Menu
“Balance is not something you find, it’s something you create.” – Jana Kingsford
I wrote this article for voerwijzer. But I thought it would be very useful to share it with you as well. So here it is!
As a loving pet owner, you want nothing more than for your dog or cat to be healthy, happy and vital. One of the most important ways to achieve this is by providing them with nutrition that is complete and balanced. But what exactly does that mean, and why is it so crucial for your pet’s health?
When we talk about a “complete” diet, we mean that the diet contains all the essential nutrients that a dog or cat needs to survive.
Essential nutrients are substances that an animal’s body needs to function properly, but that the body cannot produce on its own. So, these nutrients must be obtained through food. They are crucial for the growth, development, maintenance, and health of the animal.
This includes macronutrients such as proteins, fats, and carbohydrates, as well as micronutrients such as vitamins, minerals, and amino acids.
“Balanced” means that these nutrients are present in the right proportions so that your pet’s body can use them effectively.
The right ratio is important because nutrients can affect each other in how they are absorbed and used by the body. Improper ratios can lead to health problems, even if the absolute amounts of the nutrients are within the recommended standards.
For example, the ratio of calcium to phosphorus is essential for healthy bone development. An excess of phosphorus over calcium can lead to osteoporosis and weak bones, while excess calcium can result in irregular bone growth, especially in young animals. The ideal calcium-phosphorus ratio for most dogs and cats is between 1:1 and 2:1.
Another example is the ratio of zinc to copper. Zinc and copper strongly influence each other in absorption. Too much zinc can reduce the absorption of copper, which can lead to copper deficiency. This deficiency can cause anemia and skin problems. Conversely, excess copper can reduce zinc absorption, leading to problems such as impaired immune function and skin problems.
The minimum and maximum standards for nutrients in dog and cat food are set by organizations such as the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) and the European Pet Food Industry Federation (FEDIAF). These standards are based on scientific research into the nutritional needs of dogs and cats at different stages of life, such as growth, maturity and pregnancy.
Minimum values: These are the lowest amounts of a nutrient needed to prevent deficiencies and related health problems.
Maximum values: These are the highest amounts that are safe for consumption, to avoid toxicity and overdose.
The following is a list of the nutrients that are currently considered essential for dogs and cats and for which minimum and/or maximum amounts have been established.
Essential Nutrients for Dogs according to FEDIAF:
1. Proteins and amino acids
– Crude protein
– Essential amino acids such as:
-Arginine
-Histidine
– Isoleucine
– Leucine
-Lysine
– Methionine + Cystine
– Phenylalanine + Tyrosine
-Threonine
-Tryptophan
-Valine
2. Fats and essential fatty acids
– Crude fat
– Essential fatty acids:
– Linoleic acid (Omega-6)
– Alpha-linolenic acid (Omega-3)
– EPA/DHA (eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid)
3. Minerals
-Calcium
-Phosphorus
-Magnesium
-Sodium
-Potassium
-Chloride
-Iron
-Copper
-Zinc
-Iodine
-Selenium
-Manganese
4. Vitamins
– Vitamin A
-Vitamin D
– Vitamin E
– Vitamin K
– Thiamine (Vitamin B1)
– Riboflavin (Vitamin B2)
– Pantothenic acid (Vitamin B5)
– Niacin (Vitamin B3)
– Pyridoxine (Vitamin B6)
-Folic acid
-Biotin
– Vitamin B12 (Cobalamin)
-Choline
Essential Nutrients for Cats according to FEDIAF:
1. Proteins and amino acids=
– Crude protein
– Essential amino acids such as:
-Arginine
-Histidine
– Isoleucine
– Leucine
-Lysine
– Methionine + Cystine
– Taurine (essential for cats)
– Phenylalanine + Tyrosine
-Threonine
-Tryptophan
-Valine
2. Fats and essential fatty acids
– Crude fat
– Essential fatty acids:
– Linoleic acid (Omega-6)
– Arachidonic acid (essential for cats, Omega-6)
– Alpha-linolenic acid (Omega-3)
– EPA/DHA (eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid)
3. Minerals
-Calcium
-Phosphorus
-Magnesium
-Sodium
-Potassium
-Chloride
-Iron
-Copper
-Zinc
-Iodine
-Selenium
-Manganese
4. Vitamins
– Vitamin A (cats cannot convert beta-carotene into vitamin A)
-Vitamin D
– Vitamin E
– Vitamin K
– Thiamine (Vitamin B1)
– Riboflavin (Vitamin B2)
– Pantothenic acid (Vitamin B5)
– Niacin (Vitamin B3, cats have a higher need for niacin than dogs)
– Pyridoxine (Vitamin B6)
-Folic acid
-Biotin
– Vitamin B12 (Cobalamin)
-Choline
While the FEDIAF and AAFCO guidelines are not without their criticisms, they provide a crucial foundation for the health and well-being of pets. These guidelines set minimum requirements for the essential nutrients that dogs and cats need to stay healthy. If a food does not meet these minimum guidelines, it can lead to serious health problems.
