans ... s-too-much
B. http://feline-nutrition.org/answers/ans ... -should-i-
A. Answers: How Much Heart is Too Much?
Last Updated on Sunday, April 06, 2014 08:34 PM
Published on Sunday, December 19, 2010 02:56 PM
Written by Elisa Katz, DVM
I'd like to know how much raw organic chicken heart I can feed my kitties. Five of my six cats love chicken hearts and can't get enough of them.
Can too much organ meat harm them?
While the heart is a vital organ, it is in actuality made up primarily of muscle with a small amount of fat and connective tissue. The primary nutrients, excluding water-soluble vitamins, in a typical 6 gram chicken heart can be seen in the table to the right.¹
I have not listed the amounts of water soluble vitamins such as B-vitamins and Vitamin C that chicken hearts contain because any excesses are simply excreted in the urine. Abbreviations used are as follows: kcal = kilocalories, g = gram, mg = milligram, mcg = microgram.
The recommended daily allowances for the above nutrients are listed in the table to the left.²
While chicken hearts are quite beneficial from a nutrient perspective for your cat, too much of any one nutrient is not good. If you compare the two charts, sodium appears to be the nutrient with the greatest chance of being fed in excess. You would need to feed your cat seven chicken hearts per day to reach this amount. Even if you did feed that many, it might not pose a problem, as your cat may simply drink more water and excrete the sodium. However, over time excessive sodium intake can lead to high blood pressure and stress on the kidneys.
Aside from energy, vitamins and minerals, the heart also contains amino acids, specifically large amounts of taurine. Muscle meat in general contains fairly high amounts of taurine, an amino acid which is necessary for healthy heart and eyes in cats. Generally, the amount of taurine in chicken meat depends on how much work the muscle does, with darker meat indicating harder-working muscles and a higher level of taurine. The heart, being the hardest-working muscle in the body, contains the highest amounts of taurine. In my research, I have not been able to find any evidence that cats can get too much taurine, as any excess is metabolized and excreted in the urine.³
The bottom line is that large amounts of chicken heart, seven or more per day, could provide more than the recommended nutrients for your cat. My recommendation would be to limit chicken hearts to no more than two to three per day. This way you can be confident that you are not providing your kitty with too much of any one nutrient.
B. Answers: How Much Heart is Too Much?
Last Updated on Sunday, April 06, 2014 08:34 PM
Published on Sunday, December 19, 2010 02:56 PM
Written by Elisa Katz, DVM
I'd like to know how much raw organic chicken heart I can feed my kitties. Five of my six cats love chicken hearts and can't get enough of them.
Can too much organ meat harm them?
While the heart is a vital organ, it is in actuality made up primarily of muscle with a small amount of fat and connective tissue. The primary nutrients, excluding water-soluble vitamins, in a typical 6 gram chicken heart can be seen in the table to the right.¹
I have not listed the amounts of water soluble vitamins such as B-vitamins and Vitamin C that chicken hearts contain because any excesses are simply excreted in the urine. Abbreviations used are as follows: kcal = kilocalories, g = gram, mg = milligram, mcg = microgram.
The recommended daily allowances for the above nutrients are listed in the table to the left.²
While chicken hearts are quite beneficial from a nutrient perspective for your cat, too much of any one nutrient is not good. If you compare the two charts, sodium appears to be the nutrient with the greatest chance of being fed in excess. You would need to feed your cat seven chicken hearts per day to reach this amount. Even if you did feed that many, it might not pose a problem, as your cat may simply drink more water and excrete the sodium. However, over time excessive sodium intake can lead to high blood pressure and stress on the kidneys.
Aside from energy, vitamins and minerals, the heart also contains amino acids, specifically large amounts of taurine. Muscle meat in general contains fairly high amounts of taurine, an amino acid which is necessary for healthy heart and eyes in cats. Generally, the amount of taurine in chicken meat depends on how much work the muscle does, with darker meat indicating harder-working muscles and a higher level of taurine. The heart, being the hardest-working muscle in the body, contains the highest amounts of taurine. In my research, I have not been able to find any evidence that cats can get too much taurine, as any excess is metabolized and excreted in the urine.³
The bottom line is that large amounts of chicken heart, seven or more per day, could provide more than the recommended nutrients for your cat. My recommendation would be to limit chicken hearts to no more than two to three per day. This way you can be confident that you are not providing your kitty with too much of any one nutrient.
B. Answers: How Much Taurine Should I Add?
Published on Thursday, August 19, 2010 01:04 PM
Written by Margaret Gates
Question: How much taurine should there be in the raw frozen diets? The brand I have says each patty contains 0.06%. Another brand I have says their chicken variety has 0.064% and the rabbit only 0.04%. Both companies claim to be providing complete and balanced diets in their raw formulas. It's so hard to know. I would really rather avoid adding supplements if I can help it.
There is no "precise" feline requirement for taurine, as many factors influence requirement levels. These include protein source, dietary fiber levels, food processing, sulfur-containing amino acid content and the metabolic needs of the individual cat.¹ Recommended ranges for an average cat fall between 35 and 250 mg a day.² The AAFCO lists .2% as the minimum for canned/wet foods (dry matter percentage), so here are some calculations: ³
The first brand you mentioned lists the taurine content of .06% on an "as fed" basis, not on a dry matter basis, so we have to convert. The moisture content is 70%, so dry matter is 30%. So, .06 divided by 30 = .002 or .2%, exactly the required minimum.
To measure in ounces, we convert again: 1 oz = 28.35 grams, 28.35 x .2% = .0567gr or 56.7 mg. So there is about 56.7 mg of taurine per ounce of food. Multiply that by how many ounces you feed a day to get your total. An average cat would probably eat about four ounces of food a day, so the daily taurine intake would be over 200 mg.
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Both grinding and freezing reduce available taurine, but by how much is not clear. That is why I add supplemental taurine when making homemade or supplementing pre-ground meat/bone/organ mixes. Taurine is not toxic in cats and is water-soluble, so any extra the cat can't use just gets flushed out in their urine.? I would rather add some extra taurine to the food and have a cat with expensive pee than risk a taurine deficiency which could lead to serious heart problems or death.
Note: The Feline Nutrition Education Society provides feline health and nutrition information as a public service. Diagnosis and treatment of specific conditions should always be in consultation with your own veterinarian. The Feline Nutrition Education Society disclaims all warranties and liability related to the veterinary advice and information provided on this site.
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