The best way to give back all the loyalty and companionship your pet gives to you is by keeping him healthy, with proper exercise and a balanced diet.
Select a DOG FOOD which contains ingredients carefully selected and mixed to provide maximum nutritional benefits for your dog. With a well balanced DOG FOOD, your dog receives a complete, balanced nutrition diet specifically geared to his needs, for greater vitality, with a goal for better day-to-day health.
a Well balanced DOG FOOD is formulated with beneficial ingredients and provides high levels of vitamins and trace minerals for your dog. Our goal is to produce digestible, nutritious foods for your dog to improve not only performance and appearance but to increase longevity and quality of life.
WHAT IS REQUIRED FROM A WELL BALANCED DESIGNED FOOD:
1. Protein
The life stage and activity level of a dog determine the protein requirements of the dog. Generally the minimum protein need of a puppy is greater than the requirement of an adult dog. While the protein requirement for a geriatric dog is about 50 % greater than it is for a younger adult dog.
These higher required protein levels for puppies and geriatric dogs can be met by feeding a Puppy formula and a Senior formula. While the Puppy have a higher protein level, of a min 26.5 %, Senior are formulated for increased digestibility, resulting in higher nutrient absorption.
It is important to feed your dog a food containing adequate levels of protein, as protein deficiency can cause rough, dull hair coat, compromised function of the immune system and poor milk production in reproducing bitches. Feeding a food containing a higher level of protein, lowers the daily required feeding amount, which then lowers your monthly feeding costs.
Protein Sources
Most proteins contain inadequate amounts of one or more amino acids and cannot be used as the only protein source. It is important to balance out these deficiencies by using more than one protein source which complement each other in their amino acid deficiencies. For example soybean meal and corn complement each other perfectly.
Protein Digestibility
The digestibility of a dog food affect the availability of the protein to an animal. A dog food with a high level of protein but a low digestibility will have a low amount of protein available to the animal. All ingredients should be pre-cooked before extrusion to increase digestibility and palatability.
2. Fats
Fat are concentrated forms of energy. Fat contain approximately two and a half times the amount of energy per kilogram compared to protein and carbohydrates.
Most dietary fat are made up of triglycerides. Triglyceride is the most important type of fat in the diet; it can be differentiated in foods according to the types of fatty acids that each triglyceride contains. Fatty acids vary in carbon chain length and may be saturated, monounsaturated, or polyunsaturated.
Saturated fats contain no double bond at all. Unsaturated fats contain fatty acid chains with a double bond. If there are two double bonds in the fatty acid molecule it is called a monounsaturated fat. Polyunsaturated fats has fatty acid molecules with many double bonds. Saturated fats are normally solid at room temperature and unsaturated fats are usually liquid.
Fat serves several functions in the diets of dogs and cats. Apart from the fact that fat is a concentrated form of energy it also supplies the essential fatty acids required by dogs for maintaining healthy skin and coat and serves as a carrier for fat soluble vitamins and finally contributes to the palatability of a pet food.
It is important not to feed your dog a diet with a too much or a too little fat content. Animals fed diets containing more fat than is needed, will store the extra fat in the body within the adipose tissue or fat stores. If enough fat are stored over time animals will become obese, which will lead to a greater risk for complications with surgery, and several disease conditions including some orthopaedic diseases.
Animals fed diets to low in fatty acids will eventually develop deficiency symptoms although fatty acid deficiencies are rare. Dry, coarse hair and flaky, dry and thickened skin are signs of fatty acid deficiencies.
Fatty Acids
Fats are made up of fatty acids. There are many different fatty acids, but they all have the same common structure.
Each fatty acid is a chain of carbon atoms with oxygen atoms hooked on at one end and three hydrogen atoms hooked on the other end. The end with the oxygen is called the alpha end. The end with hydrogen is the omega end.
Fatty acids differ in two respects. How many carbon atoms are strung together, and where there are doubled bonds instead of single bond between carbon atoms. If the first double bond is located three carbons away from the omega end, the fatty acid is considered an omega-3. If the first double bond is located 6 carbons away from the omega end, it is an omega-6 fatty acid.
