About Pets Food

Your pets nutritional needs will change as he grows from a pet into an adult. Providing him with a premium, nutritionally balanced pet food formula for each specific stage of his life gives him nutrition that will help him stay fit and healthy. pet's nutritional health depends on receiving the correct amounts and proportions of nutrients from the six required groups: water, protein, fat, carbohydrate, minerals and vitamins. With the exception of water, commercial dog foods identified as 100% complete and balanced contain all of these required nutrients.

Water

Water is essential in helping regulate body temperature, lubrication of body tissues and as a fluid medium for the blood and lymph systems. Because water is involved in practically every reaction within an animal's body, any large deviation will be associated with adverse effects.

Protein

Protein is an essential nutrient and serves numerous functions in the body, including muscle growth, tissue repair, enzymes, transporting oxygen in the blood, immune functions, hormones, and as a source of energy. A protein is defined as a group of amino acids linked to each other in different quantities and sequences. Each protein has a precise combination of amino acids that is specific for that protein, and the arrangement of amino acids determines the specific nature of a protein. Dietary protein that is digested in the stomach and small intestine is broken down to form free amino acids which are then absorbed into the bloodstream. Amino acids are distributed to various cells of the body where they are utilized to build body proteins.

Carbohydrate

Carbohydrate sources are sugars, starches and dietary fiber. Simple sugars are the smallest carbohydrate molecules and are easily digested and absorbed. By contrast, complex carbohydrate, or starches, are combinations of simple sugars forming long chains which require more digestion before they can be absorbed into the bloodstream. Dietary fibers are carbohydrate which are not digestible by dogs or other mammals.

Fats

Fat is a concentrated form of energy. Compared to protein and carbohydrate, fat contains approximately two and a half times the amount of energy per pound.
Fat with no double bond at all is called saturated fat. Fat containing fatty acid chains with a double bond is called unsaturated fat. These may vary from a single double bond in the fatty acid molecule (monounsaturated) to fatty acids with many double bonds (polyunsaturated). Saturated fat is generally solid at room temperature and unsaturated fat is usually liquid.

Minerals

Minerals are relatively simple molecules compared to other nutrients which can be large and complex. Nutritional issues related to minerals include the amount of each in the diet, proper balance of all minerals, and the availability of minerals in the pet's food.
Minerals perform many different functions in the body such as bone and cartilage formation, enzymatic reactions, maintaining fluid balance, transportation of oxygen in the blood, normal muscle and nerve function, and the production of hormones. While the function of some minerals can be separated from that of others, it is impossible to adequately nourish a dog without providing all the minerals in their proper proportions. This is due to the fact that minerals interact in many aspects of body function and maintenance.

Calcium and phosphorus

Calcium and phosphorus are essential minerals and are necessary for normal bone development, as well as numerous metabolic functions. These minerals provide rigidity to bones and teeth, aid in normal blood coagulation, aid in controlling passage of fluids through cell walls, and are necessary for nerve excitability.