THE FOOD PYRAMID
At the base of the dog’s food pyramid, as it is for the man, there is water: it can be 40 to 80% of an animal weight. For this reason, always provide plenty of water to your dog and renew it as often as possible, especially if the dog is fed with dry food.
On the second step of the pyramid we find carbohydrates, which are mainly used to supply energy. They are carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen – based chemical compounds, which are classified in monosaccharides, disaccharides and polysaccharides. Some polysaccharides, called “fibres”, are not digested, and therefore they do not supply energy, but ferment and help the intestine transit keeping the colon tract healthy.
The third step is dwelled by proteins, which can be considered as the “bricks” of the living beings’ body. The proteins are made of smaller compounds called aminoacids. The main aminoacids are 20 (recently other have been discovered) and some of them are called “essential” because they cannot be constructed by the body but must be taken through food. In the case of dogs, essential aminoacids are ten and are called arginine, istidine, isoleucine, leucine, lisine, metionine, fenilalanine, treonine, triptophane and valine.
In the dog’s nutrition, meat is the main source of proteins, but fish and eggs are good sources of proteins too. Animal derived proteins are called noble proteins because of their higher content of essential aminoacids. The percentage of proteins needed by the dog varies according to the age (puppies and young dogs have to take higher quantities), their healthy conditions, their physiological periods (pregnancy increases a lot the protein need) and above all the dog’s life style.
On the fourth step of the food pyramid there are lipids, classified as fats (if solid) and oils (if liquid). Lipids, as well as carbohydrates, supply energy: but they provide a double quantity of calories and they are often stored as real "stock" to use at appropriate time. Among the fat and oil functions are the capability to create the suitable micro-environment for absorbing liposoluble vitamins (A, D, E and K), to be the main element of cellular membrane, to contribute to the development of the nerve tissues and retina tissue, to keep skin and fur healthy and to be part in several and complex biochemical mechanisms among which it is important to mention the aggregation process of platelets. Not all lipids are produced by the body: they are the so-called essential fatty acids (EFA) which must be taken through nutrition.
On the fifth step of the pyramid we find the family of minerals with important functions. They can be divided in macro-minerals (of which the dog has to take some grams per day) and micro-minerals (of which very small quantities are enough). Among macro-minerals are calcium, phosphorus, potassium, sodium, chlorine and magnesium, whereas among micro-minerals are iron, zinc, copper, manganese, selenium, Iodium.
Vitamins are on top of the pyramid.
As you can see on the pages devoted to our products, Dog Performance is a complete and balanced food which provides the dog with a perfect balancing of the different pyramid components, supplying – through various formulas – appropriate protein portions required at different age and life conditions.
On the second step of the pyramid we find carbohydrates, which are mainly used to supply energy. They are carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen – based chemical compounds, which are classified in monosaccharides, disaccharides and polysaccharides. Some polysaccharides, called “fibres”, are not digested, and therefore they do not supply energy, but ferment and help the intestine transit keeping the colon tract healthy.
The third step is dwelled by proteins, which can be considered as the “bricks” of the living beings’ body. The proteins are made of smaller compounds called aminoacids. The main aminoacids are 20 (recently other have been discovered) and some of them are called “essential” because they cannot be constructed by the body but must be taken through food. In the case of dogs, essential aminoacids are ten and are called arginine, istidine, isoleucine, leucine, lisine, metionine, fenilalanine, treonine, triptophane and valine.
In the dog’s nutrition, meat is the main source of proteins, but fish and eggs are good sources of proteins too. Animal derived proteins are called noble proteins because of their higher content of essential aminoacids. The percentage of proteins needed by the dog varies according to the age (puppies and young dogs have to take higher quantities), their healthy conditions, their physiological periods (pregnancy increases a lot the protein need) and above all the dog’s life style.
On the fourth step of the food pyramid there are lipids, classified as fats (if solid) and oils (if liquid). Lipids, as well as carbohydrates, supply energy: but they provide a double quantity of calories and they are often stored as real "stock" to use at appropriate time. Among the fat and oil functions are the capability to create the suitable micro-environment for absorbing liposoluble vitamins (A, D, E and K), to be the main element of cellular membrane, to contribute to the development of the nerve tissues and retina tissue, to keep skin and fur healthy and to be part in several and complex biochemical mechanisms among which it is important to mention the aggregation process of platelets. Not all lipids are produced by the body: they are the so-called essential fatty acids (EFA) which must be taken through nutrition.
On the fifth step of the pyramid we find the family of minerals with important functions. They can be divided in macro-minerals (of which the dog has to take some grams per day) and micro-minerals (of which very small quantities are enough). Among macro-minerals are calcium, phosphorus, potassium, sodium, chlorine and magnesium, whereas among micro-minerals are iron, zinc, copper, manganese, selenium, Iodium.
Vitamins are on top of the pyramid.
As you can see on the pages devoted to our products, Dog Performance is a complete and balanced food which provides the dog with a perfect balancing of the different pyramid components, supplying – through various formulas – appropriate protein portions required at different age and life conditions.
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