Malnutrition in dogs and cats

Dogs and cats malnutrition.

Malnutrition in dogs and cats is defined as any disorder of nutrition with inadequate or unbalanced nutrition. Many veterinarians and animal owners think only of nutritional deficiencies when they hear the term malnutrition. Muscle wasting and a distended abdomen in a starving third-world child or a heavily parasitized puppy is often our first mental image of malnutrition.

In first-world societies, however, dogs and cats malnutrition is usually due to overnutrition or excessive intake of nutrients. Obesity due to consumption of excessive levels of fat and calories is a common example of malnutrition in both people and their pets. Another example of malnutrition due to unbalanced nutrition is developmental orthopedic disease seen in rapidly growing - large and giant - breed of puppies as a result of excessive calcium and energy intake. Malnutrition due to either nutrient deficiencies or nutrient excesses can be harmful to dogs and cats.
