Content
- Each one with their food
- too many calories
- Our friends proteins
- Malnutrition for the dog
- Risks to your dog's health
This is a question asked by many owners who have both types of animals at home. The answer is that doing it once by chance doesn't happen at all, however, if a dog shares the same diet as a cat for the long term, this is not correct and could be harmful to his health.
Apparently cat food is like dog food, but its content is not the same. Likewise, dogs and cats have different needs in many ways, especially nutritionally, and cat food is not made to care for and protect your body type.
To learn more about the answer to the question, dogs can eat cat foodo, we invite you to read this article by Animal Expert where we explain the reasons why it is not good to give cat food to your dog.
Each one with their food
Try not to mix foods. Feed your puppy food made for him, this way you will avoid any health problems. Remember that everything starts with our food and that includes our pets. Puppies love to collect and look for food that is not theirs, even when they are not hungry.
If you leave the cat's food in sight, it will be difficult for the dog to resist. To prevent this from happening, feed your pets in different places, and you can even place your cat's food at a height where your dog cannot see or reach it. Make sure each pet eats its own food.
too many calories
You cat foods contain higher amounts of fat being very high in calories, and this is not positive for the dog's body. Animal nutrition experts recommend at least 5% fat for dog foods and 9% fat for cats (almost double). This is a very big difference.
The greater the amount of fat, the greater the amount of calories. Dogs that share the same diet as cats can, in the long run, suffer from obesity, caused by incorrect intake of fatty foods, as well as suffering from an upset stomach, diarrhea and vomiting.
Our friends proteins
Not only does cat food contain more fat than dog food, but also contain greater amounts of protein. By nature, cats are carnivorous animals by obligation, and their diet needs to be very high in protein to cover an important part of their food needs. Dogs, on the other hand, are omnivorous animals and protein requirements are much lower and this protein source does not have to be continuous and necessarily from animals. Cat food contains at least 26% protein versus dog food which has 18% protein levels and meets the basic nutritional needs of any dog.
Malnutrition for the dog
The result of giving cat food to your dog is a inappropriate imbalance of vitamins and minerals, which in many cases gives rise to nutritional deficiencies such as lack of zinc and vitamin E (essential for dogs) and in other cases, excessive inclusion of unnecessary nutrients in the dog's diet, such as taurine (very important for cats).
These nutritional differences can affect your dog's overall health for life. Also the needs of dogs with regard to carbohydrates, which give them energy, are different from those of cats, since they get their energy mainly from fats. Cat foods lack ingredients that provide the carbohydrates needed by dogs.
Risks to your dog's health
Overeating is not good, and this symbolizes cat food for dogs, which can basically translate into disease. Too much fat can affect the dog's pancreas, affecting the efficiency of digestion and producing pancreatitis. The same goes for proteins, which can not only lead to obesity, but also can cause your dog's kidneys or liver to overwork, creating unnecessary strain on these organs, thus resulting in kidney or liver damage.
Perhaps your dog likes your cat's food because it has a lack of protein or fat in its diet, if so, consult your veterinarian so that he can perform the appropriate tests and make the necessary adjustments. In short, in excess, dogs can't eat cat food.
