Pets need healthy ingredients with higher-than-minimum levels of protein and fat to thrive, along with vitamins and minerals for good health and strong muscles, bones and teeth.
Owners look for food products that support their pet’s digestive health and weight management, as well as those which strengthen joints and bones, brighten skin/coat condition and make their pet’s hair shine. In this guide, we have explained some of the most important pet food facts.
Proteins
Proteins serve as the building blocks of all cells and are essential to growth, body functions, muscles and hair health. Proteins are composed of amino acids which the body can synthesize while others must be acquired from diet alone.
Crude protein levels on pet food labels provide an indication of total amount of protein present; however they don’t tell consumers, retailers or veterinarians if their pet will meet his/her required amino acid intake needs.
Fats
Fats are an integral component of pet food ingredients because they offer natural energy sources and aid in the absorption of certain vitamins. Furthermore, they can help control inflammation and provide organ protection.
EFAs play an essential role in supporting skin and coat health as well as immune system function and brain development in pets, though some pet parents can be “fat-phobic”, believing fats could contain animals whose proteins their pet is allergic to.
While this is understandable, pet parents should always read labels thoroughly in order to ensure their pet receives sufficient amounts of the right type of EFAs.
Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates provide energy. After digestion, they’re broken down to glucose that fuels cells throughout your body and mind. Carbs also play an integral role in supporting a healthy microbiome; complex carbs like grains, legumes and dietary fiber (both soluble and insoluble) provide additional antioxidants, vitamins and minerals for good bacteria health.
Fiber may get a bad rap, but it is an essential element of a balanced diet. Fermentable parts of fiber support a healthy gut microbiome while non-fermentable ones provide bulk and reduce frequency of bowel movements while helping regulate fecal consistency.
Its one of the best pet food facts that the recipes should contain both fermentable and non-fermentable fiber, typically meaning higher grain contents in dog recipes while lower vegetable/legume contents in cat recipes.
Minerals
Pet dogs and cats who consume meat-based ingredients benefit from receiving essential minerals in their bodies such as calcium, phosphorus, sodium, and potassium in balanced proportions for proper bone and heart health as well as normal digestive functioning. These essential elements help promote normal skeletal and cardiovascular health as well as digestion processes.
Mineral nutrition is crucial to keeping pets in good health. Certain minerals work synergistically within their bodies, like calcium and phosphorus which promote skeletal development in large breed puppies. If there are inadequate levels of these minerals present in an animal’s diet, this could result in health issues in young animals as well as chronic illnesses in older ones.
Grains
Wheat, oats, rice, barley and millet seeds are widely used as pet food ingredients due to their digestible complex carbs that help meet cats’ physiological requirements for glucose – the primary energy source in their bodies.
In addition, whole grain ingredients provide protein, fiber essential fatty acids, B vitamins and minerals for their bodies as well as additional energy sources like bran germ endosperm for increased nutrition and energy sources.
