Keep Your Pet Happy With Pet Nutrition

Since many yearspet owners have been feeding dogs or cats either homemade or manufactured food, but their knowledge of nutritional requirements of their pets is very lessthat includes their entire lifecycle stages of growth, like adulthood, reproduction and old age.

Essential Nutrients for Pets:

In order to lead a healthy and happy life mammals like dogs require food that contains carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins and minerals. Water is very important, though it is not a nutrient but a medium in which all the nutrients, the toxins and the energy are conveyed to and from the body tissues. A dogs body is made up of 70% of water, it can survive lossof fat and protein, but it will die if his body loses even just as 1/10 of body water. A completely grown dog requires at least 2 milliliters of water for every pound he weighs. Water deficiency can be very harmful in your pets.

Dogs require Proteins. Proteins is such a component which is best known for supplying amino acids that build hair, skin, nails, muscles, tendons, ligaments, and cartilage. It plays a very important role in producing enzymes that help regulate the basic daily functions. Common sources of Proteins that are used in pet foods are chicken, lamb, fish and beef. Some common plants also contain proteins that include corn gluten and soybean.

The other essential part of pets diet is Fats. Fats provide extremely high energy to pets as compared to carbohydrates. Some fats can be produced by the pet body itself but that is not sufficient, thus need to be provided through external sources. Fats are easily available in both animal and plant sources.
Vitamins are must for dogs to improve the quality of your pets life. Vitamins regulate the body processes. They protect the pets from environmental toxins and have the property to break down nutrients like carbohydrates, proteins, and fats into their required form; the body thenutilizes these essential nutrients in the form of energy. Vitamins also work with minerals and enzymes for digestion, reproduction and bone growth. It maintains a healthy skin and hair coat of pets. Sources of Vitamins used in Pet food are liver, pork, fish, eggs, wheat germ Vegetables and dairy products.Minerals are added to almost all pet foods. Minerals improve the nerve conduction.

Carbohydrates act as a fuel in pets diet. Carbohydrates break down into various sugars. Almost 30-70% of dog food contains carbohydrates, because they are cheaper and are readily available. Sources of Carbohydrates listed in pet foods are peanut hulls, gum, mucilage, cellulose and lignin.
It is advisable to take experts advice in understanding your pets nutrient requirements and thereby keeping it healthy and happy!