While it is important to critically evaluate the guidelines and adapt them to the specific needs of individual animals, the FEDIAF and AAFCO guidelines provide a necessary foundation. Without adherence to these standards, pets are at risk of serious health problems due to nutritional deficiencies or imbalances.
A diet that does not contain enough essential nutrients can lead to deficiencies that are harmful to health. For example:
– Calcium deficiency can lead to weak bones, bone fractures, and growth problems, especially in young animals.
– Taurine deficiency in cats can cause heart problems such as dilated cardiomyopathy, as well as blindness.
– Vitamin A deficiency can lead to skin problems, poor coat condition, and eye problems, such as night blindness.
One of the most troubling aspects of nutritional deficiencies is that they often only become noticeable after a long time. In the meantime, however, your pet may be suffering unnoticed. For example, mild symptoms such as lethargy or dull fur can be easily overlooked or attributed to other causes.
This means that your pet can be deficient for months or even years, without you even realizing it. When the symptoms finally become visible, the damage may already be irreversible. This emphasizes the importance of prevention by providing a complete and balanced diet from the beginning.
On the other hand, an excess of certain nutrients can also be harmful:
– Excessive intake of vitamin D can lead to hypercalcemia, which causes kidney damage and bone calcification.
– Too much calcium can lead to skeletal abnormalities, especially in young, growing large breed dogs.
– An excess of phosphorus in the diet can aggravate kidney problems, especially in older animals.
And as mentioned above, the ratio between the different nutrients is also important. Improper ratios can lead to health problems, even if the absolute amounts of the nutrients are within the recommended standards.
In short, a food that does not meet the recommended standards can have serious consequences for the health of dogs and cats, both through deficiencies and an excess of certain nutrients. Therefore, it is essential to ensure that a pet’s diet is complete and balanced.
Complete and incomplete power supplies are available. Officially, a manufacturer must indicate this on the packaging. Unfortunately, this is not always so clear. I see this regularly, especially with the fresh food supplies.
Incomplete fresh foods often contain only meat, organs and bones. But there are also incomplete brands that do contain some vegetables and supplements.
These incomplete diets need to be supplemented with other foods to make them complete. Rotating between different proteins (animal species) is important, but that in itself is not enough to make it a complete diet!
The problem is that you often don’t know exactly what nutrients are in the diet and what exactly you need to supplement. In addition, many dog and cat owners do not have the knowledge and skills to supplement such food in a responsible way.
In recent years, I have been in contact with several manufacturers of these foods to ask what exactly is in their foods so that I can supplement them responsibly for my patients. So far, not a single manufacturer has been willing to give me that information.
Don’t want to take any risks? Then choose a good, complete and balanced commercial fresh food.
More and more pet owners are choosing to put together their own food for their dogs and cats. This may stem from a desire for control over the ingredients, avoiding artificial additives, or a desire to optimize the health of their pets. While this approach can offer many benefits, it also comes with risks.
The internet offers a plethora of recipes, but not all are equally suitable for meeting the nutritional needs of pets. And even standard ratios such as the 80:10:10 rule do not always lead to a complete and balanced diet.
The internet is a rich source of information and recipes for homemade pet food. Unfortunately, not every recipe is equally good. Many recipes lack the necessary balance or essential nutrients, which can lead to long-term pet health problems. To determine if a recipe is good, you need to pay attention to several factors:
– Source of the Prescription: A good prescription comes from a reliable source, such as a veterinary nutritionist or a science-based platform. Avoid recipes from informal blogs or social media accounts with no scientific background or reference to veterinary expertise.
– Completeness of the Ingredients: A good recipe contains a variety of ingredients that together provide all the essential nutrients. It should explicitly state which vitamins and minerals are included, and which supplements, if any, are needed to ensure a complete and balanced diet. Ingredients must be specifically declared and in a measurable quantity. A tablespoon of oil is not specific enough, 10 ml of cold-pressed linseed oil is. Three ounces of ground beef is not specific enough, three ounces of ground beef with a fat percentage of 3-5% is already better.
