A good pet food provides your pet with all the minerals and vitamins necessary for health. It will contain a balance of protein, fats, carbohydrates, and vegetables.
Pet owners should read the ingredients on the label. Avoid foods that list meat by-products or unnamed meat meals in the first 5-7 ingredients.
Protein
Protein is responsible for several functions in your pet’s body and can be found in a variety of foods. Protein is made up of amino acids, which are important building blocks of cells, muscle, and tissue. Your pet’s body can make some of these amino acids but it must get the others, called essential amino acids, from food. The best proteins in pet food are high quality, digestible and provide the full spectrum of essential amino acids.
All pets need adequate protein in their diet. The amount of protein they need varies, depending on age and activity level. For example, puppies need extra protein to fuel their fast growth. Highly active dogs, like sled or hunting dogs, need a higher protein intake than their less-active counterparts.
Generally, animal-based proteins have better protein quality than plant-based proteins. However, within animal proteins, there is a lot of variation in the protein quality. The best quality proteins are those that are high in “net protein utilization,” or NPU, which is the amount of protein your pet can use.
When choosing a pet food, be sure to look at the ingredient list and compare the amount of animal-based proteins to the amount of plant-based proteins. Be particularly careful with formulas that list a meat ingredient first but pack their top ten ingredients with plant-based ingredients, which may not provide your pet the full array of amino acids he or she needs to thrive. If you’re shopping for pet food, consider checking for the latest PETstock promo codes to get the best deals and discounts.
Fat
Fats provide an important source of energy and help your pet absorb fat-soluble vitamins. They are also vital for insulating organs and protecting them from physical shock, promoting proper growth and development, and providing flavor and texture to kibble, treats, and other pet foods.
Unfortunately, most commercially produced pet foods contain low-quality fat sources. Manufacturers often use a blend of animal fats and vegetable oils to ensure that their recipes meet the nutrient requirements of dogs and cats.
In addition to using inexpensive ingredients, many pet food manufacturers also add artificial preservatives to their products. For example, most dry foods list the preservatives butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) and butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT), propylene glycol (also used as a less-toxic version of automobile antifreeze) and ethoxyquin in their ingredient lists.
Some manufacturers will add synthetic or “natural” fats to their dry pet foods to make them more appealing and palatable for pets. These are often made from rendered meats, restaurant grease, and other fatty waste materials that aren’t suitable for human consumption or that have been deemed too rancid for use in restaurants.
Most pet owners are becoming increasingly concerned with what is in their pets’ food. This trend may be a result of our increasing focus on health and nutrition for ourselves, and the realization that our pets’ diets are just as important. Despite this, the food industry and government agencies that regulate pet foods do not necessarily hold these foods to the same high standards as the food we consume.
Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates are a key source of energy in pet foods. They can be sugars, starches, or dietary fiber, and are digested to produce energy in the body. The most common carbohydrate sources in pet food include grains and vegetables. Depending on their structure, these can provide valuable nutrients like fiber (both soluble and insoluble), essential fatty acids, antioxidants, potassium, beta-carotene, and vitamins A and C.
Carbs can also contribute to a food’s texture and palatability. Many quality pet foods use sprayed fats to help make kibbles or pellets more palatable. This fat is typically rendered animal fat, restaurant grease, or other oils too rancid to be used in human food.
Some people have an anti-carbohydrate bias and argue that carbohydrates don’t bring anything to the table that protein can’t. This is false. If a pet’s diet contained only protein and fat, it would be incredibly bland. The other ingredients in a high-quality pet food (carbohydrates, vegetables, and fruits) are what makes it unique.
In reality, most pet foods use a wide range of ingredients. It is impossible to create a formula that contains only wholesome cuts of meat, fresh vegetables, and fruits, so the majority of pet food is made from ingredients like flour, rice, beans, legumes, sweet potatoes, corn, wheat, soy, poultry, fish or animal byproducts. This is a necessary part of pet food production because these ingredients are cheaper than raw, freeze-dried, or home-cooked ingredients.
