Nutrition & Feeding of Dogs & Cats

“Nutrition & Feeding of Dogs & Cats”

By Alex Simpson

-A degree in animal nutrition

- A degree in farm & ranch business

-A degree in Equine Riding & Training

Jennifer’s Feed & Supply

The first most important thing to look for in any type of food for your pet is if it is AAFCO (Association of American Feed Control Officials) approved, Second if its made in the USA, and third if the first ingredient is a specified meat.
What’s the best food I can feed my dog or cat? Truth be told there is no one best food for your pet! The more verity and the more species appropriate you can feed the better!
The healthiest foods that you can feed your pet are going to come from the freezer. Raw meats are what they eat in the wild. If you don’t want to feed, don’t feel comfortable feeding or simply just don’t have the funds to feed raw not a big deal! The most popular feeding for the average person is dry kibble mixed with canned food!
The average dog you figure is about 50 pounds. That will usually include labs, Australian Sheppard’s, Pit Bulls, etc… First good quality water should be available at ALL times.
Dogs body weight in KG Water (ml)

3

100 6 85 10 75 20 60 30 55 50 50 75 45 Cats (average sized) 65A dog gets 25% of his total requirements from drinking, but a cat only gets 10% this way. Voluntary water intake will usually range from 2 to 3 times the amount of food consumed. Granted under conditions such as exercise, fever, kidney disease, diarrhea diabetic animals, etc… the amount of water consumed will increase. In hot weather your pet may need 4 or more times more water than the food is consumed.

In a protein evaluation, the first consideration is completeness. Are all 10 essential amino acids present? Lets take our newest product Blue Buffalo Wilderness Salmon formula for the dogs and Blue Buffalo Wilderness Duck formula for cats. The first ingredient in the Salmon (Dog)formula is Deboned Salmon. It’s the best you can get when the first ingredient is a deboned specified animal (I will explain what I mean by a specified animal later) granted since it is being “cooked” at extreme temperatures the meat will loose almost all of its water content, making it much further down on the list of ingredients pound for pound. The second is Chicken meal followed by fish meal now before you go oh gross meals are bad, meals are dehydrated meat with no water left in it at all making it more like a powder when completely done being cooked. In the Duck formula (cat) The first ingredient is Deboned duck, followed by chicken meal, then turkey meal. The best dry kibble you can feed you pet will have 3 or more meat sources (duck, salmon, chicken, beef, venison, bison, etc..) then go in to your whole grains or in the case of grain free formulas like the wilderness your starches. Most commercially prepared pet foods contain a mixture of animal tissues, soybean meal and cereal grains which form a mixture that yields a biological value (BV) of 70% or more, thus capable of supporting protein functions of the body. As dogs and cats get older, feeding excessive protein tends to affect the kidneys, and this is especially important with reduced kidney function the older animal. The cat has a substantially higher protein requirement than the dog. The metabolic reason for the high protein requirement for that cat is the high activity of the amino acid catabolic enzymes in the liver. The amino sulfuric acid, taurine, is uniquely important in the nutrition of the cat. Taurine biosynthesis in cat tissue is limited and, therefore, cats fed a taurine-devoid diet are unable to maintain sufficient body concentrations.
A large part of most commercial dog food is composed of a carbohydrate which usually supplies the most inexpensive source of energy. Carbohydrates aren’t bad for dogs. In reasonable amounts, they can actually provide a practical source of energy. Since the early 1950s, dog food manufacturers everywhere have fallen head-over-heels in love with carbohydrates because they’re abundant, durable (long shelf life), essential to the kibble-making process, and inexpensive (per calorie than protein or fat).Please notice that not one of these reasons has anything to do with nutrition. Using a
dog’s ancestral diet as a model, the total amount of carbs consumed by a dog’s evolutionary predecessor is dramatically less than what’s become the norm for today’s kibbles. One sensible source estimates natural carbohydrate consumption for a dog’s ancestors at around 14 percent of total diet. Yet on average, today’s dry dog foods contain somewhere between 46 and 74 percent carbohydrates. Lets look at the Blue Wilderness label once again the first carb in the salmon formula (dog) after our 3 protein sources is peas. Peas are a quality source of carbohydrates. Plus (like all legumes) they’re rich in natural fiber. In the Duck formula (cat) our first carb is peas as well. Peas along with other carbs are used as a binder to make the kibble. Fiber is also a part of the carbohydrate portion of the diet. Fiber has several functions in the digestive tract. Some is digested and used for energy, while other fibers absorb water and produce a more voluminous stool than do non-fibrous diets. Fiber also aids in stimulation and maintaining intestinal action, especially in senile or inactive animals. Animals expend energy in almost every form of body activity this energy is obtained from either oxidation of food or from destruction of their own bodily sources of energy. This is why its hard to keep weight on extremely active dogs! Carbohydrates and fats provide the largest sources of dietary energy, especially for dogs. Proteins are also an important source of energy for cats.

