Veterinary food for a dog / cat: which one to choose? [Lek wet Piotr Smentek
Veterinary feed
When deciding on a pet animal, i.e. usually a dog or a cat, we take on numerous obligations resulting not only from their maintenance and ensuring appropriate conditions for a good life, but also we take full responsibility for possible treatment when the disease occurs, which will involve considerable financial expenses.
We all would like to have only healthy, beautiful-looking animals and only go to veterinary clinics in the event of preventive vaccinations.
In civilized Western countries, owning a pet is treated as a manifestation of high social status, a kind of "luxury", which not always and not everyone can afford.
Keeping an animal simply costs money, which must be carefully included in the monthly household budget.
Of course, in the case of a healthy young dog, we only spend money on prophylaxis, immunization or ready-made dog food, which is often not an expense exceeding the financial capacity of an average citizen.
But what if a disease occurs?
More than once in my practice I have encountered a very sad approach to animals, which was reflected in the change of treatment at the onset of the disease.
Then the dog or kitten ceased to be a mascot, a favorite "family friend " and became an unnecessary, costly ballast, a kind of burden, which was often the reason for the decision to euthanize.
It does not always have to be this way and you can help your sick person many times through appropriate treatment but also proper nutrition.
Maybe we will not cure many diseases and we will have to deal with them for the rest of our lives, which does not mean that we should not take any measures to improve the quality of life or ensure the comfort of being ill.
This is exactly what the treatment supports by using an appropriate, carefully selected one veterinary feed supporting treatment a given disease entity.
About specialized, purposefully selected and targeted methods treatment through nutrition will be this article.
- What is veterinary food?
- When to use veterinary food?
- What veterinary food to choose?
- Veterinary pet food analysis: what to look for?
- Kama for a dog and a cat with a diseased liver
- Kama for dogs and cats with kidney failure
- What standards must the veterinary food meet?
- How much is veterinary food?
What is veterinary food?
What is veterinary food? Animals suffer from various diseases which the frequency increases with the age of the dog or cat.
Most of these diseases are identical to those occurring in humans, which probably should not surprise anyone, after all, dogs and cats are also mammals.
They refer to the same organs and organs, working ineffectively over time and showing signs of failure over time.
Well-known pathophysiological mechanisms, stages of development, disease progression and developed treatment methods are often transferred and adapted to our animals.
Of course, it takes into account the specific features of a dog or cat's body, its individual metabolic pathways and individual characteristics.
Today, many diseases, especially systemic ones, are approached comprehensively and we do not limit ourselves only to administering drugs, i.e. targeted causal treatment, but also take all other actions to improve treatment and support the sick body.
One of the methods of helping the system to supplement the therapeutic process is proper nutrition, which turns out to be a great help in the fight against the disease.
Our ancestors knew perfectly well what should be eaten in a specific disease a long time ago, that is:
what to eat to help yourself?
The animals were taken care of a little less then.
Today, fortunately, a lot has changed in this matter, which is reflected in well-known nutritional needs in a given, specific disease entity.
We know perfectly well what is wrong in the body and how to help a sick dog and cat through specific treatment and selected nutrition.
Specialized veterinary feeds they must therefore take into account those changed as a result of the disease physiological conditions in the body as well as current energy demand along with the changed demand for basic and additional ingredients.
This is what the specific is for veterinary feed.
Generally speaking, veterinary feeds are a kind of tribute to food companies, satisfying the needs of owners of sick animals suffering from various diseases, providing the most optimal nutrition supporting the disease control process.
Thus, they support the process of traditional treatment and convalescence.
For this to happen, however, they must contain strictly defined ingredients specially selected for each disease entity.
Produce specialized diet requires the producer to first know very precisely the needs of the animal in a given disease entity, which in turn allows you to select the appropriate proportions of the ingredients.
Because here it is not enough to know that the component "A " works favorably, but you also have to use it in the right amount and proportion with others. Composing effective veterinary diet is not an easy task.
Many sick pet owners attempt to treat themselves through home-made food.
Today, we can find a lot of information, for example, on the Internet, which is a kind of mine of knowledge.
But is it enough??
Or maybe even the most reliable knowledge is still a bit too little?
Remember that not only a beneficial ingredient does matter but also his interaction with others present in karma:
hence it is often better to trust the ready one veterinary feed, than trying to modify your nutrition yourself.
Veterinary feed are targeted at a given disease entity or group of diseases and only then can they bring the desired effect.
It can be said that they are maintenance foods in relation to the nutrition of our pet in a specific disease entity.
Therefore, they are specialized nutrition, not replacing proper treatment, but significantly supporting it. Veterinary foods work synergistically with prescribed medications and can sometimes reduce the amount of medications administered (e.g. hypoallergenic veterinary food used in pruritic skin diseases).
Term "veterinary feed "Is therefore a kind of mental shortcut encompassing food dedicated to animals in specific disease entities.
So we can see perfectly well that the so-called. Veterinary pet food can be of great help in the treatment process of:
- support them,
- eliminate symptoms,
- improve the quality of life,
- prevent negative effects associated with the disease (e.g. cachexia or emaciation),
- extend the life of sick animals.
