Nutrients and high-quality ingredients are both important in a pet food. However, high-quality nutrients are especially vital because the body absorbs nutrients, not ingredients. The optimum nutrient blend is the result of quality ingredients that are formulated with these principles in mind:
- Ingredients should be selected for nutrients, quality and taste
- A balance of quality ingredients delivers protein, fat, carbohydrates, fiber, vitamins and minerals to meet a pet's nutritional needs
- No single ingredient makes a food better or worse; a pet food is the sum of its parts
Key points
- You can't assume a pet food is right for your pet simply by reading the ingredient list, because appropriate amounts of precisely formulated nutrients are just as important as ingredients.
A delivery vehicle
Nutrients include proteins, carbohydrates, fat, fiber, vitamins and minerals.
Ingredients are the delivery vehicles for these nutrients. For example, corn delivers carbohydrates, essential fatty acids and protein — nutrients needed for good health. As ingredient quality increases, so does a pet's ability to absorb and use the nutrients for optimum health.
Here's a close look at pet food ingredients, the primary nutrients they deliver and the health benefits they offer to pets.
- Corn, rice, barley, sorghum — Carbohydrates for energy and other nutrients for healthy skin and coat
- Animal fat, fish oil and vegetable oil — Fats and essential fatty acids for energy, improved taste and healthy skin and coat
- Fresh meat, chicken, poultry by-product meal, meat by-products, soybean meal and egg — High quality protein for muscle tone and development and healthy skin
- Cellulose, soybean mill run and beet pulp — Fiber sources that promote intestinal tract health; some are helpful in weight control
The optimum blend
You can't assume a food is right for your pet simply by reading the ingredient list, because nutrients are just as important as ingredients. Making a high quality pet food requires a precise blend of ingredients to meet a specific nutrient profile based on a pet's lifestage, lifestyle or disease condition. Hill's combines nutrient-rich, high quality ingredients to create balanced foods that have been trusted and recommended by veterinarians for more than 60 years.
