While digesting their own food, dogs and cats produce methane. How much methane your cat or dog produces all depends on what they have been eating lately. A species-appropriate diet leaves more undigested bits in the stool. Therefore, it results in higher levels of flatulence and gas than a low-quality diet rich in cereal fillers. So what exactly is animal digest in cat food?
Animal digest is a commercially manufactured cat food additive that is added to many commercial pet foods. Its main purpose is to promote digestion and reduce intestinal gas in dogs and cats, leading to flatulence.
Digest does this through several means, some of which include: binding water, adding fiber to the diet, altering pH, and speeding up transit time. To work effectively, digest needs to be added in the appropriate amounts regarding the current diet being fed.
In most commercial pet foods, digest is labeled as animal or plant digest, both usually being a byproduct of the rendering industry. The difference in labeling only denotes whether it was derived from animals or plants.
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Vital Nutrients In Digest
Animal digest contains many vital nutrients for your cat, including amino acids, minerals, B vitamins, and other nutrients that are essential to your pet’s health. The amount of Animal Digest added to food is not enough to make any significant difference in the animal’s diet by itself.
The digest will typically appear near the end of the ingredient list. If the food is very low in digest, it may not be present at all.
Most pet owners are unaware that most commercial cat foods also contain what is called “digest.”It is a flavoring agent meant to make the food more palatable and add moisture so your pet will eat less than they normally would. It’s essentially the same thing you would “spice up” a meal to make it more palatable.
While cat digest is derived from animal sources, they are high heat processed at high temperatures. Therefore, normal cooking methods won’t destroy these nutrients. Plant-based digest does not contain these nutrients. Therefore, long-term feeding of cat digest will generally provide more health benefits than feeding plant-based digest.
Animal digest is generally considered a safe product for pets. However, some breeds are known to have sensitivity or allergies to specific products included in the digest. Talk with your veterinarian about whether or not they believe animal digest is right for your pet.
While the goal is to reduce gas in dogs and cats, this can be an issue for some pets. If your pet has a sensitive stomach, it may react badly to digest. This generally occurs when feeding a new food to a pet that has been eating something else all along. Switching from one type of food to another gradually over time will prevent stomach upset and diarrhea.
How Helpful Is Digest?
Digest is a product that can be helpful to pet owners. It is handy for those who feed their pets a high-quality healthy diet but may struggle with picky pets. If your pet tends to turn their nose up at new foods, adding some animal digest will likely entice them to eat it – even if the food is slightly different.
However, if your cat is already eating a high-quality diet that’s really only lacking in digest to make it complete, you shouldn’t feel the need to feed them this product. You should be able to find one that doesn’t contain animal digest instead.
If you’re not sure whether or not the food you’re feeding contains animal digest, but you want to be sure, check the label to see if it’s included in the ingredients or contact the company that makes your pet’s food.
Animal Digest is generally considered safe for dogs and cats. The FDA has not set an acceptable daily intake (ADI) for animals. However, it is because there is not enough data available about the safety of digest.
If you have a dog or cat with a sensitive stomach, animal digest may upset their stomach when fed in excess amounts. The protein from animal digest is generally well-tolerated, but some pets may be allergic to the ingredients used in the digest. If your pet has a sensitive stomach and frequently experiences diarrhea when feeding them quality foods that contain digest, try switching to a food that doesn’t contain digest.
[Related Article: 5 Best Wholehearted Cat Food Reviews(Buying Guide)]
Cats Digest vs. Animal Digest
As a pet owner, you want the best for your furry friends. Pet food that provides all necessary nutrients to keep them healthy and happy is extremely important.
However, it’s not always an easy task to find food that fits these requirements. Cats digest is one option you may be considering. But what exactly is cat digest? And, how does it compare to animal digest?
The goal of either cat digest or animal digest is to enhance the palatability of food for your pet. Both are flavor enhancers that replace raw ingredients like real meat because they’re cheaper to use.
This makes feeding your furry friend nutritious food more affordable!
Although, cats digest and animal digest are somewhat different products. Both are flavor enhancers, but they are not the same product.
The main difference between cats digest vs animal digest lies in what each is made of and the effects on your pet’s health.
Cats Digest vs. Animal Digest: What’s the Difference?
First, cat digest is made up of plant-based ingredients, while animal digest is derived from animal proteins.
Generally speaking, plant-based products are better alternatives to animal-derived ingredients because dogs and cats more easily digest them.
However, some pets have sensitivities to plant-based protein sources. If your pet is one of these animals, you may want to avoid cats digest and animal digest altogether.
Aside from the main ingredients, Cats digest also contains added taurine. It is an important nutrient for cats that should be included in their diet. However, taurine is naturally occurring in many animal-based protein sources.
Therefore, if your cat eats a diet with animal-based ingredients and is already getting taurine supplementation from another source, you don’t need to worry about supplementing their diet with additional taurine.
[Related Article: What Is Crude Protein in Cat Food? Is It Very Important?]
Wrap Up
The bottom line is that while animal digest can be helpful in some situations for pet owners. Especially for those struggling with pets with sensitive stomachs, it isn’t necessary to feed them healthy foods.
Many high-quality products already include animal digest as a flavoring agent for healthy dogs and cats. Therefore, feeding them more than the recommended amount can cause diarrhea.
