Water
Water is important in helping regulate temperature, lubrication of body tissues and as a fluid medium for the blood and lymph systems. Because water is involved in practically every reaction within an animal’s body, any large deviation are going to be related to adverse effects. Dogs, therefore, have several systems designed to take care of constant water balance.
Water intake is controlled by thirst, hunger, metabolic activity (work, gestation, lactation, growth) and also the environment (humidity and temperature).
Dogs get most of their water by simply drinking it, but they also get some from fluid ingested with food, and water generated from metabolic processes within the body. Water is primarily lost in urine, feces and respiration.
How much water a dog needs is decided in large part by the number of food they consume day after day. A general guideline is that dogs require 1 mL of water for every kcal of energy. For nursing females, the water requirement are increased to support milk production. Water must always be freely available for your dog.
Calories
Energy is measured in calories. A calorie is defined because the amount of warmth required to lift the temperature of 1 gram of water from 14.5 degrees Celsius to fifteen.5 degrees Celsius. Because this amount of warmth is so small, it's common to explain energy requirements and also the energy content of foods in kilocalories (1000 calories = 1 kcal). The term Calorie, written with a capital C, is usually accustomed visit the number of energy in 1 kilocalorie of food.
Food and water consumption
When the water content of a diet increases, the dog or cat usually drinks less water. as an example, dogs consuming canned diets, which contain approximately 70%–75% water, will generally drink less water than dogs consuming dry diets, which contain about 8%–12% water.
Protein
Protein is an important nutrient and serves numerous functions within the body, like muscle growth, tissue repair, enzymes, transporting oxygen within the blood, immune functions and as a source of energy.
Proteins are fabricated from amino acids. Each protein includes a unique combination of amino acids that contributes to its shape and performance. Dietary protein is digested within the stomach and tiny intestine is diminished into peptides (smaller pieces of the protein containing two or more amino acids) and free amino acids, which are then absorbed into the bloodstream. Amino acids are distributed to varied cells of the body where they're wont to build body proteins.
More than 20 amino acids are involved within the synthesis of protein within the body, and there are two basic kinds: essential and nonessential. Essential amino acids are the sort that the body can’t produce, or produce in sufficient quantities, fast enough on its own so as to grow and stay healthy. These are the type that has got to be supplied through diet. Nonessential amino acids are produced in sufficient amounts within the body naturally, and usually don’t must be supplemented through diet.
Also, essential amino acids aren’t stored in and of itself within the body for any significant period of your time. they're constantly metabolized, and want to be replenished regularly within the right proportions through diet.
Dogs require 10 essential amino acids:
Arginine
Histidine
Isoleucine
Leucine
Lysine
Methionine
Phenylalanine
Threonine
Tryptophan
Valine
Sources of protein
Protein springs from both animal and plant sources. Most protein ingredients don’t have all the amino acids in precisely the correct proportion, and are inefficient because the sole source of protein. But careful combination can result in just the correct balance.
For example, flour and corn complement one another perfectly, because the amino acids that are deficient in one, are present within the other. Neither meat nor soy flour is a perfect source of protein on their own; but either are often adequate if fed together with another complementary source of amino acids.
Protein digestibility
To appropriately evaluate the protein levels of various dog and cat foods, two things should be considered. One is that the level of protein and also the other is that the protein digestibility. Digestibility could be a measure of how available or easy-to-use is that protein. Digestibility is determined only by controlled feeding studies. While two diets may have the identical protein level listed on their packages, digestion study results may indicate very different levels of protein digestibility. as an example, a pet-food that contains 21% protein with 85% digestibility would deliver equal amounts of protein as a diet containing 23% protein with 78% digestibility.
In addition to the protein level, internal control during processing of dog foods is very important. Protein is also damaged by excessive heat processing, but most reputable pet food manufacturers use proper cooking methods and use internal control measures to confirm that products are properly made. Because information about protein digestibility isn't listed on petfood labels, the manufacturer's reputation is vital.
Excesses and deficiencies
When dogs and cats are fed diets with more protein than they have, extra protein will be metabolized and used for energy. Unlike fat, there's a limit to the quantity of protein stored per se within the body. Once the demand for amino acids is met and protein reserves are filled, protein energy could potentially visit the assembly of fat.