Recent research with humans, laboratory animals, and companion animals has shown that the ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids in tissues can be manipulated by diet, and that these manipulations influence the inflammatory response. Increasing the amount of omega-3 fatty acids in skin and other tissues leads to decreased production of the pro-inflammatory eicosanoids and increased synthesis of the less inflammatory metabolites.
Understanding what omega-6 can do for our pets and the potential benefits omega-3 may offer is a bit complicated. The bottom line is that if there are more omega-3 fatty acids in the cells than omega-6s, there may be fewer symptoms of inflammation such as pain and itching.
Some inflammation is necessary because it’s a defensive mechanism, so we don’t want to eliminate the omega-6s, because it is necessary to maintain moisture in the skin cells. But if we put the right proportion of omega-6s and omega-3s, by the animal fat used in the production of Dog Food products, it will end up properly proportioned in the cell membranes. That means the increase of he amount of eicosanoids to help reduce inflammation.
3. Glucosamine
A dogs joints, ligaments, tendons, and joint fluids wear and age as your dog gets older. Depending on the level of exercise and their diets some dogs can remain healthy until their last days whilst others get very stiff and immobile within a few years. Most dog owners are unaware of the benefits some certain nutrients can have on their dog’s health and joint management. Proven agents like Glucosamine can be very beneficial in maintaining a dog’s joint health and ensuring that they stay mobile and active.
A dog’s joints, responsible for movement, are made up of a joint cavity filled with synovial fluid, a synovial membrane, and particular cartilage. The particular cartilage acts as a shock absorber and a smooth gliding surface for bones within a joint, while the synovial fluid acts as both a source of nutrition and a lubricant for the cartilage. Cartilage is a matrix made up of collagen, hyaluronic acid, and glycosaminoglycans. These matrix components are constantly being replenished, because of the mechanical forces of movement and weight bearing, in order to maintain strength and resilience. A large demand for the building blocks utilized in the rebuilding process is created. If these building blocks are not available in adequate levels the process will breakdown, and eventually lead to degenerative joint disease. One of the major building blocks for cartilage synthesis is Glucosamine, responsible for the synthesis of hyaluronic acid and glycosaminoglycans within the joint. Since this important building block decrease with age, and the incidence of degenerative joint disease increases Montego Classic has designed a Senior and Puppy dog food that contain adequate levels of Glucosamine.
Glucosamine has been reported to be supportive in arthritis, osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, disc degeneration, tendonitis, cartilage / tendons / ligaments repair, skin wound healing, and in reducing inflammatory response. Glucosamine can also assist with a dog’s inflamed discs, siatic nerve, and inflamed joints associated with aging.
If your dog is losing its mobility or is suffering from joint pain, introducing a Senior Formula can be of great benefit. Most pet owners who feed their aging dogs a Senior Formula see an improvement in a short period of time.
Also read further down on the page about "Chondroitin" another important building block for cartilage synthisis
4. Vitamine & Minerals
The following vitamin's and minerals is essential for the excellent health of your Dog;
Calcium (Ca) and Phosphorus
Calcium and Phosphorus are involved in the structure and strength of teeth and bones. Calcium is also needed for the normal clotting of blood and for nerve and muscle function.Phosphorus is involved in the storage and transfer of energy in the body.
Magnesium (Mg)
Magnesium is required for healthy bones and teeth, for the normal day to day functioning of the heart, muscle and nervous tissue, and is also involved in many enzyme reactions in the body.
Copper (Cu)
Copper is involved in the normal activity of red blood cells and many enzyme systems.
Zinc (Zn)
Zinc is essential for maintaining a good coat and skin, and an essential component of many enzyme systems. Requirements can be affected by other components of the diet.
Iodine (I)
Iodine is an essential component of thyroid hormones, and therefore concerned with the body’s metabolism
Selenium (Se)
Selenium has important antioxidant properties by protecting the cell membranes, in association with vitamin E.
Manganese (Mn)
Required for carbohydrate and fat metabolism and cartilage formation as well as any enzyme reactions
Cobalt (Co)
Cobalt is an important constituent of the vitamin B12 molecule.
