Nutritional risks and consequences of meat-only diets for dogs and cats

Abstract

Suitable nutrition is one of the most significant issues that always needs to be considered in the health mainte-nance of living beings. One of the misconcep-tions of many societies is the exclusive feeding of meat to cats and dogs. Dogs and cats are carnivorous animals; more specifically, cats are strict or true carni-vores, while dogs are omnivores. Although cats are true carni-vores, an exclusive diet of meat will not cover their needs. Wholly meat-based diets might be rich in many nutri-ents and minerals, but they are poor in digesti-ble carbohydrates and fiber. Lack of carbohy-drates can cause gas-trointestinal problems and diarrhea. Also, due to hypovitaminosis A and D caused by such diets, skeletal diseases can be one of the seri-ous consequences. High dietary phosphate > 11.8 g in dry matter (DM) reduces renal phosphate reabsorption and increases vulnera-bility to chronic kidney disease. As phosphate excretion and reduction of calcium reabsorption continue, bone decom-position, symptoms of osteoporosis, and sec-ondary hyperparathy-roidism occur. In wholly meat-based canine di-ets, a lack of carbohy-drates compels the an-imal to use protein in the gluconeogenesis process to produce glu-cose. As a result, the body goes through pro-tein deficiency and its side effects. To main-tain digestive system health and prevent diar-rhea, the diet must in-clude soluble fiber. Al-so, the presence of car-bohydrates and fats is essential. Preserving the correct calcium-to-phosphorus ratio (Ca:P) can be solved by adding carbohydrates or using meats with a lower phosphorus content.