Carnivore Nutrition

Introduction

To have an understanding of the nutritional need for carnivores calls for first having knowledge on their anatomical characteristics. Carnivores are normally meat eaters and their features that enable such a diet facilitate the break dog of protein and killing of the different bacteria that can be found in meat that is decaying. This discussion will majorly focus on cats and dogs as major carnivores that are normally found easily within the reach of human beings. The anatomical features of all the carnivores comprises of  digestive tracts that are acidic , short and simple , sharp teeth , Jaws that move vertically while their saliva lacks amylase.  The digestive system is designed as short, simple and acidic so as to enable quick and easy digest fat and proteins while its ability to secrete hydrochloric acid in is exceptional.  In order for to facilitate b the breakdown of protein and killing of bacteria that is commonly found in decaying meats , these carnivores manage to keep the gastric pH at about 1-2 .  The sharp teeth are meant for slicing of meat and not for grinding plants .These teeth are elongated so as to facilitate killing and tearing of prey.  The molars have jagged edges and are normally triangular so as to function like   blades that offer some smooth cutting of motion just like blades found in shears.  The vertical movement of jaws provides a smooth motion of cutting and can open widely to swallow   big pieces of meat.   The lack of amylase carnivore’s saliva means that the work is wholly placed on their pancreases to for the production of this digestive juice, for digesting of any carbohydrates.   Therefore, whenever cats and dogs are fed as if they were herbivores or omnivores where amylase is found in the saliva makes the animals’ pancreases to work harder so as these foods those are full of carbohydrates are digested. This is contrary to the usual case where normal quantity of enzyme required in the digestion of fats and proteins in cats and dogs.  

Carnivores’ anatomy and physiology - canines and felines

  Hence, the carnivores in which cats and dogs belongs are normally created to function for nearly exclusive digestion of foods from a meat based diet.   The cats and dogs are normally differentiated from the herbivore and omnivore animals on their basic anatomical features and they are adapted for more or less exclusive diet that is based on meat.   The stomach acid in dogs is highly concentrated which facilitates the breakdown of proteins faster. The pH in the stomach acids for these carnivores is around pH1 when compare to human whose stomach acid pH is between 4 -5(Christenson, 2008).  The wide opening of the mouth has a single joint and hence, carnivores can swallow big pieces of meat.  The jaws and teeth are also adapted to swallowing of whole food but not for crushing and chewing plants and this explain the case of almost restricted meat-diet (Christenson, 2008).   The enzymes for digesting protein are not released in the mouth because of the potential danger of damaging the auto digestion or oral cavity.  This also means that food for carnivores is not normally mixed with saliva but its swallowed whole.  Despite the visible outside difference of cats and dog races, they have descended from wild ancestors and with whom they have similar genetic code.  These carnivores nornmally have difficulties while trying to digest grains which are complex and large carbohydrates.

 

Proteins

 The dietary requirements for carnivores should consider the fact that there are just like domesticated wolfs that feeds on meet for almost all nutritional needs.  This fact indicates that the appropriate foods for cats and dogs which be a common question in the mind of cat and dog owners. Since we have observed that internal physiology for cats and dogs is similar to their fellow wild carnivores, their nutritional and physiological needs are same to those of the predator cousins that feed almost on fats and proteins only.  The dogs that are domesticated presently, regardless of their breeds can eat the food eaten by wild predators and they need such a diet for their maximum health. Their basic physiology has seen little change after being domesticated in spite of their visible variation in physical appearances (Sawyer, 2008).  The protein requirements in carnivores are needed for serving as building blocks and hence their general health.  They are required for growth and development and are a major factor in the maintenance and sustainability of skeletal and muscular structures and the immune system of these animals.  Yet protein in itself is not the key, but it is the amino acids which are found in them that are required.  These proteins are broken down into these amino acids by the aforementioned digestive systems so that they can be used in the body for building , rebuilding or even replacing the body cells .  The proteins are necessary for cats and dogs for the basic functions of the body that comprises of cellular regeneration, production of enzymes and hormones, maintenance of different tissues and   provision of any energy that is needed. Even though protein is vital, not all of these proteins work in an equal manner as their qualities vary in a big way between different sources.

