IDENTIFYTHEBASICNEEDSOFFOOD,WATER, ANDSHELTERFORYOURPET
SponsoredbyMudBay
How toChooseHealthy Foods for your Pets
For cats
•
Look for high-quality proteins. Because cats are obligate
carnivores, they need nutrients that are generally only found in
meat, like taurine, certain essential fatty acids and fully-formed
vitaminA (unlikemostmammals, cats can’t synthesize vitaminA
frombeta carotene).
• Choosedigestible carbohydrates inproper proportion.While cats don’t
have a nutritional requirement for carbohydrates, they can use them if they are
highly digestible. If a cat food contains a carbohydrate, as all dry foodsmust, it should
be a highquality source. Cooked rice andbarley are examples of good sources of
carbohydrates for cats.
• Bemindful ofmoisture. Because cats aredesert creatures, they have a tendency to not
drink asmuchwater as they should, in favor of getting their requisitemoisture from the
food they eat. A cat’s diet in thewildwouldbe approximately 78%moisture, whiledry
cat food is only about 10%moisture. If a cat is fedonly dry food, hemay be chronically
dehydrated. Canned and raw foods are about 78%moisture, andmay help to reduce
the health effects associatedwith chronic low-level dehydration.
For dogs
•
Dogs are omnivorous carnivores. Dogs aremembers of the order Carnivora, but that
doesn’tmake them strict carnivores, like cats. Current research indicates that dogs can
eat awide variety of foods, both animal and vegetable, and still be healthy. But dogs
still have a fairly high need for protein.
• Look for high-quality proteins. Proteins can come frombothplant and animal sources.
Raw chicken is about 20percent protein, while a rawgrain, like corn, is only 3percent.
making corn a less desirableprimary food ingredient for dogs than chicken. Chicken
meal, chickenmeat withmost of thewater removed, is about 60percent protein, and
canbe a gooddietary source of protein in adry food.
• Choose nutritious carbohydrates fromwhole grains or vegetables.Most dog foods also
contain some carbohydrate source. Carbohydrates are necessary formakingdry dog
food. Corn, wheat and soy havebeen identified as ingredients thatmay provoke
allergic reactions indogs. However, veterinary nutritionists estimate that only about
one in twenty itchy dogs is actually allergic to any of the ingredients found in high-
quality, natural dog foods. If adog isn’t allergic, then corn, wheat or soy are unlikely
topresent problems. Barley, rice, oats andpotatoes are other excellent carbohydrate
sources.
What’s onmymenu?
Can you figure out
if I am a carnivore,
herbivore, or
omnivore?
Peanut with saladgreens
Adaptations
Adaptations
are skills that animals develop inorder tobe able to survive in
their habitat. An adaptationmay take the formof a
physical
change to the
animal’s body—or itmay be a
behavioral
change tohow an individual
animal acts. Adaptations usually occur in response to an animal’s specific
habitat,meaning that animalswill adapt inways so that they can livewith
theweather, climate and ecosystemof their habitat.
Physical Adaptation
Aphysical adaption is theway that an animal’s body is built to help that
animal survive. For example, somephysical adaptations include flight,
camouflage, andhair. (That’s right—hair is an adaption that helps protect
animals from the cold!)
Behavioral Adaptations
Abehavioral adaptation is theway that an animal behaves inorder to survive.
For example, somebehavioral adaptions include hibernation,migration and
living ingroups. As prey animals, rabbits have adapted their behavior to hide
symptoms of serious illness. This iswhy it’s important topay close attention
to any signs thatmight suggest that your pet is sick.
Rabbits are an example of onepet that canbe kept inside the housebut
that alsohas relatives that live in thewild. In thewild, rabbits naturally live
undergroundwhere temperatures are stable andmoderate, sooutdoor
above-ground living is hardon them. For domestic, or pet rabbits, a small
tomedium rabbit should have a cage that’s at least two feet by four feet.
More room is needed for a larger bunny or for twobunnies.Multi-level
cages provide additional room and exercise for abunny in the same amount
of floor space.Wirebottom cages are uncomfortable for rabbits and can
cause sores. A solid floor cagewith aplastic litter boxworks verywell.
Many pets such as rabbits,mice, snakes and lizards are “crepuscular”
whichmeans they aremost active at dawn anddusk. Theymay alsobe
quite activeduring the night. This is abehavioral adaptation. If you have a
pet that is crepuscular,make sure you respect their natural circadian rhythm
and spend timewith your animal when it’s awake and active—during the
mornings and evenings.
Indoor vs. outdoor pets
Although youmay feel guilty about keeping your pet indoors, remember that your pet is a
domesticated animal and not awild animal. By keeping your pet indoors, you are saving them
fromdiseases (such as those that theymight contract fromother sick animals). Unsupervised
cats outdoorsmay be exposed to viruses (such as feline immunodeficiency virus—FIVor feline
leukemia—FeLV), parasites, poisons such as rodenticides and antifreeze, or get into fightswith
other cats.
If youdo let your animal outside,make sure he or she is in a confined spacewhere you can
watchover himor her or that he or she has a leashon. In fact,many cities inKingCountry
have leash laws. Thismeans that your petmust be leashedor controlled in some other way
by its owner any time that it is outside of apersonal apartment or living space.
If you guessed
herbivore, you
were right!
SponsoredNewspapers InEducationContent
| SUNDAY,
OCTOBER9, 2016
3