– Adaptations for Specific Needs: A good recipe should at least focus on an animal species, weight, activity level, age, and any health concerns. A recipe that is made for an adult dog of 10 kg is absolutely not suitable for a puppy of 10 kg that has yet to grow to 25 kg.
The caloric needs of animals are not linear. Which means that you can’t simply give a recipe for a 10 kg dog three times to a 30 kg dog.
Why standard ratios such as 80:10:10 are insufficient
One of the most common ratios promoted online for raw diets is the 80:10:10 rule. This refers to a nutritional ratio of 80% meat, 10% bone, and 10% organ meats. Although this ratio seems attractive due to its simplicity, it does not lead to a complete and balanced diet for dogs and cats. Here are some reasons why:
– Lack of Essential Nutrients: The 80:10:10 ratio does not provide the right amounts of all essential nutrients. For example, this ratio often contains insufficient calcium, especially if the bone content is too low. In addition, the lack of vegetables, fruits, and other dietary sources can lead to a deficiency in fiber, vitamins (such as vitamins E and D), and minerals (such as iodine and zinc).
– Improper Calcium-Phosphorus Ratio: A healthy diet for dogs and cats requires a balanced calcium-phosphorus ratio. The 80:10:10 ratio can upset this balance, especially if the amount of bone is not properly measured. Too high a phosphorus content compared to calcium can lead to bone problems and other health issues.
– Inadequate Adaptations for Different Life Stages: Dogs and cats have different nutritional needs depending on their age, activity level, and health status. The 80:10:10 ratio does not account for these variations and can lead to nutritional deficiencies, especially in growing puppies and kittens, pregnant or lactating animals, and seniors.
Sutter et al. (2015) found that dogs fed a raw diet according to the 80:10:10 rule developed deficiencies in vitamins D and E, as well as other essential micronutrients (Sutter, R. et al., “Nutritional Deficiencies in Dogs Fed with Raw Diets Following 80:10:10 Ratio,” *Veterinary Nutrition Journal*, 2015). This shows that such simple ratios do not meet the complex nutritional needs of pets.
Given the complexity of putting together a complete and balanced diet, it is strongly advised to consult a veterinary nutritionist when owners decide to prepare homemade food. A veterinary nutritionist can help evaluate recipes, calculate the appropriate amounts of each nutrient, and identify any deficiencies or surpluses. They can also help adjust the diet based on the pet’s specific needs, such as age, breed, health conditions, and activity level.
While the FEDIAF standards provide an important foundation for pet nutrition, veterinary nutritionists can go beyond these guidelines to create customized feeding schedules that are tailored to each pet’s unique needs. By considering individual health needs, the quality of ingredients, preventative approaches, and breed-specific needs, these specialists can contribute to improved pet health and well-being. The additional expertise of veterinary nutritionists can be crucial to achieving optimal results beyond standard nutritional standards.
For example, your dog may have an increased need for omega-3 due to a joint disease, or your cat may need less phosphate that FEDIAF indicates because the kidney values have gone up a bit in the past year.
Veterinary nutritionists not only focus on essential nutrients, such as protein, vitamins, and minerals, but also look at non-essential nutrients that can have a positive impact on pet health. While these substances are not strictly necessary for survival, they can contribute to better health, disease prevention, and improved quality of life.
Including non-essential nutrients in the diet can help support specific health needs, promote optimal bodily function, and prevent chronic conditions. By looking beyond just the minimum requirements, veterinary nutritionists can offer a more holistic approach that promotes the well-being of the pet.
Antioxidants, such as vitamin E and polyphenols, are not strictly essential, but they play an important role in fighting free radicals and reducing oxidative stress. This can help prevent chronic diseases such as cancer and heart disease. A diet rich in antioxidants can support the long-term health of pets, especially in older animals.
Prebiotics and probiotics are non-essential nutrients that can improve gut health. They promote a healthy balance of gut bacteria, which is essential for good digestion, a strong immune system, and even a better mood. While pets can survive without prebiotics and probiotics, their overall health can improve significantly by including them in their diet.
Veterinary nutritionists often apply a holistic approach that focuses not only on treating existing conditions but also on preventing disease and promoting overall health. This includes integrating functional nutrients and optimizing diet balance to support overall health.
Providing a complete and balanced diet is one of the most important steps you can take to ensure the health and well-being of your dog or cat. Following the scientifically established standards for nutrients is a good foundation, but keep in mind that every animal is unique. Regular consultations with a veterinarian, preferably with expertise in nutrition, can ensure that your pet is getting the best possible nutrition, adapted to his or her specific needs. Remember, prevention is always better than cure!
