Many of us cannot imagine our lives withoutpets. Indeed, animals love us as we are, despite all our shortcomings. They will always wait for us from work and look with devoted eyes.
Someone prefers cats, someone dogs, someonemore exotic animals, and someone keeps houses at the same time several species of animals. Increasingly, the question arises: "Is it worth buying animals a different feed?". It would seem that if you have a dog and two cats live, you can simplify the feeding procedure and feed everyone with the same. In the end, before, everyone in the village was fed the same way, and no one suffered from health problems and did not complain about the quality of food.
It turns out that everything is not so simple:The types and quality of food have changed dramatically over the past few decades. Nowadays, some types of food are useful for some types of animals and at the same time can harm others. So, is it possible to give a dog dry cat food?
Main misconceptions
As a rule, the owners believe that pet food is interchangeable to some extent. The following delusions are:
- All pet foods are about the same, and all the differences are the machinations of unscrupulous marketers. Do you really think so? Look at the composition. Even dog food of different ages and breeds is very different, to say nothing of cat and dog food.
- Cats and dogs are domesticated predators, they rely about the same diet. Well, yes, and children, adults and pensioners are people, butfor some reason they are not recommended. Theoretically, we, of course, can have the same thing, but only an adult may experience: lactose allergy, gastrointestinal problems, protein deficiency and other health problems due to baby food. Animals also have their own characteristics.
- It all depends on how you feed the dog dry cat food: if you take into account the size of a shepherd dog, you just need to give a little more food than a cat. Once again we offer to look at the composition:Cat food contains substances that are not recommended for dogs at all. Is cat food harmful to the dog? Of course, therefore, if you increase the dose, the consequences can be very unpleasant for the health of the animal.
- The animal's body itself knows what it needs and what does not, therefore, if a dog eats cat food, it means that it has a need on a physiological level. Remember how last year your cat aterain from the tree? And how did your little dog eat all the plastic handles and your new shoes? Is it possible for a cat to have dry cat food, because its body believes that it needs it? No comments.
The main differences between cat and dog food
Before you finally decide whether the dogcat dry food, first consider what is the difference between these two seemingly identical products, similar even in smell, texture, color and shape of the granules.
Firstly, the producers tried to take into account the needs and physiological characteristics of animals, so the cat food contains almost twice as much protein as dog food.
Secondly, dog food contains more fiber than cat food. If you feed the dog with cat pellets, the lack of plant enzymes will immediately affect its digestion.
Third, in pet food stronglyThe glucose content varies. This is due to the difference in metabolism: the dog can be fed once or twice a day, while the cat must be fed several times a day in small portions. What can be dangerously sharp increase in blood sugar, everyone already knows.
Cat food is more caloric than dog food. This is due to the fact that its composition includes taurine, which accelerates the elimination of toxins, therefore, the granules themselves contain more fat.
And finally, the cat food has higher acidity. So if your dog has stomach problems, then the answer to the question of whether a cat can have a dry cat food is obvious.
Protein
It would seem that what could be bad in protein? Is it possible to give dogs cat food, despite the high content of protein in it? The question is much more complicated than it might seem at first glance.
When creating food manufacturers try to take into account the protein needs of animals, which vary greatly and depend on factors such as:
- view;
- breed;
- the size;
- age;
- active lifestyle;
- the presence of diseases;
- stress;
- pregnancy;
- castration.
It is known that the need for protein in cats is higher than in dogs. At the same time, an excess of protein in the diet adversely affects animals with kidney disease.
Your dog has kidney failure, and you ask yourself, is it possible to feed the dog with cat food? The consequences of such a diet, unfortunately, will be disappointing for your pet.
Protein Absorption
On the health of a pet affectsnot only the presence in the diet of protein, but also how easily it is absorbed by the body. Comprehensibility is influenced by many factors. For example, you should consider the source of the protein, and at what temperature the product was processed.
As a rule, animal protein is absorbed better,than protein of plant origin. However, there are exceptions, such as soy protein. At the same time, proteins from connective tissue are better absorbed among skeletal muscle proteins among animal proteins.