On the opposite hand, dogs and cats fed diets too low in dietary protein may develop signs of deficiency. These may include decreased appetite, poor growth, weight loss, rough and dull hair or coat, decreased immune function, lower reproductive performance and decreased milk production. Dogs may also experience subclinical protein deficiencies. which suggests they'll appear perfectly healthy, but are often more at risk of infections and other environmental stresses. the great news is such deficiencies are rare if your pet is fed a whole and diet.
Carbohydrate sources
Carbohydrate sources are sugars, starches and insoluble fiber. Simple sugars are the tiniest carbohydrate molecules and are easily digested and absorbed. in contrast, complex carbohydrates, or starches, are combinations of straightforward sugars forming long chains that need more digestion before they'll be absorbed into the bloodstream. Insoluble fibers are carbohydrates that don't seem to be digestible by dogs or cats.
In manufactured pet foods, most dietary carbohydrates are grains, like wheat, corn and rice.
The primary site of carbohydrate digestion is within the gut, where these complex compounds are lessened to glucose (a simple sugar). Glucose is that the normal source of energy utilized by most cells within the body.
When dogs and cats consume diets containing more energy than is required, excess carbohydrate energy is stored within the variety of glycogen within the liver and muscles, and is converted to fat and stored in adipose tissues. during times of fasting, stress or exercise, glycogen is attenuated to glucose and delivered to the bloodstream where it's distributed to any or all body tissues.
The primary function of carbohydrates is to supply energy.
Carbohydrates in dog and pet food
Carbohydrate may structure a little of dry diets in pet food and cat foods. an outsized portion of the carbohydrate in pet foods springs from grains. Grains are usually processed by grinding, flaking or cooking. Raw or improperly cooked starches are difficult to digest, so careful processing is very important to form highly digestible pet foods.
Common sources of digestible carbohydrate found in dog and cat foods include:
Cereal grain or flour from:
Corn
Oats
Rice
Barley
Wheat
Sorghum
The bran or hulls from grains and other vegetable products as a source of dietary fiber:
Soybean hulls
Wheat bran
Beet pulp
Rice bran
Oat bran
Pea fiber
Fat
Fat could be a concentrated type of energy. Compared to protein and carbohydrate, fat contains approximately 2.25 times the number of energy per gram. Most dietary fat is formed from triglycerides, which may be a group of three fatty acids linked to a glycerol backbone. Fatty acids may be classified by the length of their carbon chain, by the presence or absence of double bonds, the quantity of double bonds and also the position of these bonds along the carbon chain.
Fat with no covalent bond in any respect is named saturated fat
at containing carboxylic acid chains with a covalent bond are called unsaturated fat
These may vary from one covalent bond within the carboxylic acid molecule (monounsaturated) to fatty acids with many double bonds (polyunsaturated). Saturated fat is usually solid at temperature and unsaturated fat is typically liquid.
Fat digestion is more complex than that of protein or carbohydrate. Still, healthy dogs and cats digest fat with great efficiency, approximately 90%–95%.
In addition to being a source of energy, fat is required as a source of essential fatty acids. The polyunsaturated essential fatty acids are important for normal skin and hair coat, normal immune function, and plenty of other aspects of health.
Minerals
Minerals are relatively simple molecules compared to other nutrients, which might be large and complicated. Nutritional issues associated with minerals include the quantity of every within the diet, proper balance of all minerals and also the bioavailability of minerals within the dog's food.
Minerals perform many alternative functions within the body like in bone and cartilage formation, enzymatic reactions, maintaining fluid balance, transportation of oxygen within the blood, normal muscle and nerve function and therefore the production of hormones. although some minerals function separately from others, a dog can’t be adequately nourished without providing all the minerals in their proper proportions.
Supplementation of anyone mineral to an otherwise diet can create imbalances and possibly disrupt an animal's nutritional health.
The minerals are usually grouped into macro and micro categories. Macro-minerals are needed in greater amounts within the diet, and located in larger amounts within the body than micro-minerals.
