Supplements: bringing health benefits to young animals
It is generally understood that the nutritional needs of puppies and kittens differ from those of adult dogs and cats. This is largely due to the particular life stage in which they find themselves and during which growth and development are key.
The amount of protein required by young animals is higher than that needed by their adult counterparts. The rapid development of muscles and other parts of their body means their intake of proteins needs to be on par with what is required for healthy development.
Essential amino acids
Such proteins include various essential amino acids. Considering that puppies and kittens are not able to endogenously produce sufficient quantities of such acids, these need to be present in the diet of the young animal. There are 11 essential or indispensable amino acids for kittens and 10 essential amino acids for puppies.
The source of amino acids (protein) is not specified by regulatory or scientific communities because, theoretically, amino acids can be obtained from any appropriate source – be it animal, plant, single cells (bacteria, yeast) or even insects.
Boosting the immune system
Like muscles and organs, newborn and young animals’ immune system also undergoes rapid development. And, similar to human children, neural development continues to occur throughout the neonatal period.
As a newborn, puppies’ and kittens’ guts are devoid of microbiota. However, because the gut provides a great environment for microbiota, it quickly undergoes a period of rapid habitation by organisms obtained through nursing or the animal’s environment.
This causes a significant change within the young animal’s gut which affects its developing immune system (about 70% of the body’s immune tissue surrounds the gut). It is the beginning of the process that prepares the young animal for a lifetime of antigens and the ability to deal with infectious agents present in its environment.
When puppies and kittens transition from mother’s milk to solid foods, the gut also experiences new antigens. It stimulates the immune system to develop a proper response to this new ‘challenging’ source.
Under most circumstances, the young animal is able to adapt to these antigens. However, there are numerous dietary ingredients that can be used to stimulate the young animal’s gut adaptation for housing microbiota. Such supplements include prebiotics, probiotics and postbiotics.
Prebiotics enhance gut health and do so as a preferred food source for beneficial microbiota, whereas postbiotics can be used to effectively help develop the gut, especially the immune system.
Developing brain power with proper nutrition
Rapid brain development occurs not only in-utero but also continues in the months after birth. It is essential for its survival that the newborn learns and adapts to its environment. The speed of learning tends to decline from 4 months onwards, making the first months critical for proper nutrition.
As part of this development, the brain and nervous system are nutritional targets. Research with developing puppies indicates improved trainability when n-3 fatty acids are added to the diet (for example, fish oil). Other research suggests enhanced absorption when n-3 fatty acids are co-associated with phospholipids, such as those found in krill oil. N-3 fatty acids have the additional benefit of reducing inflammation throughout the body, including the skin.
In summary, good nutrition during the first phase of a puppy or kitten’s life is essential for the development of muscles, collagen, enzymes, hormones, the immune system, as well as neural tissue development
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