These differences in the quality of proteins depend on the source of the protein, protein digestibility and the composition of amino acid making up the proteins.  Animal proteins are normally considered to be complete proteins for the carnivores while plant proteins are known to be incomplete sources. The composition of amino acids in animal proteins is complete are required for the functions of both cats and dogs bodies and they are available in quantities that equals these requirements. This means that feeding animal proteins to cats and dogs ensures their overall health, growth and body maintenance.  However , proteins found in plants like gluten in corn , meal  made of soya beans  or even protein isolates in plants do not have all the required amino acids and in the appropriate proportions that are need in  carnivores like cats and dogs.   There are various amino acids that are needed in cats and dogs that cannot be found in plant proteins and these comprises of taurine, arginine, tryptophan, methionine and even lysine (Sawyer, 2008).  This shows that the nutrition content of proteins offered to carnivores’ matters and not all proteins have the right composition of nutrients required in the normal function of the body. The right composition of animal acids is only found in the animals proteins and therefore, any feeds for cats and dogs should be almost exclusively made up of the proteins from the flesh.  Another feature that defines the quality of protein offered to carnivores is its digestibility, and its key measure.  It would not be necessary to have a diet that is made of high quality protein if such protein is not easy to digest.  Foods that contain proteins that are highly digestible are one the digestive system can break it down into smaller components that are easily and quickly absorbed.  In the carnivores’ short digestive systems, proteins from plants are not as effectively digested as the meat proteins.  This makes meat as the source of protein for carnivores as being the best choice since it can be digested easily and has sufficient amino acids that are vital to growth and development of carnivores.

Fats

 Fats are also an essential part of carnivore diet and play an important role in their health.  These roles include acting as a concentrated energy source, supplying vital fatty acids such as Omega-3 which cannot be produced within the bodies of cats and dogs.  While fats are normally perceived to have negative effects by humans who are health conscious, it is a vital dietary need in cats and dogs and the focus on reducing fat intake in people should not be at expense of how this food is necessary to these carnivores (Sawyer, 2008).  Fats are also not similar in terms of quality but a big difference can also be found in their structure.  Cats and dogs do not normally suffer from health issues relating to high animal fats levels such as heart disease and cholesterol problems, which can explain the fact that these carnivores are in need of meat based fats   but not from plant sources.  The two animals need high quantity of animal fats and this should be provided in the foods given to them. The animals enjoy a lifestyle that is more sedentary than the wild carnivores and hence, it is important to have a moderation in the fat, and normally the best range of the fats is between 15 to 18 %.   Carbohydrates are not the right source of energy when compared to fats since they provide energy faster than fats and carbohydrate loading lead to excessive buildup of lactic acid in the carnivore muscles (Sawyer, 2008). This in turns lead to hypoglycemia condition that relates to fatigue and weakness in the body of cats and dogs and this makes animals fats to be the best energy source. Since essential fatty acids cannot be made in the body, they have to be obtained from foods.  The major ones include omega-6, Omega-3 and DHA, and balance omega-6 and omega-3 is necessary since both work together.  The biggest lack of fats is omega-3, but a ratio of 2:1- 5:1 is considered as ideal for these animals.  Omega-3 from plant is obtained from flax, soy and canola (ALA), and ALA has to be converted to DHA and EPA for cats and dogs to obtain nutritional benefits from it. However, the best source of these fats is omega three from fish, since they are absorbed directly and readily unlike ALA from plant that is not biologically appropriate for the animals since they are known to be inactive.

