4/12/2017 0 Comments 20 Pound Cat DietKnow the Basics of Feline Nutrition. Lisa A. Pierson, DVMIf you do not want to read this entire webpage, please review this shortened version: Feeding Your Cat – Short version – 4 pages. That may sound like a very obvious and basic statement but if you think about it. What does it mean to be an . It means that cats lack specific metabolic (enzymatic) pathways and cannot utilize plant proteins as efficiently as animal proteins. Target Cartwheel, a whole new spin on coupons. Find & share the best deals in all your favorite categories: grocery, baby, apparel, health & beauty & more. Many cats have problems with constipation, which is abnormal accumulation of feces. Constipation is painful and uncomfortable. Constipated cats have the following. It is very important to remember that not all proteins are created equal. Proteins derived from animal tissues have a complete amino acid profile. You would never see a wild cat chasing down a herd of biscuits running across the plains of Africa or dehydrating her mouse and topping it off with corn meal. In the wild, your cat would be eating a high protein, high- moisture, meat/organ- based diet, with a moderate level of fat and with only. The average dry food contains 3. Why are we feeding such a species- inappropriate diet? The cat’s lack of a strong thirst drive can lead to low- level, chronic dehydration when dry food makes up the bulk of their diet especially if they have any level of kidney insufficiency. The answer to "How much should I feed my cat?" isn't as simple as it would seem. This article offers some guidelines to help. Making your own raw meat diet gives you the most control over what goes into your cat's food, allowing you to select the meats and supplements you use. This extremely helpful guide, called the Following are links to a series of articles and studies on the roles of protein and phosphorus in the diet of dogs with kidney disease. He is 1. 8 years old and still runs around like a kitten. Learn How To Read a Pet Food Ingredient Label. For more details regarding pet food ingredient labels, see Commercial Foods. Note: . This is why it is important to not just consider the list of ingredients but to also look at the Cat Food Composition chart, or call the company for the information. A good example of the above issue is a food like canned Wellness. At first glance, this food may be dismissed as inappropriate for a carnivore because it contains several high carbohydrate ingredients in the form of fruits and vegetables, including potatoes which are very high in starch (carbohydrate). However, the low carbohydrate level (3- 5%) tells us that the amount of fruits and vegetables is very low. Again, we would like to stay under 1. Grains and potatoes should be absent from a cat’s diet but, unfortunately, they are cheap so they are included in many commercial cat foods. Grains/potatoes are cheaper than meat. Stay away from food with gravy and sauces because they usually use high carbohydrate thickeners. Soy contains phytoestrogens and soy also negatively influences the thyroid gland. Given how common hyperthyroidism is in the cat, soy has no business being in cat food. A veterinarian explains the basics on properly feed cats which are strict carnivores, and the link between a poor quality diet and common diseases. Want to know how to put your cat on a diet? Read this article from Animal Planet to learn how to put your cat on a diet. Josh Bartosz Lost 141 Pounds: Unfortunately, soy is a common ingredient used by many pet food manufacturers – especially Purina – because it enhances their profit margin. When considering allergies, the ingredient list is useful since we don’t care how much of the offending ingredient is in the food. In fact, they can be extremely nutritious. However, there is more variability when quality is being considered when compared to muscle meat. By- products are discussed in more detail on the Commercial Foods page in this. A muscle meat will be listed as . A “meal” product is more commonly found in dry foods. By- products can include feet, intestines, feathers, egg shells, etc., which are less nutritious (less biologically valuable/digestible) than meat. Avoid foods listing “liver” as a first ingredient. Liver is cheaper than muscle meat so it will increase a company’s profit margin when used in high amounts. Preservatives are important ingredients that we need to pay attention to. This label originally started out in the dry food market but it has now made its way to canned food labels. A Siamese is no different from Persian or a Maine Coon – or an . No matter the breed, the cat is still an obligate carnivore. Royal Canin was one of the first companies to come out with these breed specific diets as a marketing gimmick. The labels on Hill’s over- the- counter products contain a statement that says? I have never received an answer and the VIN threads have had Hill’s representatives participating. This field of study is not emphasized in veterinary schools and the minimal course work that is required, is often taught by people who have strong ties to the pet food industry. These are also usually the same people who are advising general practitioners on all matters of nutrition. Canned s/d is occasionally used but only temporarily (~2- 4 weeks) pending re- evaluation of the patient. Instead of defaulting to the . Since 2. 