Fiber
Many pet owners are concerned about their pets’ health and want to make sure they are feeding them the best food. This is a very responsible thing to do, as it means you are thinking about your animal and making sure that they are getting all the nutrients that they need and not those that are harmful.
When it comes to nutrition, most pet owners know that protein and fat are very important and that carbohydrates provide energy. However, many are not aware that fiber is also a very important nutrient for your pet.
Fiber provides bulk to move food through your pet’s intestinal tract. It can also be fermented by bacteria in the gut and produce short-chain fatty acids, such as butyrate, which help reduce chronic inflammation, which is the root cause of most diseases. Fiber also slows down digestion, so your pet feels fuller for longer and may need to eat less.
Generally, fiber is only found in plant-based foods, such as beans, sweet potatoes, and greens. It can also be found in some commercial pet foods. However, too much dietary fiber can exacerbate some gastrointestinal issues. If your pet has a sensitive digestive system, it is important to talk with your veterinarian to determine the correct amount of fiber to feed him. If you’re shopping for pet food, consider checking for the latest PET coupon code to get the best deals and discounts.
Minerals
Minerals are required in small amounts by our pets but are essential for a healthy diet. They contribute to the formation of bones and teeth, blood clotting, heart health, and muscle and nerve function. In addition, they help regulate cellular functions and oxygen exchange. These minerals include copper, iron, zinc, and manganese.
Mineral nutrition is an important consideration for all pet owners, especially during certain life stages such as infancy and old age. For example, calcium and phosphorus are crucial for bone and teeth development and to reduce the risk of osteoporosis in older pets. In addition, iron is vital to red blood cell production and for the proper functioning of the immune system in cats and dogs.
Unfortunately, many of these minerals are not effectively absorbed by our pets’ digestive systems in their inorganic form. This is because these elements are bonded to other compounds such as proteins, making them difficult for our pets’ digestive system to break down. They often dissociate and bind with other components in the digestive tract, resulting in them being excreted from the body without any benefit to our pets.
This is why we choose to use organic trace minerals that are protected in a manner that improves their bioavailability, which means they can be better utilized by our pets’ digestive systems. If you see the term ash on the Guaranteed Analysis of your pet food, don’t worry, this is not a dirty filler; rather, it’s a measure of the amount of inorganic minerals in the recipe.
Vitamins
Vitamins are organic compounds required by the body as vital nutrients in very small amounts and must come from food sources. Vitamin deficiencies in the diet over time can lead to disease and illness. Vitamins can be found in natural sources, or they can be synthesized in a laboratory. Natural vitamins are usually slightly more readily absorbed than synthetic vitamins.
Vitamin B-complex vitamins are necessary for energy production and to keep the nervous system functioning normally. Vitamin E is one of the most important antioxidants, protecting cells from oxidative damage. Vitamin K, a fat-soluble vitamin, is instrumental in blood clotting.
In addition to protein, fats, and carbohydrates, pet foods need vitamins and minerals to be complete. Minerals are important for nerve conduction, protein and carbohydrates provide energy and vitamins help to process and absorb the nutrients from the food.
Typical dry pet foods contain about 30-70% carbohydrates as they are a cheap source of energy. However, these can result in obesity if your pet has a high energy requirement. Pets evolved as carnivores with short digestive tracts that are not designed to efficiently digest carbohydrates. Today’s commercial pet foods often contain poor-quality proteins, and too many carbohydrates, and do not consider specific amino acid ratios.
Your veterinarian may recommend a supplement for your pet depending on their age, breed, and health condition. These supplements can be an excellent way to ensure your pet’s nutritional needs are being met.
Conclusion
providing your pets with high-quality pet food is crucial to their overall health and well-being. Not only does it provide them with the necessary nutrients they need, but it also helps to prevent potential health problems down the line. So, make sure you’re giving your furry friends the best food possible to ensure they live a long, happy, and healthy life.
