As a loving dog parent, you want the absolute best for your furry family member. Beyond belly rubs and walks in the park, one of the most significant ways you impact their health and happiness is through their diet.
Just like in humans, what your dog eats plays a critical role in every aspect of their well-being, from boundless puppy energy to graceful senior years.
A balanced diet is critically important to your dog’s cell maintenance and growth and overall health. It provides the essential building blocks their body needs to function, repair, and thrive.
While the world of dog food can seem complex, understanding the basics of nutrition and how needs change over time can empower you to make the best choices for your companion.
Barring any special needs, illness-related deficiencies, or instructions from your vet, your pet should be able to get all the nutrients he or she needs from high-quality commercial pet foods, which are specially formulated with these standards in mind.
However, navigating the needs of a growing puppy versus a wise older dog requires specific knowledge.
Let's explore each one:
1. Water: The Most Crucial Nutrient
Essential to life, water accounts for between 60 to 70% of an adult pet’s body weight. Its importance cannot be overstated.
While food may help meet some of your pet's water needs (dry food has up to 10% moisture, while canned food has up to 78% moisture), pets must have fresh clean water available to them at all times.
A deficiency of water may have serious repercussions for pets. A 10% decrease in body water can cause serious illness, while a 15% loss can result in death. Always ensure your dog's water bowl is full and clean.
2. Proteins: The Building Blocks
Proteins are the basic building blocks for cells, tissues, organs, enzymes, hormones and antibodies, and are essential for growth, maintenance, reproduction and repair.
Think of them as the bricks and mortar of your dog's body. Proteins can be obtained from a number of sources including animal-based meats such as chicken, lamb, turkey, beef, fish and eggs (which have complete amino acid profiles) and in vegetables, cereals and soy (but these are considered incomplete proteins).
Important Note: Do not give your pet raw eggs. Raw egg white contains avidin, an anti-vitamin that interferes with the metabolism of fats, glucose, amino acids and energy.
3. Fats: Concentrated Energy and More
Fats are the most concentrated form of food energy, providing your pet with more than twice the energy of proteins or carbohydrates.
But fats are more than just fuel; they are essential in the structure of cells, needed for the production of some hormones, and are required for absorption and utilization of certain vitamins. Fats also provide insulation and protection for internal organs.
A deficiency of essential fatty acids (such as linoleic acid) may result in reduced growth or increased skin problems. These essential fats contribute to that healthy, shiny coat we all love!
4. Carbohydrates: Fuel for the Body
Carbohydrates provide energy, play a vital role in the health of the intestine, and are important for reproduction. While there is no minimum carbohydrate requirement, there is a minimum glucose requirement necessary to supply energy to critical organs such as the brain.
Fibers are kinds of carbohydrates that alter the bacterial population in the small intestine, which can help manage chronic diarrhea in dogs.
For dogs to obtain the most benefit from fiber, the fiber source must be moderately fermentable. Moderately fermentable fibers—including beet pulp, which is commonly used in dog foods—are best to promote a healthy gut while avoiding the undesirable side effects of highly fermentable fibers, like flatulence and excess mucus.
Other examples of moderately fermentable fibers include brans (corn, rice and wheat) and wheat middlings. It's worth noting that foods that are high in fiber are not good for dogs with high energy requirements, and who are young and growing.
5. Vitamins: Metabolic Regulators
Tiny amounts of vitamins are necessary in dogs for normal metabolic functioning. Most vitamins cannot be synthesized in the body, and therefore are essential to obtain in the diet.
Crucially, when feeding your dog a complete and balanced diet, it is unnecessary to give a vitamin supplement unless a specific vitamin deficiency is diagnosed by a veterinarian.
Due to over supplementation, poisoning due to excess vitamins (hypervitaminosis) is more common these days than vitamin deficiency (hypovitaminosis). Just as in humans, too much of a good thing can be harmful.
Excess vitamin A may result in bone and joint pain, brittle bones and dry skin. Excess vitamin D may result in very dense bones, soft tissue calcification and kidney failure. Always consult your vet before adding supplements.
6. Minerals: Structure and Function
Minerals are nutrients that cannot be synthesized by animals and must be provided in the diet. In general, minerals are most important as structural constituents of bones and teeth, for maintaining fluid balance and for their involvement in many metabolic reactions. They work behind the scenes, essential for countless bodily processes.
