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Recently, a commenter (Jana Rade) asked a question on another blog post, The Pet Food Industry: The Truth Is Out There. The question was regarding whether dogs (and presumably cats also) need ingredients or nutrients in their diet. The question is a good one and the answer deserves a post of its own.
Do Dogs and Cats Need Nutrients or Ingredients in Their Diets?
The simple answer is that all animals need nutrients in their diets. In fact, there are specific nutrients that are necessary to maintain life.
Nutrients are separated into six basic categories.
- Water
- Protein
- Carbohydrates
- Fats
- Vitamins
- Minerals
Each species of animal has its own nutrient requirements. Each also has a requirement for certain essential nutrients, nutrients which must be supplied in the diet because the body cannot manufacture the nutrient in large enough quantities to sustain life.
So, each species of animal, whether it be a cat, a dog, a person, or another type of animal requires nutrients to survive.
The Link Between Nutrients and Ingredients in Pet Foods
The ingredients of the diet enter the picture when you consider where the nutrients that your dog or cat needs to survive are going to come from. Nutrients are supplied through the ingredients of a pet food.
There is no one ingredient that can supply the entire range of nutrients that a dog or cat needs to eat. In order to formulate a complete and balanced pet food diet, more than one ingredient will be needed. In fact, likely several ingredients will be necessary.
Quality of Ingredients in Pet Foods
Most pet owners worry about the quality of the ingredients in their pet’s food and with good reason. Though a complete and balanced meal containing all the necessary nutrients is possible to obtain with low quality ingredients, this may not be the quality of diet that a pet owner prefers to feed a cherished pet.
A complete and balanced diet implies that an animal can survive on the diet. However, it does not necessarily mean that the animal will thrive on the diet. That’s where the quality of ingredients comes into the picture. A diet with high quality ingredients will not only allow your pet to survive but will make sure that he thrives on the diet.
A diet consisting of high quality ingredients will provide many benefits for your pet.
- Your pet’s immune system will be strong and able to function normally.
- Your pet’s skin and hair coat will be sleek and shiny, with no itchiness, dry areas, dandruff or inflammation.
- Your pet’s teeth and mouth will be healthy and strong.
- Your pet’s digestive system will function normally.
- Your pet will remain, in general, fit and in good condition.
High quality diets contain ingredients that easily digestible, which has benefits for both you and your pet. Because the diet is high digestible, the volume of your pet’s feces will be significantly smaller and the feces should be solid so that it is easily picked up and disposed of. Though these premim diets with high quality ingredients may be more expensive, your pet will need to consume less of the diet, which helps to even out the costs.
What Constitutes High Quality Ingredients in a Pet Food?
That, my friends, is the $64,000 question. It’s a question you will find lots of different opinions about. I’ll share with you my own opinion, but keep in mind that others may feel differently. That does not make them wrong.
First of all, there is no one best diet for every dog or cat. It would be much simpler if that were the case but, as luck would have it, there are just too many variables at play for that to be true.
Personally, I like to see meat of some sort as the main source of protein. That could be beef, poultry (chicken, turkey, etc.), fish (salmon, whitefish, etc.) or pork. I’m not opposed to by-products being an ingredient, but many people disagree about that.
I’m also not opposed to seeing a carbohydrate source such as oats, potatoes, even corn. Dogs do not have a absolute carbohydrate requirement but, in my opinion, supplying some amount of carbohydrate in the diet can be beneficial.
For cats, the carbohydrate question is a bit more complex. Though it is true that cats can metabolize carbohydrates, there is some proof that cats in specific situations may do better on a high protein, low carbohydrate diet.
Some amount of fat in the diet is necessary as well for both dogs and cats. Some fatty acids can play a large role in keeping your pet healthy. Fat is also a good energy source but too much fat can lead to weight gain and obesity.
In the end, the best judge of the quality of a diet is how your pet does while he is eating the diet. Each animal is different and what works well for one dog or cat may not be the best answer for another.
As you can see, the answer to Jana’s question is complex. Nutrients are necessary for every animal but obtaining those nutrients through high quality ingredients is probably in your pet’s best interest. Either way, ingredients and nutrients are two very different things but they are tightly linked to one another.
Photo Courtesy of terren in Virginia/Flickr.com
About Lorie Huston, DVM
Lorie Huston is a veterinarian, pet health and pet care expert, professional writer, blogger, social media and blogging consultant, and SEO strategist.
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{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
I’ve always chose my kibble with this simple “rule” Of the first three ingredients on the bag, two of them should be meat AND the first one should not be a carb like corn. There are some pretty good kibbles out there like Orijen and Before Grain. The quality of the food is pretty good and they are not too pricey.
Thanks for sharing your advice, Karen.
Thank you, Lorie. I’d have a hard time accepting that as long as the nutrient numbers are there nothing else matters (where they come from)
You’re welcome, Jana. I think both matter