Ask The Vet: Is dry food good for cats as obligate carnivores? – Arizona Daily Sun

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Q: Knowing that cats are obligate carnivores, shouldn’t dry cat food have a much higher meat and protein content? Even the higher quality grain-free brands use ingredients like chickpeas, fruits, vegetables, lentils, etc. I’d like to know if dry food is good for my cats.
A: I love answering nutrition questions because trying to navigate good nutrition for your pets is a tricky business!
Each species has very different nutritional requirements, and it is essential to take that into account when discussing diets.
Cats are obligate carnivores, meaning they must eat animal protein daily to get all their nutrients. Vegetable protein is not sufficient for cats as their primary source of protein. In other words, your cat cannot be a vegetarian; it must eat animal protein.
As far as the difference between dry food and canned food, the most significant issues are water, protein, and carbohydrate content. Dry food is high in carbohydrates and low in moisture and protein compared to canned food; this is what makes it “dry.”
If you think about what cats eat in the wild, it is small mammals full of protein and fluid and very few carbohydrates. So, your cat is built to eat food rich in protein and fluids and not carbohydrates.
Carbohydrates, if eaten in excess, will cause your cat to gain weight and can ultimately lead to Type 2 diabetes. Some cats will become addicted to dry food, and it can be tough to get them to switch off of it to a canned diet. Also, in the wild, cats go through periods of fasting between meals. They are not exposed to an entire bowl of dry food all day long, and this way of feeding is very detrimental to cats as they will become addicted to the dry food, which will cause long-term issues.
My recommendation for feeding cats is to meal feed twice daily with a primarily canned diet as it is high in protein and fluids and low in carbohydrates. It is important not to offer a large bowl of dry food between meals. If your cat does not eat the canned meal, then that is all they get until the next meal. This way of feeding is better for their metabolism and long-term health.
If your cat loves dry food and cannot be without it, you can offer a small amount of it with the canned food during the twice-daily meals.
Q: My dog was diagnosed with “swimmer’s tail” after spending all day at the lake. What is this?
A: Swimmer’s tail is the name for when a dog sprains the muscles in its tail.
A dog’s tail is an extension of the dog’s backbone, and there are three major muscle groups responsible for tail movement. These muscles attach to the lower back and then to the base of the tail. The tail is, in fact, responsible for helping with balance, and we all know that it is also a big part of how a dog shows emotion with humans and other dogs.
It also acts as a rudder when a dog is swimming, so it makes sense that if these muscles are overworked with swimming or wagging, they can get strained, just like any other muscle. Since these muscles attach to the body at the lower back, it can be very painful when they are strained.
If this happens to your dog, it might become very agitated and act painful, but the most significant indicator is that the tail will droop, and your dog will not want to wag it. The dog will avoid moving the tail at all costs and will be very agitated if you try to move it or touch around the base of the tail.
The good news is that the issue will resolve with a little bit of pain medication and time, and your dog will be back to wagging its tail in no time.
Dr. Julianne Miller is a Flagstaff veterinarian. She can be reached at [email protected]

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