Macro-minerals:
Calcium (Ca)
Phosphorus (P)
Sodium (Na)
Chloride (Cl)
Potassium (K)
Magnesium (Mg)
Micro-minerals:
Iron (Fe)
Zinc (Zn)
Copper (Cu)
Manganese (Mn)
Selenium (Se)
Iodine (I)
Calcium and phosphorus
Essential minerals
Are necessary for normal bone development, moreover as numerous metabolic functions
Provide rigidity to bones and teeth
Aid in normal clotting
Aid in controlling passage of fluids through cell walls
Necessary for nerve excitability
Sodium and chloride
Serve largely as fluid-regulating minerals to assist maintain the balance between fluids inside and out of doors individual cells of the body
Sodium aids within the transfer of nutrients to cells and also the maintenance of water balance among the tissues and organs
Chloride is required for formation of acid within the stomach, which helps within the digestion of protein, and in maintaining acid-base equilibrium throughout the body
Potassium
Found in high concentrations within cells
Required for correct enzyme, muscle and nerve functions, still as helping to keep up fluid balance throughout the body
Widely distributed in foodstuffs
Deficiencies within the diet don't seem to be likely when dogs and cats are fed complete and balanced petfood
Deficiency can occur within the case of chronic diarrhea and/or vomiting or other illness
Magnesium
Important structural component of both muscle and bone
Plays a key role in many enzymatic reactions throughout the body
Some attributes of magnesium are common to calcium, potassium, and sodium
Calcium and phosphorus influence magnesium balance, because high amounts of calcium or phosphorus decrease the absorption of magnesium from the intestinal tract
Iron
Although the full body content of iron is tiny, it plays a central role in life processes
A small amount of iron (heme) combines with an oversized protein (globin) to form hemoglobin, the oxygen-carrying compound in red blood cells. Iron is additionally a crucial component of the enzymes needed for energy utilization
It is rapidly absorbed primarily from the little intestine
Red blood cells and their hemoglobin are constantly being destroyed and replaced throughout life, especially during growth, so an adequate supply of iron is crucial
Zinc
Important within the production of proteins and a functional system, further as for DNA and cellular turnover
Some 300 enzyme systems also are dependent upon zinc, including enzymes which protect cells from damage caused by oxidation
Present in natural feedstuffs
Can be added as zinc salts or other complexes into complete pet foods
Manganese
Essential element for several animal species
The name comes from Latin for a sort of magnetic stone, magnesia
Occurs within the body principally within the liver; also present in appreciable amounts within the kidney, pancreas and bone
Lowest concentrations are found in skeletal muscle; despite the tiny total supply within the body, this element has several essential functions involving protein and carbohydrate metabolism and reproduction
Thought to be an activator of enzyme systems involved within the production of energy, carboxylic acid synthesis and aminoalkanoic acid metabolism
Functions of manganese, copper, zinc and iron could also be interchangeable in certain enzyme systems
Copper
Important for energy metabolism and oxygen transportation within the bloodstream
Absorption is mostly greater in younger animals than in older animals
Absorbed within the stomach and tiny intestine
Stored primarily within the liver, kidney and brain
Availability of natural dietary copper is reduced by phytates, by high levels of water-soluble vitamin (Vitamin C), by increased levels of calcium, zinc, iron and sulfur and by some toxic metals like cadmium, silver or lead
Functions of copper within the body are quite varied because it's involved in collagen and elastic animal tissue formation, the event and maturation of red blood cells, antioxidant functions, also as providing pigmentation for hair and wool
Selenium
This element was one in every of the few nutrients to be identified as a toxic substance long before it had been found to be a vital nutrient for animals
Selenium is required within the least amount of any of the commonly accepted trace elements; it's also the foremost toxic if consumed in excess. Selenium works in conjunction with E to act as an antioxidant within the body and is critical for normal immune function. Selenium is typically added as a separate ingredient in commercial pet foods to assure an appropriate supply
Iodine
Is critical for the assembly of thyroid hormones by the thyroid
The primary function of those hormones is to manage and influence basal metabolic rates of the body (for example, how quickly an animal metabolizes or burns up energy after eating a meal)
Without the ductless gland, or the adequate function of those hormones, a dog would exhibit poor growth, hair loss, weight gain and extreme weakness
Vitamins
The discovery and recognition of vitamins at the start of the 20th century changed the way the planet thought of nutrition for people and for animals.