When to use veterinary food?
When to use veterinary food? As I already wrote, veterinary feed are a specialized method of nutritional improvement of the treatment process. It is absolutely forbidden to use them alone without consulting a veterinarian.
Many animal keepers may think that it is "just food" and we will not do any harm to the animal by choosing the wrong food.
Such a belief may be deceptive because we must remember that food prescribed by a vet we use for a long time.
Although a single portion of food will not cause any harm (maybe with the exception of diarrhea in sensitive animals), but when we start feeding the animal for a long time with the wrong food, the distant effects may be noticeable.
Even ignoring financial considerations, let's remember that Veterinary feed will always be more expensive than the usual domestic food due to its different composition.
Therefore, I strongly advise you not to use such food on your own, relying only on the unconfirmed suspicion of a disease, because you will not get the expected effect.
We always use this type of food after a veterinary consultation, preceded by a diagnosis and a reliable diagnosis, which is also associated with the developed treatment.
Without recognition, the use of veterinary food, even in the best of faith, is simply a mistake to be avoided.
We also always have to observe the animal very carefully to see how new, expensive food will be taken.
It may seem prosaic, but in order for us to notice the nutritional effect, the food must be eaten by the animal.
Also, do not expect an immediate effect of the changed nutrition, which you usually have to wait for about 2 months.
What veterinary food to choose?
What food to choose? There is no one general and universal veterinary diet adjusted to each animal, because even if a dog and a cat suffer from the same disease, their diets, although similar, will differ.
Although we have feeds that can be helpful in certain groups of diseases (e.g. diets in skin diseases or diets in neoplastic diseases), but in most cases the diet is dedicated to a given disease entity.
And so we can distinguish depending on the company:
- slimming food,
- gastro veterinary food used in the case of food intolerance,
- food for dermatological problems,
- food for dogs and cats with kidney problems,
- Veterinary feed to support the heart,
- convalescence diets,
- feed for diseases of the joints,
- feed for diabetes,
- food for animals with a diseased liver,
- diets for older animals,
- digestive aids,
- food for pancreatic diseases,
- veterinary food used in diseases of the urinary system,
- diet supporting stress therapy,
- feed for dental problems,
- veterinary food for a puppy,
- feed in neoplastic diseases.
Of course, often in a given group of feeds there are also divisions into individual disease entities because, as we can see, the grouping of diseases is rather general.
For example, in frequently occurring diseases of the urinary system we can have various types of crystals present in the urine and it depends on what specific food we should choose (e.g. karma Hills Urinary Care C / D, Hills Urinary care U / D if Hills Urinary Care S / D, each for a different type of stones).
The more specialized and targeted a food is for a given disease, the better its healing effect is.
In connection with what I emphasize once again, we must absolutely to have an unambiguous diagnosis based on any additional tests available (in this case, for example, a urine test) for the food to be effective.
Producers usually introduce developed pet food recipes on the market for the most statistically occurring disease entities or groups of diseases so that the production of such pet food and the costs incurred, for example related to research, pay off.
So we do not expect to get karma that is good and adapted to each diagnosis.
It is difficult to imagine a situation when, for example, for a less common disease, such as symmetrical alopecia, we find a specifically selected karma.
We can always use "more general " in such a situation dermatological feed improving the condition of the skin and hair. When looking for food for our pet, let's not focus only on one company.
Today there are many entrepreneurs introducing animal food to the market and even if one does not produce a given food, it is worth trying with another. It is also worth checking out smaller producers, who often offer really good quality pet food.
Each one veterinary feed, being a "specialist product" it contains specially selected ingredients in the right amount and proportion, so as to maximally improve the body in a given health problem.
It is impossible to discuss all types in detail, so I will focus on one exemplary type, bearing in mind that for each karma it is similar.
Veterinary pet food analysis: what to look for?
Veterinary pet food analysis: what to look for? Kama for a dog and a cat with a diseased liver
Animals suffering from various kinds liver disease they should eat specialized hepatic diet.
One of them is veterinary liver food Royal canine Hepatic, that is complete food for dogs and cats suffering from liver diseases.
This karma composed by specialists is intended exclusively for feeding a sick dog, to whom we should not add anything else to food except drinking water. There is no need to provide additional vitamins for dogs and cats.
Contains highly digestible vegetable protein better tolerated by sick dogs (protein is broken down in the liver, which causes by-products that must be metabolized and processed by the liver, which is associated with work).
Importantly, its content has been lowered copper that is, an element that can accumulate in the liver, leading to its further damage and progressive failure.
The antioxidants present in food help fight free radicals, which are believed to have a detrimental effect on cells and tissues as well as the aging process.
High level of energy available in a small volume of the cane that makes up the food allows you to meet the needs of the animal without too much burdening the stomach.
The company's secret is also used in the production process flavor attractants i.e. substances that encourage the pooch to eagerly eat food, considering often worse appetite in liver diseases.