Carbohydrates

  Carbohydrates as a source of energy for cats and dogs are required in as little quantities as possible, and they usually offer an economical energy source in the dog’s diet.  Therefore, these carnivores do not have any nutritional need for the carbohydrates since there are evolved to obtain energy from protein and fat.  Their natural diet has next to no carbohydrate and any predigested in the prey’s stomach make up a negligible fraction of overall diet.  The conventional pet foods manufactured today result to fluctuations of blood sugar, resistance of insulin and are known to be a major cause of diabetes obesity and a myriad of other complications in dogs and cats health. This is due to high level of carbohydrates content in the conventional dry foods.  The consumers are ignorant of the fact that these foods are not essential since manufacturers are not required to show the level of content. The high level of intake induces enzyme factors that lead to excess carbohydrate being stored as fat in the body.

Vitamins

Another aspect relates to vitamins in the diet carnivores.  Some vitamins are produced inside the body of a dog especially Vitamin C or the Ascorbic Acid.  Research has indicated that for large dogs, an over dose of this vitamin can considerably lead to an improved immune system and hence facilitate the healing of various injuries inside the body. Although, extra Vitamin C is necessary for humans, it is not sensible to conclude the same for carnivores such as dogs, since there is no detailed knowledge about certain chemical reactions inside the body of a dog which results to production of Ascorbic Acid (Eliasen, 2003). It is also not clear what other chemicals that come with generation of this acid, some of which can be very vital for metabolism in the dogs body .However, a constant supply of Vitamin C in a dogs diet can collapse the ability of the dogs to produce this vitamin inside the body .Therefore, it is certain that Vitamin C should not be supplied in the diet of a dog unless in the case of a very extreme acute due to injury or infection.  In such a case, Vitamin C should be used as a medicine for fighting the infection rapidly and then supplementation is stopped.  It should be used the same way antibiotics are used by humans.  Other Vitamins are quite necessary for this diet including vitamin A and vitamin B1. Vitamin B1 or thiamine is an important nutrient in the metabolism of carbohydrates and particularly in the nerve tissues of carnivores.   Vitamin A which is soluble in fat and its large amounts or Vitamin A Toxicosis can affect the neck or cervical spine and also the front legs which lead to some deforming (Eliasen, 2003).   However, including large amounts of meats from animal organs especially the liver and diets containing all-organs and it can lead to excesses.  The result is lead to weight loss, unkempt coat, impaired mobility and pain which indicates a bigger underlying problem.

An important issue in carnivore diet is the provisions of foods in a state that will ensure that important nutrients are intact and will benefit their body functions. When a dog or cat has been feed on cooked or processed foods, they are denied of various live enzymes which are quite critical for appropriate digestion and health (Schlesinger & Joffe, 2011).  The carnivores have good and bad bacteria that are found in the intestines and form part of intestinal ecology.  For their immune systems to function in the right manner, the amount of good bacteria should be around 80 % of the intestinal flora while the bad bacteria occupy the rest of the flora (Bloomer &Thomason, 2010).  Dogs are normally designed to consume things that herbivores or omnivores cannot and their gastro-intestinal tracks are created with features that can hinder different pathogenic bacteria that like e-coli from controlling their bodies; the tracks prevent an upset of a healthy intestinal flora balance.  Their saliva also has enzymes whose function is to neutralize harmful bacteria and preventing pathogenic organisms so that they do not migrate in large numbers into the gut.  With a healthy immune system, those bacteria that can survive the acidity in the stomach are destroyed by bicarbonate, bile salts and digestive enzymes occurring naturally (Bloomer &Thomason, 2010).  .  Cooking or processing foods meant for the carnivores’ diet the various necessary enzymes that carry out these important actions.  As a result the body of the carnivore resort to enzymes reserves for processing the unnatural food and this quickly depletes the vital enzymes.  Even though the dog has its natural defense system against such bacteria, an infection requires just a few bacteria for it to occur and this affect the immune health of the animal.  To prevent case of the carnivores being infected by salmonella, an appropriate diet has to be provided and this diet should contained meat whose preservation is properly done to prevent bacterial infection right from the slaughterhouse (Bloomer &Thomason, 2010). The meat fed to these carnivores should also be protected from being infected during the processing, handling, packaging, transportation and even storage.  However, for safety of the animals’ health, all products should be viewed as already contaminated. Those dogs and cats that are which are given poor diets will have a very weak immune system because of lack of important enzymes  or even live nutrients which can be  found in a diet made of fresh food (Lee,  2014) . This will surely lead to more risks for diseases that are related to bacterial infection.

