We all want our pets to live long, healthy lives. The key to great health for all living organisms is optimum nutrition and choosing the best diet for your dog or cat. American society as a whole has become increasingly aware of the importance of nutrition and its effect on health. The information is readily available everywhere you look, but the fact is that so many of us choose not to embrace this knowledge. Nutrition can be simple if you don’t try to complicate it. A balanced diet contains optimal proportions of all essential nutrients so that they can be utilized with maximum efficiency for the billions of metabolic tasks that occur in your pet’s body every day.

Energy is the first priority of all animal species. Protein is the most important nutrient of carnivores as it provides the essential amino acids required to build and repair all of the cells of the body. Fats provide our pets with essential fatty acids. Fatty acids are instrumental for cell health, development, immune system response, the regulation of inflammation, and blood clotting. A dietary requirement for carbohydrates has never been established for either the dog or cat, not even those subjected to hard work. The carnivore digestive system is optimized to get the energy they need from the protein and fat content of their diet. Fiber’s primary use is to provide bulk and regulate intestinal transit. The short intestinal tract of the carnivore is designed for
optimal digestion of concentrated protein and fat, with as little bulky fiber as possible. Vitamins, with few exceptions, cannot be synthesized in our pets, therefore they must come from their food. Vitamins are considered essential for life. Minerals are inorganic compounds found
in the earth, and are required for bone metabolism, maintaining intracellular and
extracellular fluid volumes and regulating most enzymatic and hormonal functions in our pets.

Digestion and utilization of nutrient involve a combination of mechanical, chemical, and microbial events all contributing to the sequential degradation of food components. The digestive system of dogs and cats is a carnivorous system designed to process meat and fats. When you give your dog or cat high levels of carbohydrate or fiber, the result is inadequate digestion, poor nutrient absorption, intestinal discomfort, and excessive stool formation. When choosing your pet’s diet, do not make decisions based on fancy names or advertising. Take a few minutes to learn how to feed them a biologically correct diet. Learn to read product labels and know whether our food is either good or bad. Your pet’s health and well-being are completely in your hands.