Malic acid is developed and then consumed in significant amounts by your dog’s body on a daily basis. It is constantly needed because it is a fundamental part of the Krebs cycle. This is the process in which the body uses biochemical processes to produce water and energy. British biochemist Sir Hans Krebs won the 1953 Nobel Prize in physiology for identifying this process that literally keeps your dog functionally healthy every day with energy and good canine health. Malic acid is also a natural substance found in fruits and vegetables, one of the richest sources is apples. Thus it was given the name of malic that, according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, is derived from the French malic acid and from the Latin malum for apple. It is also found in blueberries, pineapple, apricot, and strawberries.
All of these fruits can be fed to your dog, but be careful with apples, as they only feed the “flesh” of the apple and not the stem, core, or seeds, as they contain small amounts of cyanide. It was first discovered in 1785 by Carl Wilhelm Scheele. This distinguished natural scientist and co-founder of modern chemistry, best recognized for his discovery of oxygen in our air, also discovered other important substances such as chlorine, glycerin, manganese, lactic acid, and tartaric acid.
In addition to the important benefits of transforming protein, fat, and carbohydrates into water and energy, malic acid offers many other benefits for proper dog health. It helps prevent the muscles and the heart from experiencing fatigue and weakness, improves the immune system, is an active chelating agent of toxic heavy metals, and is very effective in maintaining dental and oral health in dogs.
As a chelating agent, malic acid supports proper dog health by reacting with both good minerals and harmful heavy metal toxins in the body. With the good minerals, it breaks the chemical bonds of the original inorganic compounds creating malates which in turn promote efficient absorption of the mineral. With harmful heavy metal toxins such as aluminum, lead, cadmium, mercury, and arsenic, it can combine with them making them inactive, allowing them to be excreted from your dog’s body through the kidneys and liver. . This greatly reduces the risk of liver disease and nervous system disorders in your dog.
One of the most effective uses of malic acid in maintaining proper dog health is in the area of oral hygiene. First of all, to treat bad breath in dogs, it acts as an antiseptic and stimulates the creation of excess saliva in the mouth. This combination significantly reduces the amount of bacteria and infections in the mouth, which is the number one cause of bad breath in dogs. This is why malic acid is often used in toothpastes and mouthwashes. So just as your dentist uses malic acid to clean teeth before adding fillings and to whiten teeth, you can use it to clean dog teeth. The best product to clean the teeth of dogs naturally is to use strawberries. Strawberries contain malic acid in a concentration that is safe to use in the mouth and on the teeth of dogs. You can make a simple toothpaste by mashing some berries with a little baking soda and water. It is recommended to use this mixture only to clean the teeth of dogs no more than once a week.