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Antioxidants are chemicals that the body uses to combat free radicals. And free radicals are substances that might harm the body if they exceed a certain level. Antioxidants are also beneficial for your pets, especially your dogs. Your dog needs antioxidants to help promote a healthy immune system. Hence, every IAMS™ dog formula contains optimal levels of these nutrients.
Antioxidants are naturally occurring essential nutrients that help maintain your dog’s health by slowing the destructive oxidative process of cellular molecules. IAMS™ research has been focusing on advancing antioxidant nutrients for senior dogs — and the benefit is improved immune function. Discover how the antioxidants in IAMS™ products can benefit your dog’s health in a number of ways.
Antioxidants are found naturally in fruits and vegetables. Common antioxidants include vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin E, and certain compounds called carotenoids (like lutein and beta-carotene). When antioxidants are a part of a dog’s complete diet, they can provide the following benefits:
As cells function normally in the body, they produce damaged molecules called free radicals. These free radicals are highly unstable and steal components from other cellular molecules such as fat, protein, or DNA, thereby spreading the damage.
This continues in a chain reaction, and causes cells to die. This process is called peroxidation. Peroxidation is useful because it helps the body destroy cells that have outlived their usefulness, and it kills germs and parasites. However, when left unchecked, peroxidation also destroys or damages healthy cells.
Antioxidants help prevent widespread cellular destruction by willingly donating components to stabilise free radicals. More importantly, antioxidants return to the surface of the cell to stabilise other cellular components.
When there are not enough antioxidants to hold peroxidation in check, free radicals begin damaging healthy cells, which can lead to problems. For example, free radical damage to immune cells can lead to an increased risk of infections.
Antioxidants offer countless benefits to our furry friends. And it is imperative that their food is loaded with it. Want to know why? Read on.
Antioxidants are a must for dogs as they are exposed to significantly more toxins than humans. These antioxidants work like protective agents within the dog’s body, battling free radicals that cause symptoms and diseases like skin problems.
Furthermore, giving liver antioxidants for dogs will boost liver health and eliminate toxins from their body more efficiently. The liver will convert fat-soluble toxins into water-soluble toxins to easily flush them from your pet’s body through the GI tract and kidneys.
Recent research has examined the benefits of certain antioxidants on the immune response of dogs, and the results of these studies indicated that antioxidants are important in helping dogs maintain a healthy immune system.
IAMS™ adult and puppy formulas contain optimal levels of antioxidants such as:
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Now that you know how dog food with antioxidants can benefit your dog, here’s a list of the best antioxidants for dogs:
You can find natural antioxidants for dogs in the following:
The antioxidant content of plant-based foods is high. Foods that are highest in antioxidants are fruits and vegetables as they are loaded with vitamins and beneficial in countless ways. Some examples of excellent sources of antioxidants are blueberries, strawberries, pears, red cabbages, and kale. Make sure to check which fruits and vegetables are safe for your dog to consume.
Give your dog the best vitamins you can, so your pooch stays healthy. It is crucial that dogs receive a supplement that is specifically designed for their life stage.
Look for dog food with antioxidants and nutrients that are bioactive and bioavailable so that these get absorbed properly into your dog’s body. Make sure that the supplement you choose has the ideal ratio of natural elements for your pet’s needs. That can be accomplished by looking for a combination of prebiotics, antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals.
For a healthy body from the inside, you can also feed your pooch IAMSTM Proactive HealthTM dog food. Find the products that are best for your dog by shopping based on your pet’s age.
Fruits, nuts, berries, and vegetables are common foods that act as good sources of antioxidants. Giving your dog an antioxidant-rich diet will aid in the battle against oxidative stress and reduce the risk of any illnesses.
Foods such as organ meats, mushrooms, eggs, bone broth, and raw goat milk speed up the healing of cuts, wounds, and other injuries in dogs.
The benefits of antioxidants for dogs are innumerable; however, it is always advisable to consult your veterinarian on the right dosage of antioxidants for your pet.
Three of the most important antioxidant vitamins are Vitamin E+C, selenium, and beta-carotene.
Antioxidant-rich foods for dogs help prevent damages due to free radicals. An adequate intake of antioxidants can help boost your dog’s immunity.
If you’ve got a big love for big dogs, IAMS™ has a large-breed puppy formula specially made for their nutritional needs.
Many large-breed puppies have a tendency to grow very quickly. Unfortunately, if this tendency is encouraged by overfeeding, developmental bone problems can occur. To avoid these problems, careful feeding management is necessary. This should include
Our specially formulated large-breed puppy formulas make feeding management easier because they are designed for fast-growing, large-breed puppies (those with an expected adult weight of more than 50 pounds).
A protein level approximating 26% in these formulas promotes healthy body condition and balances the protein with the reduced number of calories in the food. Research has shown that
The protein in our large-breed puppy formulas supports normal skeletal and muscular growth.
Fat contributes more than twice as many calories in a diet as proteins or carbohydrates do. As the fat level increases, the energy content of the diet also increases, making feeding management more difficult for large-breed puppies. Several studies have shown increases in developmental bone problems when a diet was overfed.2, 3
By reducing the fat content of large-breed puppy formulas to about 14%, the metabolizable energy (ME) of the diets can be kept to a low level of about 1,800 kilocalories per pound.
Fat contributes more than twice as many calories in a diet as proteins or carbohydrates
Our large-breed puppy formulas, such as IAMS ProActive Health™ Smart Puppy Large Breed, are made specifically for growing puppies with expected adult weights of 50 pounds or more. These puppy foods are unique because they are formulated with:
Reduced calcium and phosphorus levels with a normal calcium-to-phosphorus ratio to promote proper bone development in rapidly growing large breed puppies.
1 Nap, et al. Growth and skeletal development in Great Dane pups fed different levels of protein intake. J Nutr 1991; 121:S107-S113.
2 Hedhammer, et al. Over nutrition and skeletal disease: an experimental study in growing Great Dane dogs. Cornell Vet 1974; 64:1-159.
3 Lavelle. The effect of overfeeding of a balanced complete commercial diet to a group of growing Great Danes. In: Nutrition of the dog and cat. Burger and Rivers (eds). Cambridge Univ Press, 1989:303-316.
4 Hazewinkel, et al. Influences of chronic calcium excess on the skeletal development of growing Great Danes, J Am Anim Hosp Assoc 1985; 21:377-391.
5 Goedegebuure, Hazewinkel. Morphological findings in young dogs chronically fed a diet containing excess calcium. Vet Pathol 1986; 23:594-605.
6 Hazewinkel, et al. Calcium metabolism in Great Dane dogs fed diets with various calcium and phosphorus levels. J Nutr 1991; 121:S99-S106.
