Nutrition and Pet Food Ingredients

 

Protein

Carbohydrates

Water

Fats

Vitamins & Minerals

Common pet food protein sources include chicken lamb, fish and some plant ingredients, such as maize gluten and soya bean meal.

Protein has many functions in the body but one of the most important is supplying amino acids to build hair, skin, nails, muscles, tendons, ligaments and cartilage. Protein also plays a main role in hormone production.

Dogs, best fed as carnivores, require essential amino acids that are not all found in single plant protein sources such as soya bean meal.

Common carbohydrate sources are plants and grains. Carbohydrates, also categorised as starches (sugars) and fibres, provide energy and bulk, respectively.

Starches are made up of various types of sugar, such as glucose or fructose. Sugar can be easily converted by the dog through digestion into usable energy.

Fibre may or may not be fermented—or broken down into short-chain fatty acids—by bacteria in a dog’s intestines. Highly fermentable fibre sources, such as vegetable gums, provide high amounts of short-chain fatty acids. Moderately fermentable fibres, such as beet pulp, provide short-chain fatty acids and bulk for moving waste. Slightly fermentable fibres, such as cellulose, provide mainly bulk for moving waste through the digestive tract and only a few short-chain fatty acids. Short chain fatty acids nourish the cells and support healthy digestion.

Water is the single most important nutrient for the body. Without it, the body cannot transport nutrients, digest nutrients for energy, regulate temperature or eliminate waste.

Fats are found in meats, fish and plant oils. Fat, for all its bad press, fulfils many vital body functions. Animal cell membranes are made of fat. Fat is also responsible for helping maintain body temperature, controlling inflammation, and more. Fat is the primary form of stored energy in the body—providing 2.5 times as much energy as carbohydrates or proteins/gram.

Fats, specifically Omega-3 fatty acids, have also been shown to be important in blood clotting and decreasing inflammation.

Vitamins are responsible for aiding functions such as bone growth, blood clotting, energy production and oxidant protection. Vitamins A, D, E and K require fat for absorption into the body, while vitamins such as the B-complex vitamins and vitamin C, need water to be absorbed into the body.

Minerals provide skeletal support and aid in nerve transmission and muscle contractions.