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There is some fascinating
research going on the shows how critical nutrition is to the health of a
dog or cat.
We are gaining new insight
into the nutritional needs of pets every year. Research into the
nutritional needs of young animals is especially interesting.
 Newborn puppies and kittens
lack certain pancreatic enzymes and intestinal enzymes that are part of
the digestive process in adult pets. The muscle layer of the small
intestine is also about 50% thinner. Puppies and kittens are specialized
to digest lactose (milk sugar). They cannot digest table sugar (sucrose)
or maltose in a homemade milk replacement formula. In addition, the
mother's first milk, or colostrum, is rich in protein,
immunoglobulins (antibiotics against disease), hormones and other
substances which promote development of ht GI tract. Without getting
colostrum from their mom, the intestinal mass does not double during the
first 24 hours of life as it should, but instead grows much more slowly.
Young puppies and kittens
should increase their body-weight by about 10% each day. If they can't get
enough milk from the dam, they need a specialized milk replacer made for
this purpose, as they cannot digest other types of nutrients. They need
milk sugar, milk fat and milk protein.
From the third week to the
seventh week of life there is a decrease in milk intake and three-fold in
crease in solid food intake. By three weeks of
 age
the intestinal wall thickness will double to facilitate the passage of
solid food. The pancreas starts making digestive enzymes. The normal
bacterial inhabitants of the intestinal tract begin to grow and establish
themselves. In dogs, the amount of the different digestive enzymes will
vary depending on the diet a puppy or dog is eating, because dogs are
adaptable omnivores. Cats are predators and their enzyme balance is more
fixed.
Dogs are unique species in
that the adult body size of different breeds varies so much - from a two
pound teacup poodle to a 200 pound mastiff. Small breed puppies may have
two to three times the energy needs of larger puppies per pound of their
body weight. In other words, big puppies need less energy per pound.
Excessive amounts of calories in large breed puppies ca lead to early
obesity or skeletal abnormalities.
Conversely, a study
comparing the protein needs of miniature poodle puppies to Great Dan
Puppies showed that the large Great Dane pups needed higher protein
levels. The poodles had normal growth rates and normal blood chemistry
values when fed a puppy diet containing 21% protein, but the Great Dane
pups, though their growth rates were normal, had low serum albumin levels
and red blood cell counts. So, small puppies need more energy density but
less protein in their diet.
Even more interesting is a
study that showed Labrador retriever pups needed 50% more of the amino
acid methionine than did the same age beagle pups. Proteins are made of
amino acids. Not only do animals and humans need protein in our diets but
we have requirements for certain specific amino acids too. It is
interesting that two breeds of dogs in the same species can have very
different protein needs. In the future, we may see pet foods manufactured
to meet the special needs of particular breeds.
Because their growth rates
are different, as well as their needs for energy density and protein in
the diet, it is no longer recommended that owners feed the same puppy food
regardless of the breed or size of their puppy. Larger breeds need a
formula made to meet their requirements and to prevent bone and joint
problems later on. Feeding adult dog or cat foods to puppies and kittens
is also not appropriate.
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