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Video: Dog Nutrition - Price Versus Quality
2023 Author: Molly Page | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-11-27 22:49
… The basis for choosing the optimal food for an individual dog is an understanding of metabolism. Metabolism is a complex process in which researchers and scientists find new things almost daily. The balance of all nutrients is one of the most important criteria and the key to solving many problems. A good enough analysis can only be done based on the ingredients on the label, which you should be able to read. Let's try to analyze some of the main groups of elements.
How much and what type of protein does a dog need? It is much easier for a dog's digestive system to convert meat to amino acids than vegetables. It is very important not just the amount of meat that is contained in the feed, but its assortment. If the feed contains poultry (chicken), animal meat (lamb / beef) and fish at the same time, it will provide the dog with an excellent composite protein source.
A high quality feed ingredient list should start with meat. If it starts with vegetables, there is nothing good about it. Laws dictate that ingredients should be listed in descending order of quantity. The feed contains most of the material listed first, and so on.
Protein / Fat Ratio Warning: Don't be fooled by the relative numbers. In fact, these are only technical indicators of food, which have nothing to do with real food and there is no guarantee that the dog can digest it. For example, protein 35% / fat 25% - a product of this kind, confirmed by independent laboratory analyzes, can be made from raw materials such as:
- 1 feather pillow, - 1 old leather boot, - 1 liter of used engine oil, - 1 kg of sawdust.
The high protein content burdens the dog's body (especially the kidneys), leads to the expenditure of excess energy, and also increases urination and urination.
Fats. Animal and vegetable fats (saturated and unsaturated fats, fatty acids) are a real source of energy for a dog. Saturated fats of animal origin are good energy sources, and unsaturated fats are also digested quickly. Poultry and fish oils are of a higher quality than beef oils, as they contain more unsaturated fats and this has a positive effect on the dog's skin and coat.
Energy values, which are indicators of the efficiency of the body's processing of fats, are calculated based on metabolic energy. They will show you how much energy is in the food and how it is absorbed, i.e. how much based energy the dog's body can use. The last value is metabolic energy (ME), which you should know because it shows what you are paying for in order to get energy for your dog. The easiest indirect indicator is the amount of faeces: a lot of faeces - low utilization of feed, a little - good. The digestibility of feed is usually given in%, i.e. what% of the total energy is absorbed by the body.
The overall energy level of a food can fool you into believing that high energy can be extracted when the opposite is true.
Vitamins and minerals. Vitamin A levels will give you an indication of the quality of the feed, low values mean low natural resistance to disease, high values mean high, as in humans. Very often, skin irritations can be treated with a diet high in vitamins and minerals.
Remember: High quality commercial dog food does not require any vitamin or mineral supplementation.
Ash content. The ash content (calcined residue) reflects the total amount of minerals in the food.
A high ash content indicates a poor quality of raw materials used for cooking. If the ash content is high, it means, for example, bone meal and low-quality waste from cattle slaughter, in which the proportion of "pure" meat is small, was used in the manufacture of feed. High ash content was found in ST35 Stress, Hau-Hau Ch., Eukanuba Regular, Nutro Max, Pedigree Pal (normal load). The smallest and best suited minerals for the dog were found in Hill's, Canine Maintenance.
Finally, here are five tips to look out for when reviewing the label on a food you are suggesting to determine the quality:
Ingredients - The list starts with meat, not vegetables
Digestibility - How much your dog can use
Energy - Energy values
Suggested amount of food - How Much Feed to
Eat Per Day Vitamin A - Gives you an indication of the vitamin and mineral content
Source: newspaper "ZooPeterburg", 1997 - 6
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