Energy from pet food - what you should know about it

Every animal needs enough energy to keep its body functioning properly. Energy is the most critical component of the diet, right after water. But beware, it is not considered a nutrient!

Energy is obtained from food. On the packaging of each pet food, we can find the term metabolizable energy, which is a term for energy that is usable for the body after deducting the losses that occur during excretion.

Animals have the ability to regulate energy intake so as to meet their needs. Depending on how concentrated the energy in the pet food is, they adjust their consumption in order to achieve a balanced income that covers their requirements but does not exceed them. However, this ability to regulate can be compromised by the environment. If you provide the animal with permanent access to high-energy pet food with high palatability, overfeeding can occur. This, together with reduced activity, results in the risk of obesity.

It follows that despite the innate self-regulation of energy intake in dogs, it is better to feed the recommended daily dose and monitor the amount of the pet food eaten. Based on how the dog is doing, the feeding amount should be adjusted individually as needed.