There are so many kinds of vitamins and minerals in the diets of your pet so I will touch base on the most popular ones added in your pets foods. First I would like to point out what sets the Blue Buffalo into a category of its own. Dog and cat kibble is cooked at 350 to 400 degrees, all kibble will go thru this process and the vitamins added to the feed will loose up to 30% while vitamin C will loose close to 75%. Blue has what are called Life Source Bits. They are cold formed which means the vitamins in this feed loose none of their potency. Its like eating a steak with your multi-vitamin. First lets discuss copper, copper is important in hemoglobin formation as in iron. Zinc, a deficiency will cause thinning hair coat, scaly dermatitis, parakeratosis, anorexia, weight loss and slow growth. Iodine, a deficiency produces poor hair coats, anemia, hypothyroidism and abortions. Vitamin A, very important for good eye vision epithelial health and bone growth. Riboflavin, a deficiency causes dry scaly skin, erythematic of hind legs and chest, muscular weakness in hind end, anemia, and sudden death. Thiamine, deficiencies cause anorexia, weight loss, dehydration, paralysis, and convulsions Biotin, a decency causes posterior paralysis and seborrhea. Folic Acid, a decency causes hyperplasia of the bone marrow, acrostic anemia, and glossitis. Vitamin C, also know as the anti scurvy vitamin, a deficiency causes delayed wound healing, and scurvy type lesions and symptoms- cutaneous or subcutaneous hemorrhage around teeth and gums.
There are three types of feeding methods for dogs and cats, free choice, ad libitum, or self- feeding; time restricted meal feeding; and food restricted meal- feeding. Free-choice feeding is that situation in which more than the animal will consume is always available, thus, the animal can choose to eat as much as it wants when it chooses. With time restricted meal feeding, the animal is given more food than it will consume in a specified period usually 5 to 30 minutes, whereas, with food restricted meal feeding the animal is given specific but less amount of food than it would eat if the amount of food was not restricted. Some people use a combo of these methods; Free choice dry food and canned food or specific food twice a day. The type of feeding you decide to do can be somewhat determined by the type of food being fed. Dry foods can be successfully fed to most dogs and cats at free choice (ad-libitum), however, some dogs or cats will over eat and become obese or have digestive issues. Cats always do better when fed alone with out distractions or worry of competition. If you have multiple cats is always best to have more than one place to eat drink and litter boxes.
Lets now take a look at feeding your older pets. Maintaining good oral hygiene is important to insure adequate food intake and utilization of the food. A good thing to remember with dogs is good oral hygiene comes from the dogs saliva, the more slobbery your dog is usually the cleaner his teeth are. Bones are a fantastic way to spoil your dog and create that much wanted saliva. The quantity of food fed just like in younger dogs should satisfy hunger but not over feed your pet causing him to be obese. Its best to feed your older pets small meals at least twice a day on a regular schedule. Older pets may have a reduced appetite, and digestive absorption this is why older animals become obese so easily (lack of mobility applies as well).
Obesity is a concern for older and younger less active animals. Obesity is the most common nutritional problem occurring in dogs and cats in our society, far exceeding all deficiency diseases combined. a dog or cat can be considered obese when 10-15% above optimum body weight. Obesity is much more common in female dogs up to 12 years of age and is about twice as high in both sexes if the dog or cat is spayed or neutered. Beagles, cocker spaniels, collies, dachshunds, and labs have the highest incidence of obesity. Obesity is equally as common in both sexes with higher chances in older neutered cats.
The feeding of your pet also is greatly influenced by his or her size you wouldn’t feed a small dog a large breed formula or visa versa. The formulas are made specifically based on weight of the dog. Small breeds are considered dogs that are 25 pounds and under average dogs are 26 pounds to 49 pounds and large breed dogs are 50 pounds and over. The biggest difference between foods are small breed formulas tend to have kibble in shapes that help reduce tarter build up, where as large breed formulas have added glucosamine and chondroitin to help support a bigger dogs joints.
The most common supplement fed to both dogs and cats is salmon oil. Salmon oil has many benefits. The most common use for salmon oil is for skin and coat health, salmon oil will heal your dogs skin and make it healthy, a silky coat starts with proper skin care. You will never encounter an itchy dog with dry flakey skin having a beautiful luxurious coat! Salmon oil is also very high in omega 3 fatty acids, helps with eyesight, a great chondroitin, and helps reduce inflammation. It is a great supplement to add to your puppies and kittens diet because of DHA which helps in brain health and growth!
Does your dog have arthritis? Use Next Level Joint! Your first thought may be hey that’s for horses. Actually Next Level Joint is a great product to help your pet become mobile again. A few of next levels best active ingredients are MSM and Shark Cartilage both of these ingredients take strides helping your pet. MSM is a chemical found in plants, animals, and humans. It can also be made in a laboratory. Shark cartilage is a dietary supplment
made from the dried and powdered cartilage of a shark; that is, from the tough material that composes a shark's skeleton. All in all there is no one best diet that will work on every pet. Water should be at free choice at all times. Each pets needs are different which is one reason not to feed a small breed formula to a bigger dog or visa versa. There are tons of supplements to make your pet happy and healthy, always discuss with your vet before starting a vitamin program. But most of all of us at Jennifer’s Feed & Supply hope you have many happy years with your pet full of licks and pets! Be sure to check out our next article on sheep and goat nutrition!

　
References:
Dog Food Advisor
Animal Feeding & Nutrition 10^th edition