What can be deduced from the above discussion is that cooked or processed foods may not be the appropriate diets for carnivores or cat and dogs as pets for that matter.  Denaturation’s effect is to alter the chemical and physical properties of the protein, making it less usable or completely unusable.    The changes resulting from Denaturation is known to be as a result of complete damage of certain patterns that make up the chains of amino acids. Hence, cooking and processing foods that are provided to dogs and cats makes it useless to their health.  These changes that occur as a result of cooking lead to destruction of the vital nutrients that are required for the various body functions of the carnivores. It is better for the foods offered to dogs and cats to be raw since these carnivores have various digestive enzymes and hydrochloric acid which can digest or destroy the harmful bacteria and safeguarding the good bacterial in the intestinal environment in the stomach.   Providing diets to these animals which is devoid of necessary live enzymes and complete amino acids will result to reduced immune system and therefore poor health for the animals.   This shows that the conventional diet provided to cats and dogs by their owners, most of which is processed or even cooked does not add any nutritional value needed in the bodies.

Feeding the carnivores on foods that are grain-based can lead to yeast infection in Cats and Dogs.  This is in addition to processed foods and vaccines that weaken the animals’ natural immune systems, or steroids that have the ability to shut down the ability of the body to fight against infections by yeasts.  This proves the notion by science that cats and dogs as carnivores were are not suppose to eat vegetables and grains since their digestive systems were not designed to do so.  Their diet should consist of prey and one which is raw but not processed or cooked.  Just like other carnivores in the wild which consume very small amount of vegetations, with not vegetables or grains, the diet for domestic carnivores should also be the same (Schlesinger & Joffe, 2011).  The two groups of animals have almost identical internally and their dietary needs are also similar.  In addition, the raw diet has very many live enzymes and vitamins that are destroyed when food intended for domestic felines and canines, hence their diets are best given raw than processed or cooked.  The conventional diet for pets benefits humans more than it benefits   cats and dogs, since humans are the ones at risk of being by bacteria in such foods. However, there is no study which documents that pet or even humans are at risks of being infected by micro-organisms such as Salmonella due to providing war meat to the carnivores. However, there may be some undeniable evidence linking the diets based on raw foods with nutritional risk. For sure, carnivores were meant to consume meat.

Reference

 

Sawyer, D. (2008). The Practice of Veterinary Anesthesia: Small Animals, Birds, Fish and Reptiles. CRC Press.322-330

 

 THE ANATOMY OF EATING. Retrieved from: http://www.lhasa-apso.org/health/carnivorediet.html

 

Christenson, D. E. (2008). Veterinary medical terminology. Philadelphia, Pa: Saunders.

Lee, J. (2014). The Inner Carnivore. (Paperback)

Eliasen ,M., (2003).Why adding Vitamin C to your dog's diet is

Not always a wise thing to do

 

Schlesinger, D. P., & Joffe, D. J. (2011). Raw food diets in companion animals: a critical review. The Canadian Veterinary Journal, 52(1), 50.

 

Bloomer, K., Thomason, J., (2010).Salmonella: The Bad Bacteria. Retrieved from: http://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/salmonella/

Thomason, J., (2010).Yeast Infections in Dogs.1. Retrieved from: http://www.thewholedog.org/ArtYeast.html