Vitamin A
Vitamin A is important for proper vision, healthy skin and coat, mucous membranes, and normal bone and teeth development.
Vitamin D
Vitamin D is synthesised in the skin through exposure to sunlight, and is involved with the absorption of calcium in the intestine.
Vitamin E
Vitamin E protects the cell membranes against oxidation, acting with Selenium.
Vitamin K
Vitamin K is required for the regulation of clotting in the blood.
Thiamin (Vitamin B1)
Involved in the metabolism of carbohydrates.
Riboflavin (Vitamin B6)
Essential for cell growth
Pantathenic acid
Essential for carbohydrate, fat and amino acid metabolism.
Niacin
Required for oxidation-reduction reactions necessary for the utilisation of all the major nutrients.
Vitamin B6
Involved with nitrogen and amino acid metabolism.
Biotin
Biotin is important for the skin and hair, and involved in the metabolism of fats and amino acids.
Folic acid
Folic acid is important for a number of reactions in the body, including the maturation of red blood cells in bone marrow.
Vitamin B12
This vitamin is involved in the metabolism of carbohydrates and fat, and in the synthesis of myelin.
Choline
Essential for the maintenance of cell membranes, and a precursor of acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter chemical.
5. Chondroitin
Before you read this part on Chondroitin, read the part on Glucosamine as previously discussed.
Apart from Glucosamine, Chondroitin sulphate is the major glycosaminoglycan found in cartilage. Apart from the benefits that Glucosamine and Chondroitin has on the joints and hips of a dog, Chondroitin also helps to slow down enzymes that are destructive to the joint.
Chondroitin sulphate is an effective treatment for osteoarthritis. Because chondroitin production decreases with age, a pet food with this compound may be especially helpful for older pets with arthritis.
Chondroitin sulphate is often added to supplements containing Glucosamine. While significant studies are lacking, many people feel that adding Chondroitin to Glucosamine enhances the ability of both substances to repair cartilage.
The best treatment for arthritis, hip dysplasia and any other joint or hip decease is by prevention. By feeding your puppy a healthy complete and balanced diet, containing Chondroitin and Glucosamine, from an early age will help prevent joint and hip deceases at a later age. Early supplements of these two important building blocks will strengthen your puppy’s joints and hips to support its weight and active lifestyle as long as needed.
6. Water
In terms of survival, water is the single most important nutrient for the body, a loss of only 10 % of body water results to death. Approximately 70 % of lean body weight is water.
Water functions as a solvent that facilitates cellular reactions and act as a transport medium for nutrients. Further water contributes to temperature regulation by transporting heat away from the working orders through the blood and through sweating.
Water is needed for hydrolysis, the splitting of large molecules into smaller molecules through the addition of water, and is thus an essential component in normal digestion.
A large amount of water is also required for the elimination of waste products from the kidneys.
Urinary excretion accounts for the greatest loss of water volume all animals experience daily. A certain quantity of water is needed to act as a solvent for these end products.
Another route of water loss is through evaporation from the lungs during respiration. This way of water loss is very important in dogs and cats for the regulation of normal body temperature during hot weather. The more the animal pant the higher is the respiratory water loss and thus the higher is the heat loss.
A pet has to consume adequate amounts of water to compensate for these continual fluid losses. Water intake comes from three possible sources : water present in food, metabolic water, and drinking water.
A pet must always have enough drinking water available. A pet on a dry dog food diet will need more drinking water than a pet on a canned food diet.
Ambient temperature, the type of diet, level of exercise, physiological state, and health are all factors affecting a pet’s voluntary water consumption.
If fresh, palatable water is available and proper amounts of a well-balanced diet are fed, most pets are able to accurately regulate water balance though voluntary consumption.
MONTEGO CLASSIC offers you a scientifically designed pet food as indicated above in giving your Alaskan Malamute this balanced diet.
For more information go to: www.gocco.co.za/montego.htm
IMPORTANT
Always follow the feeding instructions as provided on each bag or container.
As a snack, Alaskan Malamutes loves carrots and apples.
Always have lots of clean water available.