00. 3, I have spent a few hours in the kitchen 4- 6 times a year making food for my cats which is a very small price to pay for the control that I have over what goes into their food bowls. I do not feed any commercial food to my own cats and I would definitely never feed them any “prescription” diets. I would love to see veterinarians stop being so . This often leads to obesity. Fat cells produce a substance that makes the other cells in the body resistant to insulin. The rise in creatinine and BUN, and muscle wasting, can lead to an often- erroneous conclusion that the patient. The first paragraph on that webpage states: If I could have the reader take away just one word from this discussion, it would be “water”. Stones are also very common and can lead to a life- threatening urinary tract blockage. I sincerely hope that these pictures of Opie make a huge impact on anyone who is still not convinced that dry food causes significant suffering in many cats. However, they can become a problem if Man continues to insist on feeding the cat a water- depleted diet. Mindy and Mikie. Urine p. H is also often considered when discussing urinary tract problems but we really need to stop focusing so heavily on p. H. Again, a proper amount of water in the diet is the important issue here – not urine p. H. Many of the often- prescribed feline lower urinary tract diets are formulated to make the urine acidic but it is thought that these low magnesium, acidifying diets may actually exacerbate painful cystitis. Also, these acidifying diets often end up promoting calcium oxylate stone formation and can also lead to hypokalemia (low potassium in the blood) which can cause or exacerbate kidney disease. It is also important to note – for those people still stuck on worrying about the urine p. H – that there are many factors which determine the p. H of urine and only one of them is diet. Urine p. H varies throughout the day and using one p. H measurement from a single urine sample is very misleading and is not terribly helpful information. With regard to dry food and urinary tract health, aside from the lack of water in this type of diet, there is also a correlation between the consumption of a high carbohydrate diet and the formation of struvite crystals as shown by this study. When this happens, the abuse of antibiotics continues. Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD): IBD can cause vomiting, diarrhea, and/or constipation in the cat. However, a healthy intestinal tract should be able to deal with hair normally ingested by the cat. That said, if we want to help our cats out in this area, we need to brush them daily. Trying to . Carbohydrates are minimally used for energy and those that are not used are converted to and stored as fat. The goal is to lose fat while maintaining muscle mass. In several studies, cats fed a high protein/low carbohydrate diet lost weight but maintained their lean body mass in comparison to cats fed a high carbohydrate/low fat diet. Many caretakers feed very small amounts of these “light” diets hoping that their cat will lose weight.! The caretaker often ends up with either a crabby, overweight cat or a thinner cat that may have lost too much muscle mass. See Molly. Kittens, however, loved using her for a pillow. Molly. This diet is even more unhealthy than it used to be. There are much more species appropriate – and less expensive – ways to address feline obesity. There remain many unanswered questions concerning the fact that cats often suffer from poor dental health but one very obvious answer lies in the fact that humans. This is a far cry from the consistency of dry or canned food. Neither dry kibble nor canned food comes close to mimicking a cat. Given what a cat does eat in nature, it makes much more sense to be feeding part of the diet in the form of large chunks of meat (as large as you can get your cat to chew on) or gizzards (tough and fibrous) which a cat. See Making Cat Food – Dental Health. Notice the phrase . Many cats have very painful mouths but show no outward signs of this pain. Please see this section on my Making Cat Food page which details just a few of the many pet food recalls due to contamination of commercial pet food with deadly chemicals. Molds are very common contaminants of grains but molds can be found in many different food sources. Cats, like children, often resist what is best for them. The most important issue is actually making the change, not how fast you accomplish it. For this reason, it is very important to stop free- feeding dry food. They are not going to try anything new if their bowl of junk food is in front of them 2. Cats do not need food available at all times. It really is okay for them to experience a hunger pain! Those pitiful little cries of “I have not had food for two WHOLE hours!” were hard to take. This is important for cats that are trained to walk onto it otherwise, scales like the Salter one linked above may tip. Small cats in the wild eat 8- 1. I do not worry about leaving canned food out for up to 1. Keep in mind that a lion is not going to eat his entire prey immediately. Once you have established scheduled mealtimes, you will most likely need to start feeding a bit less at each mealtime in order to get. There have been many deaths of dogs and cats secondary to eating mold mycotoxins, vomitoxins and aflatoxins which often contaminate the grains found in dry food. Put them on a separate plate from his small portion of dry food. Once in a quiet setting, away from the other cats, two of my cats would eat canned food/tuna . You can worry about feeding a a different canned food later if you want to and you can always mix different types of food together. Health & Wellness: Nutrition, Fitness, Diet, Relationships & More. Stephanie Giese. You will get even stronger and smarter and your tool belt will grow. You will have seen such.. Courtesy of Joe Kellner. 