It is all enriched vitamin complex: A, E, D and elements (iron, manganese, zinc, iodine, selenium) in strictly developed and calculated amounts by dietitians.
The packaging of each food also includes detailed information on the recommended daily doses that the animal should receive depending on its weight and condition.
And although for many the amount of feed may seem small (small volume), I suggest to stick to it unconditionally, possibly introducing slight modifications resulting, for example, from an active lifestyle and intense exercise.
Such feeds are, as I have already mentioned, highly energetic and concentrated, which allows them to be served often in small amounts.
The given, for example, veterinary food dedicated to animals with liver diseases has its "counterparts " similar products, in other competing companies, which allows you to change the nutrition in a situation when a dog or cat does not want to eat it.
Here we follow the full rules for changing food so as not to cause gastrointestinal disturbances.
Kama for dogs and cats with kidney failure
Another example is the veterinary food used for chronic renal failure, which is common in older animals.
So let's focus on the most important dietary assumptions that should be met by such a feed.
The goal of nutrition will therefore be minimizing catabolic processes through the appropriate balancing energy derived from proteins, which lowers the concentration urea and creatinine.
In kidney failure, it is these two main metabolic substances that are responsible for the adverse symptoms azoemiasis.
Although we do not have specific recommendations regarding protein content in the diet, it was assumed that in the case of concentration creatinine above 2.5 mg / 100 ml and BOOM at the level 65-80 mg / dL belongs:
- limit the supply of protein with food,
- improve the quality of protein ingested,
- balance the level of fats and carbohydrates.
Dogs suffering from chronic renal failure are in a state of catabolism, therefore it is recommended that the food be included 12-48% easily digestible proteins.
In cats, the recommendations speak of 20% energy what should come from proteins.
Additionally, it is recommended reduce the concentration of omega 6 fatty acids in the diet and increase omega 3 considered to inhibit disease processes.
Renal impairment leads to insufficient excretion phosphorus and hyperphosphatemia and secondary hyperparathyroidism.
Chronic renal failure is a disease that we are unable to cure, but by using appropriate nutrition, we can delay its progress as much as possible and thus extend the patient's life.
Properly composed food is an amazing support for traditional treatment, which you absolutely must not give up.
What standards must the veterinary food meet?
What standards must the veterinary food meet? Since, as we have already written veterinary feed is specialist feed, developed in detail and selected for a given disease entity or group of problems, it is obvious that the standards it corresponds to are rigorous.
Firstly the composition of the feed must be reproducible for each of the commercially available batch sizes.
It can't contain random ingredients that are always changed, but it must be manufactured from well-known and defined ingredients.
It is subject to composition analysis in the manufacturer's laboratory.
The general rule states that each ingredient must be easy to identify (we must know where it comes from) and have an appropriate, high quality.
So it is not possible, as some sometimes claim, to produce specialized food from just any semi-finished products or animals that have died as a result of infectious diseases and cannot be used otherwise.
Nobody would indulge in such reckless and risky action.
Feed production establishments must have relevant certificates confirming the introduction and, above all, the application of approved quality procedures in practice.
They are also strict veterinary control carried out by the Veterinary Inspection.
All these activities are aimed at ensuring the highest quality of the manufactured product, thus conditioning its proper dietary action.
Therefore, by using specialized veterinary feeds from well-known European companies, we can be sure that we will not cause any harm to the animal, and the money we spend will certainly not be thrown down the drain.
How much is veterinary food?
Probably no one will be surprised by the fact that specialized veterinary feeds are more expensive from typical, commercial maintenance foods intended for healthy dogs and cats.
The ingredients used in their production are selected, specially selected, factories must meet high standards, and the recipes must be developed by nutritionists, which of course must translate into higher karma cost.
On the other hand, we can be sure that we get the highest quality product, which, when used in accordance with the manufacturer's recommendations, will improve the treatment process of a given disease entity.
Prices, of course, depend on the weight and place of purchase (it is cheaper in online stores).
They hesitate anyway from twenty several zlotys per kg of feed when buying a bag 7 kg and a dozen or so zlotys (e.g. PLN 15 - PLN 17) per kg when purchasing the basis weight 14 kg the same karma.
The smaller the packaging, the more expensive the purchase (per kg).
So we can buy a large bag for two hundred dozen zlotys (14 kg), smaller 7 kg behind one hundred and fifty zlotys.
Of course, the prices I give are approximate and depend on the type of food and the place of purchase.
Nevertheless, we can perfectly see that they are higher than ordinary feed for a dozen or several dozen zlotys for a bag purchased in a supermarket.
Summary
Veterinary food for dogs Specialized veterinary feeds constitute a fairly large group of products permanently entrenched in the animal products market.
They are a perfect complement to pharmacological treatment, best meeting the needs of a sick individual.
They complement and thus complete the process of recovery.
It is definitely worth using them considering all their advantages.
Even a higher price should not deter us from buying because a large bag will not be eaten quickly and will last for a long time.
In the event of a disease, it is worth doing everything you can to provide the person under his care, who is often treated as a family member, the most comprehensive treatment procedure.
Adequate nutrition seems to be the best solution here.
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