The four objectives of Health Nutrition
Thanks to scientific and veterinary developments, the traditional concept of nutrition (i.e. developing, sustaining and providing energy to the body) now has many added benefits. These new benefits mark the birth of Health Nutrition.
Nutrition has two objectives:
- Body development and maintenance: Amino acids, minerals, trace elements, vitamins and fatty acids respond to the basic nutritional needs for the development maintenance of the body.
- Energy provision: Lipids and carbohydrates are the main energy sources for dogs. Cats are also dependent on proteins for their energy metabolism.
However Health Nutrition takes us to another level with a further two objectives
- Nourishing and supporting: Some nutrients are incorporated in the diet (antioxidants, prebiotics, fibre, essential fatty acids, etc), to help reduce the risks associated with digestive problems and the effects of ageing for example.
- Nourishing and caring: Certain nutrients are added and others limited in food to support the therapeutic or convalescence process.
The historical choice of Health Nutrition
Health Nutrition, our mission
The mission of Royal Canin has always been Health Nutrition. It is characterised by a precise balance between over 50 nutrients (proteins, lipids, carbohydrates, amino-acids, fatty acids, mineral salts, vitamins and trace elements). The formulation of our diets corresponds to a complex puzzle whose construction enables us to guarantee a constant nutritional formula, catering for the precise and specific needs of cats and dogs.
This is a strictly scientific procedure, and places the animal at the heart of the formulation process; the ingredients used are selected for the quality of the nutrients provided and for their nutritional benefits. The nutritional philosophy of Royal Canin excludes all procedures that tend to highlight raw materials only for their properties as ‘ingredients’ (lamb, salmon, game, etc.).
Moving science
Veterinary nutrition is a science that aims to identify the essential nutrients and the role they play, based on the intake. It is a field in which we are constantly acquiring fresh knowledge: the number of publications referenced under the keywords “Health” and “Nutrition” was 2746 in 2009, versus 1241 in 1995, a more than twofold increase in just over a decade!
Every year a whole new batch of pet foods and nutritional formulas appears on the market, containing, besides essential health-sustaining nutrients, natural elements to help limit the risks of some issues and support the body.
It is estimated that the life expectancy of dogs, for instance, has increased by 3 years in the past 15 years.
Nowadays, animal diets can be formulated according to specific needs, well-identified deficiencies to be prevented or other specificities discovered by ongoing studies. Scientists and the major pet food manufacturers now acknowledge that dogs should be fed differently depending on whether they are puppies, full-grown or old, and on whether their size is small, medium, large or giant!
As for cats, we have now identified their different nutritional needs according to age, but also according to their lifestyle, sensitivity and even breed (Persians, Main Coons and Siamese, for instance).
Thanks to constant new developments in scientific knowledge, the concept of diet has developed into that of Tailored Nutrition.