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Appendix Home Diet. Hepatic Disease Hepatic disease is common in dogs and cats. Few cases were recognized thirty. With current diagnostic procedures it is possible to identify. The liver. is damaged by many injuries and diseases elsewhere in the body. Thus, many. different diseases need management to protect and heal the liver. Hepatic. disease also develops that is unrelated to pathology outside the liver. A. variety of toxins damage the liver. They include drugs, chemicals, and. Often drugs must be discontinued before the liver can. Most toxic chemicals enter orally with their primary source being. Commercial pet foods contain chemicals that can be changed by. Pet foods also contain endotoxin. Many commercial pet. Endotoxin. is often not injurious unless another chemical, such as a drug, is present. Commercial pet foods. Pet food companies prepare no. They often recommend products for. Treatment of. hepatic disease requires more, however. Feeding an owner- prepared diet is. Feeding a specially prepared diet is more important than any other treatment. Very few forms of liver. As mentioned, most cases should be given no. The liver must metabolize many drugs for excretion, a function that. Evaluation of Dogs and Cats For Hepatic Disease. Dogs. and cats show few clinical signs with early hepatic disease. They include. anorexia, depression, and often increased water consumption. Unfortunately. these signs are common with many problems. On waiting for these signs to. Some hepatic. disease is difficult to treat when it is not recognized early. One also. cannot seek some specific signs to suspect hepatic disease. No clinical. signs are specific for hepatic disease. Hepatic disease is possible with any. No physical findings are pathognomic for hepatic. Findings such as jaundice or ascites more commonly indicate. Blood screening tests help evaluate unexplained. Alanine aminotransferase. ALT)enzyme activity is restricted to liver cells. With damage ALT leaks out. Other blood chemistry tests are not. Reduced appetite is the earliest sign of. Other signs subsequently appear with worsening disease and. They include depression, weakness, and signs of. The most important cause of encephalopathy is. The normal liver removes ammonia and converts it to. Ammonia tolerance testing can be. No other test is reliable for determining. Many other tests can be done to evaluate for hepatic disease. Most do. not provide useful information, however. For example, radiographs of the. Liver biopsy. is always useful in evaluating for liver damage. In many cases liver biopsy. On recognizing and understanding a non- hepatic problem. With primary liver. Management of Hepatic Disease. Dogs. and cats with hepatic disease and hepatic insufficiency should always be. Special consideration is usually important for caloric. In addition. management may be necessary for hepatic encephalopathy, hepatic inflammation. Portasystemic. shunts are also managed surgically. An. initial goal in managing dogs and cats with hepatic insufficiency is to. Such management includes. Medical treatment for hepatic. Feeding is essential for management of hepatic disease. No drug helps. recovery for hepatic damage; only feeding assists recovery. With anorexia. there is no chance for recovery and hepatic damage worsens. Fasting depletes. Energy and a balanced supply of nutrients are needed for. Diets For Dogs and Cats With Hepatic Disease. Carbohydrates Dietary carbohydrates should be high- quality and highly digestible. Bacteria. ferment undigested carbohydrates entering the colon. Such fermentation. Carbohydrates. minimize amino acid catabolism for energy, especially the branched- chain. High. dietary carbohydrate promotes insulin secretion and reduced glucagon. That ratio favors anabolic conditions where amino acids absorbed. Catabolic conditions produce ammonia. Dietary carbohydrates are. Frequent feedings of simple and complex carbohydrates are of. Simple and complex carbohydrates are provided by boiled white rice. Simple carbohydrates are nearly completely. Vegetables provide complex carbohydrates as fiber. Fiber also promotes fecal excretion. Fiber slows dietary carbohydrate. Proteins Dietary proteins can be reduced but only with signs of protein intolerance. In general. feed as much protein as can be tolerated. Giving too much causes hepatic. Ammonia Intoxication. Ammonia is probably the most important. Approximately one- half is derived from. The colon. produces most ammonia from bacterial activity. Intestinal bacteria produce. Urea diffuses from. Dietary levels and kinds of protein and any unusual loss of. Protein also enters the colon in. Desquamation of small. Low. roughage diets minimize desquamation. Protein- losing enteropathy can cause. Hypoproteinemia