Everybody needs the right nutrients, micro- and macroelements and vitamins in order to function well. Such elements can be provided by an adequately nutritious diet. Due to their conformation, way of life or natural adaptations, dogs and humans have quite different nutrient requirements, so a dog will not be nourished in the right way if it eats out of your lunch instead of its complete dog food. Find out what the differences in nutrient requirements are in the human and dog body.
What are nutrients?
Nutrients are essential for the growth and development of the body in order to maintain cell structure and function. They can be obtained from a number of sources, which include plant sources, vitamins and minerals. The main tasks of nutrients, in both humans and animals, are to provide energy, form tissues or regulate bodily processes. We can divide them into 3 groups: carbohydrates, proteins and fats, each group having its own specific function and recommended in different proportions, for different organisms.
Can a dog eat the same as a human? Definitely not. Anatomical, physiological or lifestyle differences determine quite different nutritional requirements of these species. Learn about these differences and find out what a healthy diet for a dog and a human should look like.
Basic nutrient requirements of humans
The human body requires many different types of nutrients. Macronutrients are the main source of nutrition for the body. These include carbohydrates, fats and proteins. They provide energy and nutrients in a form that the body can process with moderate effort. Micronutrients are compounds that the body cannot produce but must be obtained from external sources such as fruit, vegetables and cereals. These foods also provide the body with energy but require more effort to process and digest than macronutrients.
Trace elements are a category of substances that most people do not get enough of because of their small amounts in food sources. These include essential minerals such as iron or zinc, which play an important role in maintaining vital functions such as oxygen transport in cells or DNA synthesis.
The needs of the human body largely depend on its age and stage of life. Therefore, in people over 65, they differ significantly from those of previous decades of life.
It can be said that every product we consume on a daily basis provides us with certain nutrients. Some of them have a high content of necessary and healthy compounds for our organism, while others are highly processed and do not provide us with anything nutritional, except perhaps a taste sensation. The right diet, adapted to our requirements, lifestyle and taste preferences, will enable us to enjoy good health for a long time. So what should be included in our daily meals?
- Water
- Meat – preferably lean poultry
- Wholegrain cereal products
- Oily sea fish
- Dairy products
- Vegetables and fruit
- Nuts and seeds
- Legumes
- Vegetable oils
- Herbal infusions, coffee, tea
- Basic nutrient requirements in the dog
When it comes to the health of dogs, there are significant differences in nutrient requirements relative to human nutrition. Different breeds of four-legged dogs have different nutritional needs, and feeding them food to which they are not accustomed can lead to certain medical conditions. For this reason, many dog guardians choose to feed specialised food instead of feeding dry dog food alone.
To check whether your dog is getting enough vitamins, you need to compare the nutrients in his food with the minimum daily requirements for dogs set out by FEDIAF (European Association of Companion Animal Food Manufacturers).
Your dog’s food should, of course, be sufficiently rich in fats, protein and carbohydrates. The minimum fat content of dog food is above 5.5g for an adult dog and 8.5g for a puppy, per 100g of dry food weight.
Protein requirements in dogs depend on a number of factors: age, physical activity, physiological state or disease. As can easily be predicted, puppies or pregnant and lactating bitches have a much higher requirement for this component. Also in sick, malnourished animals, the protein supply should be higher than in the average dog’s diet. Highly active dogs, on the other hand, in general tend to have a higher caloric requirement for all nutrients, so automatically protein is supplied with an adjusted amount of food. Protein is the main building block in the body and is responsible for maintaining the protein balance anabolic processes were compensated.
Where to get protein from in the dog’s diet?
For our four-legged friends, animal protein is much better absorbed than vegetable protein. Their digestive tract is adapted to digest and break down this component quickly. For this reason, it is worth paying attention to the selection of high-quality dog food – both dry and wet – so that its composition is rich in all the necessary nutrients, as well as vitamins. The highest meat content in the formulation is usually distinguished by grain-free dog foods.
Carbohydrates are a contentious topic when it comes to feeding dogs. However, in practice, it is the case that virtually every set of dog food contains carbohydrates and there is nothing wrong with that. Wet food tends to have less of them than dry food, due to the manufacturing process and the proportion of ingredients in the formulation, and in the case of wet food, the source of carbohydrates is usually vegetables and fruit. Carbohydrates, just like in humans, provide energy for the dog, so let’s not be afraid of them, but give them in the right amounts. In excess, as with everything, they can be harmful.
What are the differences in nutrient requirements between humans and dogs?
All of the nutrients listed are essential for the proper functioning of organs and the development of the body, as are minerals.
Calcium and phosphorus are responsible for healthy bones and teeth. Magnesium, potassium and sodium are responsible for the correct functioning of muscles and nerve connections. Many other minerals, such as iodine, selenium, manganese and copper, are necessary for the correct biological processes in the body of a pets dog. The assimilability of minerals is also determined by the fibre (fibre) content of the food. Deficiencies or excesses of these components will result in serious disorders of the body.
Here are some key differences in nutritional requirements between humans and dogs:
- Dogs produce only small amounts of vitamin C from food sources, whereas humans can produce more from their food sources through a process called synthesis.
- Dogs need larger amounts of many vitamins per kg of body weight than we do because they have a faster metabolic rate (due to their constant level of activity). For example, in one day a dog can use up to 5 times more vitamin B-6 than a human would need in the same 24 hours.
- Dogs feel a greater need to provide them with protein and fat than humans, but fewer carbohydrates. They also need more vitamin D, B6, B12, copper, niacin (B3), zinc and calcium than humans.
- Dogs have lower needs for micronutrients such as vitamins A, E and K compared to humans.
- The different carbohydrate requirements are mainly due to the fact that there is no amylase in the dog’s saliva, which in humans is responsible for the initial digestion while still in the mouth, and therefore saliva does not have the function of hydrolysing starch into maltose in the end.
What dog and human nutrition have in common is moderation and common sense. For both dogs and humans, it is essential that the diet is rich in the right amount of nutrients. A different amount of calories and vitamins will be needed by an active person than by a typical couch potato. It works the same way in dogs. It is important that the dog is fed a diet containing the right proportions of nutrients and minerals.
The structure of the digestive system, as well as the metabolism, is completely different in humans and dogs. Therefore, we should take care to choose the right food for our pet, as leftovers from our dinner will certainly not be a good choice. For some, mono-protein dog food may be better, and for others, a light diet if the dog is overweight.