Compared to the opposite groups of nutrients, vitamins are required within the smallest amounts. and in contrast to minerals, vitamins are complex substances. Vitamins are classified as either fat-soluble (Vitamins A, D, E, K) or water-soluble (B-Vitamins and Vitamin C). Fat-soluble vitamins rely on the presence of dietary fat and normal fat absorption to be within the body.
Vitamins work along with one another and with other nutrients to nourish the body. This makes it important to produce balanced amounts of vitamins and other nutrients in complete diets. Adding supplements to diets that are already complete and balanced may create imbalances with detrimental effects.
Fat-soluble vitamins
Vitamin A has been the topic of much research within the fields of animal nutrition and medicine. axerophthol contains a number of functions necessary for the health and well-being of animals, including a task in normal vision, growth, system function and reproduction. additionally, fat-soluble vitamin and its precursor, beta-carotene, have antioxidant functions. The plant source of fat-soluble vitamin is beta-carotene, which animals must convert to the particular vitamin before it becomes active and performance as vitamin A.
Although viosterol (cholecalciferol) is taken into account a vitamin, it's also considered to possess hormone-like activity and is one among three major hormones involved within the regulation of calcium within the body. Its primary functions are to assist within the mineralization of bone and to extend the absorption of calcium and phosphorus from the intestine. D may be acquired within the diet, or, in most species, it may be produced within the skin following exposure to UV from sunlight.
Vitamin E is employed to explain a family of chemical compounds called tocopherols, derived from the Greek words meaning child-bearing, which refers to its role in reproduction. it's also known for its action as a biological antioxidant. Tocopherols are found in plant oils, particularly in association with the polyunsaturated oils from seeds like safflower and alimentation, or oil. Lack of fat-soluble vitamin within the diet could end in damage to the wall or membrane of cells throughout the body. As a nutrient, E works in conjunction with other nutrients and compounds (selenium, a micro mineral, and glutathione, an amino acid-derived compound) as an antioxidant to attenuate damage to cells from oxidation.
Some tocopherols are more active within the body than others. The alpha type of the vitamin is that the most active as a nutrient, and it's the compound added to food to satisfy the animal's dietary requirement. When antioxidant is employed as a preservative, mixtures of several types of tocopherol are added to assist prevent oxidation of the fat within the diet. the shape of tocopherol only at preventing oxidation of fat in foods has low biological activity within the body and isn't considered a part of the nutrient content of the diet.
There is no known toxicity because of oral ingestion of even moderately high amounts of tocopherol in animals. Good quality commercial pet foods contain adequate amounts of this vitamin to satisfy the dog and cat’s dietary needs.
Vitamin K was the last of the four fat-soluble vitamins to be discovered. the foremost common kinds of antihemorrhagic factor within the diet are called menadione and phylloquinone, which come from green, leafy plants and vegetables. the foremost function of this vitamin is as a clotting agent within the blood.
Water-soluble fiber
Water-soluble B-complex vitamins are those vitamins originally identified as B1, B2, B6, B12 et al. that are listed below. These vitamins are required in small amounts within the daily diet and are essential to several functions within the body. Although these nutrients don't provide energy in and of themselves, they're critical within the metabolism of protein, carbohydrate and fat, which ends up in energy for body processes. Unlike the fat-soluble vitamins, the B Vitamins don't seem to be stored to any extent within the body and must be consumed daily.
Water-soluble B vitamins include:
Thiamine (B1)
Niacin
Riboflavin (B2)
Pantothenic acid
Pyridoxine (B6)
Biotin
Vitamin B12
Choline
Folic acid
Inositol
Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) is additionally a vitamin and includes a primary metabolic role within the body of all mammals involving the synthesis or production of collagen. While vitamin C is crucial within the diet of humans, other primates and guinea pigs, dogs haven't any dietary requirement for this vitamin since they create their own.
0 Comments