The importance of the energy density for dog food

There is now a huge variety of different dog foods on the market – it can be overwhelming to know the best one to choose for your pet. There are many factors to consider, such as your dog’s age, weight, neutering status, size, breed and activity levels. It’s also important to consider whether your dog has any specific health conditions which may be affected or helped by their diet. Always choose a diet which is labelled complete (contains all the essential nutrients) and balanced (the nutrients are in the correct proportions), to best support your dog.

Energy Density

When you look at the back of a bag of dog food, you will see lots of information about the ingredients, how the food is made up (percentages of protein, carbohydrates, fats for example) and there is usually also a handy feeding chart to help you determine how much food in grams your dog requires. The energy density of the food is the amount of energy (or calories) in every gram of the food. It is always important to check this information as it is different for every different brand and type of food and helps to determine how much food is required for feeding.

Age

Puppies require a lot more energy per gram of food as they are growing so quickly in the early stages of life. This is why it is recommended to feed a “puppy diet” for at least the first year as these diets are higher in energy to help support all that fast growth. Usually the bite sizes will be smaller, for their more fragile puppy teeth, and the portion sizes will differ as they need to be fed at least 4 times daily when they are very young. However, there is also some breed variation – large and giant breed puppies can actually grow TOO fast if you give them unlimited calories, so for these breeds, a slightly reduced calorie density is needed. This is one good reason to use a life-stage diet that’s calibrated to your puppy’s expected adult size.

Likewise, as your pets become more elderly, often it will be recommended to feed them a “senior diet”. These are supportive of the nutritional needs of older dogs and may contain extra ingredients to support joint health (such as glucosamine and chondroitin). They may be higher in fibre to help prevent constipation, which can be a common issue in older, less mobile pets.

Weight Management

Choosing a weight control diet is one of the most effective ways to help an overweight pet start to lose weight. However, it is also really important to remove treats from the diet (as these can be surprisingly high in calories) and to make sure the pet has a suitable exercise regime in place. Some of the weight control diets can be used both in reducing the pet’s weight, and then in longer term maintenance of their ideal weight. This is done mainly but reducing the energy density of the food, and therefore bulking up the portions in order to feel full. Maintaining an ideal weight will significantly improve a dog’s life expectancy and help to reduce the onset of weight related health problems (such as joint disease)

Neutering status

It is now recommended for many breeds to wait until they are at their full adult size before considering neutering. This is usually sometime between 12 – 18 months (but may be longer for giant breeds). Studies have shown that delaying neutering up to 2 years can help to reduce the risk for some musculoskeletal disorders (e.g. cruciate disease), some cancers, or worsening anxiety in fearful dogs.

Additionally, spaying female dogs means that there is no longer any risk of unwanted pregnancies, or high risk infections such as pyometra.

Once your pet is neutered, the changes in the hormone levels means that they will usually have a tendency to gain weight. After full recovery from neutering, it is important to return to exercise, keep a close eye on their diet, and restrict excessive treats. Some diets are formulated for neutered pets, and will be lower in calories to promote a healthy weight.

Breed and size

For most breeds, it is not required to feed a breed specific diet. However, it can be useful to tailor your dog’s diet if you have a very active or working breed such as a collie or spaniel – they might require a food that is much higher in energy to accommodate their higher exercise needs. It is also useful to consider diet requirements for large breed and giant dogs. Especially when they are growing, they do need extra nutrients to support the fast growth of their long bones and help to prevent deformities. For example, the calcium and phosphorous requirements (and the ratio between these 2 nutrients) for a giant breed will be vastly different to a toy breed. Other nutrients essential for healthy growth include Vitamin A, Vitamin D, Copper, Zinc and manganese.

Activity Levels

As mentioned, very high energy breeds will require higher calories diets – such as those found in working dog formulations. This supports their ability to keep running without much need for rest. In contrast, some breeds will naturally be more sedentary, or more predisposed to weight gain (such as labradors). In these breeds a lower calorie, or “light” diet is a good option. It is important to prevent weight gain in order to protect the joints and protect against risks of diseases caused by excessive weight.

Health Conditions

There are many conditions dogs may suffer from which can benefit from being on a diet tailored to support their health through the disease. Some of these diets might be known as “prescription diets” due to their highly specialised formulations – however, a prescription is not actually

needed in order to purchase them. These diets are usually available from your vet, and also from online stores.

Some examples of conditions which can greatly benefit from the right diet include:

Joint Disease

Most dogs, with age, will develop some degree of degenerative joint disease, or osteoarthritis. This is a progressive disease, which causes pain and leads to lameness and stiffness. It is not always easy to see when your dog is painful, so regular veterinary examinations are important, especially if you have noticed your dog slowing down.

Diets with added nutrients including glucosamine, chondroitin and above all a modified omega-3 to omega-6 ratio of fatty acids may help to support the delicate cartilage lining the joints. These diets are often lower calorie to help maintain a leaner weight, important for ageing joints.

Kidney/Liver/Heart Disease

Having an underlying condition affecting the most important organs of the body can be difficult to manage and usually requires your pet to have regular checks and ongoing medication. Sometimes the diet can play a key role in supporting the function of these organs. For example, renal diets (for the kidneys) will have restricted proteins and lower phosphorous and sometimes sodium levels which can slow the progression of the disease. The energy density is likely to be higher due to decreased appetite.

Diets to support liver disease should also be very energy dense and highly palatable so that smaller meals can be fed. They are also restricted in copper to reduce copper accumulation in the liver. They help to reduce the production of ammonia and the reabsorption into the intestine.

Digestive Upset

For dogs with sensitive tummies, or experiencing some ongoing GI upset, these diets are designed to be highly digestible and palatable, with a high energy content to reduce the volume required for meals and easing digestion. They may contain prebiotics to help support the beneficial intestinal flora, and the fibre content to help the transit of the digesta smoothly through the gut.

Urinary Issues

Dogs can develop crystals and stones inside the bladder – a very painful and serious condition if they become too large. Often this leads to blood in the urine, discomfort urinating, frequent urination and urinary tract infections. Prescription diets can help to dissolve some types of crystals (such as struvite and calcium oxalate) without the need for surgery by promoting an acidic environment (to dissolve) and reducing the building blocks that the crystals need to form (such as reduced magnesium). These diets are likely to be lower energy to limit weight gain, and higher in moisture content to help make the urine more dilute.

Allergies

Prescription diets can be a key tool in the management of chronic skin and gut problems associated with allergies. Allergies are very common, especially among certain breeds (such as West Highland White Terriers and French Bulldogs). These diets are often made up from a hydrolysed protein (protein which has been broken down into extremely tiny pieces so as to not be recognised by the body’s immune system). While true food allergies are less common than sometimes thought, they can be difficult to manage without these modified diets.

Conclusion

The formulation and energy density of your dog’s food can play an extremely important part in their general health and wellbeing. It is always a great idea to discuss nutrition with your vet and vet nurse; and also to maintain regular health checks to ensure your dog is on the best quality and most suitable diet to meet their needs.