is most. Protein Restriction. Because hyperammonemia causes. Because all ammonia comes. Adequate protein is needed to restore normal. The liver also produces and exports. Reducing protein intake can compromize hepatic. Proper management of hepatic disease. Greater success is. Proteins with high. Commercial pet foods contain little high- quality protein so they. The following diets contain. When little or no protein is given and calories. Thus, a protein- free diet may reduce. Protein. restriction can worsen other problems by causing low plasma protein. Dietary effects on hepatic protein. Hepatic metabolic. Dietary protein. restriction compromises the liver’s ability to synthesize proteins. Protein. restriction is indicated only with unmanageable hepatic encephalopathy. In. others, dietary protein is not restricted but is adjusted to meet needs for. If possible, protein. Protein Source. The source of protein is important to survival and clinical signs in. Dogs with experimentally produced disease. Dogs with similar diseases and fed diets with. This study is similar to others showing survival time and clinical. At one time it. was believed that survival as due to improved metabolism of branched- chain. Abnormalities persist in amino. Moreover, when amino acid. Also, milk proteins and soy bean protein have. Milk protein and soybean protein diets could have lower ammoniagenic amino acids such as threonine, glycine, serine, histidine. Glutamine and glutamic acid comprise up to 2. Following absorption, a high percentage of glutamine is. Controlling glutamine intake may benefit dogs with hepatic. A number of. other suggestions have been made to explain the beneficial effects of milk. The most important may be that a high ratio of. The diet. should contain minimum methionine. Excess methionine escapes intestinal. Methionine- rich foods are avoided. Sometimes other amino acids are. Arginine and citrulline are two. This. can reduce ammonia’s toxic effects on brain function. Fats. Dietary fat is essential as a source of calories and essential fatty acids. A number of studies have shown that dogs and. In contrast to this tolerance. They also contribute directly to hepatic. Most dietary fat is resynthesized into triglycerides and. Thus. dietary fat does not increase plasma free fatty acids. Plasma fatty acids. Vitamins and Minerals. Some. nutrients can worsen liver damage. Vitamin A can be hepatotoxic. Small. amounts of vitamin A interacts with other substances, such as endotoxin or. Dietary vitamin A is restricted with hepatic. The liver stores dietary copper and normally excretes it in bile. Copper is ten times higher in dog liver than in human liver. That is not. necessarily a species difference. More than likely the difference reflects. Before dogs. ate commercial pet food, the content of copper in their liver was much lower. The hepatic concentration of copper increased during the. That twenty fold increase results from a dietary. Copper levels in pet food are important because. Chronic toxicity is frequent in dogs. The liver normally excretes copper in. Hepatic disease reduces excretion of copper in bile, and hepatic. Greater copper levels damage the liver further and. It is likely that the increasing. Dietary copper should be. Many. animals with hepatic disease are deficient in zinc. Zinc salts can be given. Zinc is also useful because it competes with copper. Zinc supplements reduce copper absorption. Zinc supplements reduce copper absorption. Vitamins E and K are useful with. Vitamin E protects against lipid peroxidation in cell membranes. Vitamin K is. essential for normal blood clotting which is often abnormal with hepatic. Dogs with hepatic disease can be deficient in ascorbic acid. Dogs. make ascorbic in the liver and it can be deficient with hepatic disease. As an. antioxidant it protects against lipid peroxidation. Pet Food Contaminants The. Diets prepared from wholesome foods accomplish that. As mentioned. earlier, commercial pet foods can be high in endotoxin. Very small amounts are usually. Often these chemicals alone cause no hepatic damage. Management with Drugs Very. If possible, all drugs should. Many drugs can damage the liver and many others require. Hepatic drug conversion requires. Chronic. hepatic inflammation (hepatitis) requires corticosteroid treatment. Cortisone causes hepatic. Thus, when. inflammation disappears corticosteroids are discontinued and any drug damage. Corticosteroids are not given when there is no hepatic. Antibiotics are often useful for managing animals with hepatic. Drugs selected should not require metabolism by the liver. Such. drugs include penicillins and aminoglycosides. Other drugs are sometimes. No other drugs are shown to be. Diet Formulation For Dogs. A diet. containing cottage cheese or tofu and a readily digested starch such as. Fats, preferably animal, are added to enhance palatability and to. Meat is not. recommended since hepatic encephalopathy and shortened survival times are. The protein content of the diet can be as low as 1. As an alternative, meat- free prescription diets. Diets. for hepatic disease are balanced as necessary with vitamin and minerals. With complete. anorexia there is no requirement; with resumption of food intake after a. Such animals should receive a doubled dose of water soluble.
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