Do you have an active dog? Want to make sure they’re getting all the nutrients they need? Let us explain one of our ingredients and the importance it plays in active dogs…
First off, what defines an active dog? We at Grrub Pet, define an active dog as one who is on the go… whether it’s constant walks/runs, hiking, working farm animals, agility, hunting, etc. A dog who enjoys being on the move and performing.
If you have a dog that falls under this category, let us tell you about KemTRACE Chromium and how it aids in limiting your dog from gassing out after chasing down a rabbit or herding cows.
CHROMIUM
Chromium is a trace mineral that's naturally found in many foods, such as broccoli, whole grains, and lean meats. While dogs don't require large amounts of chromium in their diet, studies have shown that supplementation with chromium picolinate can have beneficial effects on exercise performance and body composition.
Chromium plays a crucial role in regulating blood sugar and promoting efficient energy use during exercise. So bottom line, how does Chromium help your pup? Think of Chromium as a recovery guide. The process it plays in the body once metabolized helps animals recover faster from activities. Meaning they won’t need that 2 hour post hike nap before the next activity. Yes, all dogs need a break, Chromium simply helps keep your athletic dog in tip top shape for their next adventure.
Want to learn more about the science behind Chromium? Here’s some articles and references regarding the ingredient. More information is also available on Kemin’s website.
One study published in the Archives of Animal Nutrition in 2022 found that beagles supplemented with chromium picolinate had significantly higher immune cells. This study also measured urea, reactive oxygen species and lipid peroxidation. While this sounds like gibberish these are all indicators of oxidative stress from acute exercise. Oxidative stress can cause muscle damage making it harder for your dog to recover from exercise. This study showed reduced urea, reactive oxygen species and lipid peroxidation which improves exercise recovery and reduces muscle fatigue. The researchers concluded that chromium supplementation may positively improve metabolic, antioxidant, and immune indicators in dogs.
Research in cats and humans indicate that these metabolic improvements may also include improving glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity in diabetic animals as well as reducing diabetes related complications. This includes lot of unfun things such as stroke, kidney failure and nerve damage. Even if your dog isn’t obese and is instead the athlete he deserves to be chromium’s influence on glucose uptake gives your dog more energy so he can be bigger, better, faster and stronger.
Research in running rats shows that chromium picolinate increased the number of glucose transporters in muscles and the liver. Glucose transporters are basically elevators in your cells that come to the surface to snatch up glucose and bring it inside the cell, so you animals can looked more snatched from all the exercise he’s doing. This was beneficial to both exercising rats and obese rats. Glucose transporters are slow to respond in conditions of insulin resistance and diabetes, so this can help both fit and unfit dogs be their best selves. This study also showed the antioxidant affects of chromium. Antioxidants reduce muscle fatigue so animal’s can recover faster from things like summer hikes and running fast as f….
Heat stress is normally something we think about in production animals, like cattle and sheep, but heat stroke can affect your dog as well. As we head into the summer months, chromium supplementation may help your dog better regulate his internal temperature as we see in cattle and sheep. Sheep supplemented with chromium and exposed to heat stress has reduced temperatures, lower respiration rates and maintained their feed take.
Want to read more about Chromium? Learn more directly from Kemin here!
https://www.kemin.com/na/en-us/markets/animal/products/kemtrace-chromium/beef
References:
Appleton DJ, Rand JS, Sunvold GD, Priest J. Dietary chromium tripicolinate supplementation reduces glucose concentrations and improves glucose tolerance in normal-weight cats. J Feline Med Surg. 2002;4(1):13-25.
Bruchim Y, Horowitz M, Aroch I. Pathophysiology of heatstroke in dogs - revisited. Temperature (Austin). 2017;4(4):356-370. Published 2017 Oct 9.
Cheng HH, Lai MH, Hou WC, Huang CL. Antioxidant effects of chromium supplementation with type 2 diabetes mellitus and euglycemic subjects. J Agric Food Chem. 2004;52(5):1385-1389
Farret MH, Zatti E, Bissacotti BF, Copetti PM, Schetinger MRC, Vilvert MP, da Silva AS. Addition of chromium propionate in dog food: metabolic, immunological, and oxidative effects. Arch Anim Nutr. 2023 Feb;77(1):1-16.
Hung AT, Leury BJ, Sabin MA, et al. Dietary nano chromium picolinate can ameliorate some of the impacts of heat stress in cross-bred sheep. Anim Nutr. 2021;7(1):198-205.