Dr. Carla Hubbard-Erickson
Last month we spoke about pet foods and pet food additives. There
are so many things to address on this subject that I find it very
difficult to choose a definite topic. There is nothing more important
to health - or our pets' - than proper nutrition. Choosing the proper
food for our pets is not as simple as it seems. Just because a food
is made with fresh ingredients, has less or no preservatives, has
the proper nutritional breakdown, or is high in protein or low in
fat does not mean that it is best for your pet. There are factors
involved in this decision that must also involve the individual pet.
I feel we must discuss the health problems that are related to foods.
We will go through a few of the nutritionally related problems that
are seen by veterinarians daily.
Some of the most common problems that may be attributed to food include
skin and coat abnormalities, joint and ligament damage, liver and
kidney diseases, urinary bladder stones and crystals, intestinal upset
or damage.
To be more specific, let's consider these one at a time.
Skin and Coat Abnormalities: In my opinion, this is the most common
problem seen in animals attributable to diet. To begin with, the nutritional
value of the food can cause dry and brittle coat due to the lack of
AVAILABLE nutrition. A food label can say that a food has excellent
nutrition, but if the intestinal tract cannot absorb the nutrients,
it is worthless. Absorption of nutrients can be compromised because
the food itself is made from poorly digestible ingredients, or it
can be compromised because the animal's intestinal tract is unable
to absorb the food properly. The bioavailability of nutrients is not
necessarily listed on the food label and there is no really good way
for the average consumer to know what is usable nutrition and what
is not. I want to focus instead on the health problem that is so under-diagnosed
in my field - food sensitivity or allergy. If an animal is sensitive
to certain foods - or allergic to certain foods (or food ingredients)
skin and coat problems are quite possible.
If you have read previous issues of A Woman's View, you probably
read that allergies in animals show up as skin problems in a large
percentage of cases. While we (people) have hay-fever symptoms when
we inhale allergens, animals more frequently break out on the skin.
This is similar for food allergies. People often show more of an intestinal
symptom with food sensitivity, while animals more often will break
out in a rash, itch excessively, begin to have a nasty odor, lose
hair or have a poor quality hair coat. Even though most of this article
has implied "dog", these things are also usually applicable
to other species as well. If you have a pet that has a recurrent or
untreatable skin condition - PLEASE consider food sensitivity as a
possible cause. The only real way to find out if a pet is sensitive
is to do an allergy test.
This can be quite costly, but in the long run - it is more than beneficial.
Just changing diet is often quite fruitless. Animals can be allergic
to anything from the corn or wheat in a food, to soy or meats or carrots
etc. Please contact our office, or your current veterinarian if you
feel you could have a pet fitting this description.
Joint and Ligament Problems: Obviously, lack of nutrition will cause
a multitude of problems with health. The different problems we are
discussing can all be inter-related, and there is some overlap of
what can cause which symptoms. What I wish to discuss here is actually
"over" nutrition. There is a common misconception that 'more
is better'. Many pet owners will give supplements to excess and find
food that is the highest in protein to feed to their pets. Unfortunately
that is not always the best. While all pets are at risk for problems
with over-nutrition, what we will address here are the joint problems
of dogs - more specifically, large-breed dogs. Too much vitamin D
or too much calcium will definitely cause joint disease in dogs. Many
(not all) breeders of large-breed dogs (German Shepards, Great Danes,
St. Bernards, Laborador retrievers etc…) will recommend that
these dogs need MORE calcium and MORE vitamins than the average dog.
This is not so. Over supplementation of these things is a large part
of hip problems, elbow problems etc. in these animals. These animals
grow so quickly in size that they are already at risk for orthopedic
problems (possibly a future article on this topic). Please contact
your veterinary professional for advise if you have a large-breed
dog - especially a fast growing puppy.
Liver and Kidney Disease: This can overlap with both lack of nutrition
and too much nutrition. Too much protein in the diet is definitely
implicated in kidney and liver problems in dogs and cats. Veterinarians
have felt for a long time that high protein levels are a factor in
kidney failure in cats and dogs. There is a high percentage of older
felines that die of renal failure. These cats are usually fed a high
protein commercial diet for most of their lives. Another unrelated
problem is also attributed to commercial diets being fed for a long
period of time in cats. That is a heart disease known as Hypertrophic
Cardiomyopathy. This is caused by a lack of taurine (an amino acid)
in the cats' diet. Many cat food companies are now addressing this
problem.
Urinary Stones and Crystals: For cats, a very common problem is called
Feline Urologic Syndrome (FUS). Dietary mineral ratios play a major
part in this problem. Dietary ash, calcium, phosphorus and other mineral
ingredients in food are implicated in this problem. This disease causes
cats to form a "grit" in their urine that causes irritation
to the urinary bladder and can cause urinary blockage which is deadly.
While dietary change will help, there is no proof that diet is the
only contributor to this problem. Urinary stone formation (actual
chunks of mineral) can also be attributed to dietary mineral. There
are some types of urinary bladder stones that are not associated with
diet. Your veterinarian will let you know if your pet's problem (if
it has stones) is dietary or not.
Intestinal Upset: This one is a 'gimme''. Of course dietary problems
will cause intestinal upset. This can be due to food sensitivities
and allergies, or due to nutritional value itself. Many of the food
additives and less-than-desirable food ingredients from slaughterhouses
contribute to intestinal upset.
The really frightening thing about all of this is that people are
subject to pretty-much the same thing. With all of our fast food and
junk food diets, people are at high risk for many health problems.
Hopefully these articles will help us all to appreciate the need of
being informed about our nutrition and the nutrition of our pets.
.
Send an Email About This Article