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Commercial Pet Foods 161

chews. About half of these dog owners give their dogs treats
Table 8-1. Daily intake of calcium, phosphorus, vitamin A
VetBooks.ir their dogs five to six times per week.The pet typically receives commercial dry pet food.*
every day; on average, these respondents provide treats for
and vitamin D by an adult dog or cat consuming a typical
two treats per treating occasion. Providing pets with treats
continues to increase significantly; 88% of dog owners, 65% of Dog MDR**
Average intake
cat owners and 73% of bird owners provide their pets with Calcium (mg/kg/day) 25 74
Phosphorus (mg/kg/day) 19 54
treats (PetPlace.com, 2006).
Vitamin A (IU/kg/day) 23 67
Pet owners and those taking and interpreting a dietary histo- Vitamin D (IU/kg/day) 2.3 11
ry can easily ignore the variable contribution of treats to the Cat
Calcium (mg/kg/day) 41 70
daily nutrient intake. As a generalization, dietary balance is
Phosphorus (mg/kg/day) 36 67
maintained when less than 10% of the daily intake consists of Vitamin A (IU/kg/day) 46 121
table scraps or treats and the remainder is a prepared food that Vitamin D (IU/kg/day) 4.5 9.1
Key: MDR = minimum daily requirements.
is complete and balanced. At low levels, treats can be consid-
*Adapted from Kallfelz FA, Dzanis DA. Overnutrition: An
ered nutritionally trivial except in certain medical conditions. epidemic problem in pet animal practice? Veterinary Clinics
Excessive feeding of treats interferes with normal appetite and of North America: Small Animal Practice 1989; 19: 433-446.
**From Nutrient Requirements of Dogs and Nutrient
dietary balance and can contribute to obesity. Inappropriate use
Requirements of Cats. National Academy of Sciences,
of treats might include when: 1) the quantity consumed exceeds Washington, DC: National Academy Press, 1985, 1986.
the manufacturer’s recommendation, 2) the pet has a high
intake of cream,meat,organ tissues and processed human foods
and 3) up to 20% of the daily energy requirement is provided is unnecessary. The study also found that dogs and cats con-
by treats used for dental benefits. suming commercial dry rations were ingesting from two to five
An increasingly popular treat form is dried animal tissues times the daily allowance of vitamins (Table 8-1). Thus, the
(e.g., bovine penis, tail, tendon or hoof and pig’s ears) (Figure need for routine supplemental vitamins is questionable at best
8-5). Dried animal tissue treats are more than 85% protein, when dogs and cats eat a typical commercial pet food. For preg-
which often are characterized by a high-collagen content of low nancy, lactation and growth, all-purpose or specific-purpose
biologic value. growth pet foods contain adequate nutrient levels; supplemen-
Treats can be part of the dietary management of obesity, dia- tation for these physiologic conditions is unnecessary.
betes mellitus, urolithiasis, cardiac failure, renal failure and Fat supplements provide a concentrated source of calories
adverse reactions to foods when used under medical supervision and essential fatty acids. Corn, safflower, canola and sunflower
and when the nutrient profile of the treats is compatible with oils mix easily with food and provide a cost-effective source of
the appropriate veterinary therapeutic food. additional linoleic acid. Commercially available fatty acid
supplements emphasize linoleic acid, gamma-linolenic acid
Supplements and mixtures of various omega-3 fatty acids (eicosapentaenoic
Supplements are different from treats, although the terms are and docosahexaenoic acid). The usual objective for fat or fatty
sometimes used interchangeably.Treats are nutritionally trivial, acid supplementation is to increase caloric intake or to
but supplements are very concentrated nutrient modules. The improve a pet’s coat. However, specific fatty acids are benefi-
proper role of a supplement is to correct a diagnosed nutrient cial in certain disease conditions and are used in foods
deficiency. Unfortunately, many supplements are overused and designed for those diseases.
present some risk for abuse and toxicosis. Various herbs and yeasts have been advocated for flea control
The most common form of veterinary supplements is a wide but these products have no demonstrated efficacy (Baker and
variety of vitamin and vitamin-mineral combinations that are Farver, 1983). Human health foods are also used to supplement
used by 10% of animal owners (Slater et al, 1995). Mineral and pet foods. These items include sea salt, kelp, algae, lecithin,
electrolyte supplements include calcium, phosphorus, sodium, chelated minerals, enzymes and probiotic digestants of enteric
potassium, magnesium, iron and zinc. Protein and amino acid microorganisms (Chapter 5). These items are sometimes used
supplements (including taurine) are also common but should in homemade foods or provided by owners who take these sup-
only complement the base food in situations of repletion feeding. plements themselves.
Routine use of vitamin-mineral supplements is not needed The correct use of supplements is based on a diagnosis of a
when a dog or cat eats typical commercial pet food. One study nutrient deficiency. Unfortunately, supplements are commonly
evaluated the daily calcium and phosphorus intake of adult used as “insurance” against suspected deficient intake. They
dogs and cats consuming an average dry commercial pet food may also be used when super-supplementation of a particular
compared with the daily-recommended allowances for these nutrient is perceived as a need. In the first case, a more effec-
animals (Table 8-1) (Kallfelz and Dzanis, 1989). In dogs, aver- tive, less costly and safer approach is to simply exchange the
age calcium and phosphorus intakes were almost three times suspect food and its corrective supplement for a food that is
the daily allowance, whereas in cats, intakes were 65 to 75% nutritionally adequate. The super-supplementation approach
above the allowance. This finding suggests that supplementa- creates risk for toxicosis or dietary imbalance and can violate
tion of normal commercial foods with calcium and phosphorus the treatment principle of “Above All, Do No Harm.”