Given this information, is it possible to feed the catdog dry food? Yes, but it will not bring any benefit. Dog food contains more plant protein, which is practically not absorbed by the feline body. It turns out that the cat will expend internal resources to obtain and digest food, but will not receive any useful substances from it, and, in some cases, even calories (if the level of undigested protein is 50-100%).
With a long stay on a similar diet, your pet may develop: vitamin deficiency, protein deficiency and various gastrointestinal disorders.
Taurine
This substance is included in almost all cat food, but is not part of the food for dogs. Let's see why.
Taurine is vital for cats, becauseIt allows the cat to digest fats in the small intestine. The purring pet's body is not able to produce enough taurine to cover all its needs, therefore, in order to maintain good health of the cat, its diet must include food with a high content of this substance.
The organism of dogs, on the contrary, does not need additional feed with taurine for normal functioning, therefore manufacturers do not include it in the composition of dog food.
Чем же грозит смена рациона?Can a cat be given dog food? With long-term consumption of dog food, the cat will inevitably develop a lack of taurine in the body, which is fraught with degeneration of the retina, impaired cardiovascular system and impaired immunity.
Acidity
The acidity of cat food is higher than that of dog food. In addition, the acidity in the body increases the taurine contained in the cat food.
Can a dog have cat dry food?Taurine increases acidity, so if your dog has problems with the gastrointestinal tract, then such a diet will have a negative impact on your pet: abdominal pain, abnormal stools, appetite disorders and vomiting are possible.
Signs of abuse of cat food
Regular consumption of cat food by a dog can lead to health problems:
- weight problems;
- metabolic disease;
- digestive disorders: diarrhea, vomiting and constipation;
- gastrointestinal diseases: gastritis, gastric ulcer, erosion of the esophagus;
- delayed growth and development of the musculoskeletal system;
- hair loss;
- diabetes development;
- diseases of the kidneys and other internal organs;
- development of allergic reactions.
Some signs may appear far fromimmediately, and after a few years, so do not wait for them to appear and encourage a similar diet of your pet. In this case, we advise you to find out why the dog prefers cat food, eliminate the cause and adjust its food.
Why does a dog eat cat food?
As a rule, if your dog demonstratively refuses his food and goes to the cat's bowl whenever possible, this happens for one of the following reasons:
- the dog constantly overeats, so he can no longer see the usual food;
- the dog "snacks" between the main meals, which also contributes to overeating;
- regular feeding "delicacies", after which the dog can not even look at dry food;
- ordinary dog food looks unappetizing or has a too sharp taste (bitter, salty, spicy, etc.);
- the cat's bowl is too easily accessible, therefore, having eaten, the dog empties her too;
- insufficiently active lifestyle does not allow the dog to burn enough calories, so he has no desire to eat;
- monotonous food contributes to the fact that the dog perceives feline dry food as a kind of delicacy, so he happily refuses his diet in his favor;
- The dog may have health problems and / or a lack of certain vitamins in the body.
Вышеописанные причины следует по возможности eliminate and establish proper nutrition for your dog. Remember, your dog does not understand what kind of food is harmful to him, therefore, to monitor his health and diet is the task of the owner only.
How to wean a dog to eat cat food?
There is no universal recipe, but here are some tips that can help you:
- feed your pets separately and at different times;
- place the cat bowl out of reach of the dog, for example, on the refrigerator;
- do not use cat food as a treat to encourage a dog;
- do not give in to blackmail and do not give the dog cat food, even if it refuses to eat anything else (it gets hungry - eat, do not worry);
- if the dog does not eat anything other than cat food, pour dog food into the cat bowl, but make sure that a similar problem does not arise with your cat.
How to choose a quality feed?
And finally, a little advice on how to choosequality cat and dog food: pay attention to the list of ingredients on the package. The law requires the ingredients to be listed in descending order, but individual manufacturers resort to various tricks: for example, they use only one source of protein, which negatively affects the digestion of the animal and reduces the intake of nutrients.
Another known method:the producer places herbal ingredients separately, at the very end of the list, so buyers often ignore them. Choosing cat food, pay attention to the presence of cereal - they can harm your pet.
