animal skin- the facts
Hide (Skin). No, I am not referring to traditional rawhide that you find bleached white on most pet store shelves with a warning sticker. I am referring to fresh, unprocessed, raw skin, which happens to be the largest organ in both humans and dogs. Found in the skin is collagen, which is the most abundant protein in the body– it quite literally holds the entire body together and gives it structure and strength. But when you take such a nutritious organ and ruin it with harsh processing and chemicals that have obstructions and even death! no pet parent will want to feed or believe that skin in its unprocessed form can make a great addition in their pet’s diet. In addition to collagen, elastin is a protein that is also found in the skin that allows the tissues in the body to resume their shape after stretching/contracting. Think of your dog who has sensitive skin or allergies and scratches themselves and immediately bleeds– they are lacking elastin! Last but not least you have keratin, which is the main protein in your skin and helps with barrier protection. If your dog’s skin is compromised, you could feed raw skin to assure your dog is receiving the important proteins of elastin, collagen, and keratin
