![]() For dogs and cats, some of the main functions that minerals perform include bone development, nerve and muscle function, balancing of fluid in cells, thyroid function, skin and coat maintenance and red blood cell production. What purpose do minerals play in pet nutrition?īoth macro and trace minerals serve different roles in pet health and support a range of body functions that help pets remain healthy, active and strong. Iron, zinc, manganese, iodine, selenium and copper are trace minerals that must be included in a pet’s food. Trace minerals in a pet’s diet are required in very small amounts. The macrominerals recognized as essential to a pet’s diet at certain amounts are calcium, phosphorus, sodium, magnesium, potassium and chloride. Macrominerals are required in larger quantities than trace minerals in a pet’s diet and are found in greater amounts in a pet’s body. The essential minerals for dogs and cats can be divided into two separate categories: macrominerals and trace minerals. Below, we explain more about the essential minerals required in a dog or cat’s diet and the role these nutrients play in helping pets thrive.Įssential minerals are minerals that pets can’t make in their body and must be provided in their food in order to stay healthy. ![]() These nutrients, including vitamins, essential fatty acids, proteins and amino acids, and minerals, help support a pet’s well-being and keep them healthy. Pet food makers work to develop food recipes for dogs and cats that provide essential nutrients in the proper amounts. Other trace nutrients known to be essential in tiny amounts include nickel, silicon, vanadium, and cobalt.Join the Pet Food Institute (PFI) as we continue our look at pet food, from A to Z. Legumes breads and grains leafy greens leafy, green vegetables milk liver Unrefined foods, especially liver, brewer's yeast, whole grains, nuts, cheeses Works closely with insulin to regulate blood sugar (glucose) levels Involved in formation of bones and teeth helps prevent tooth decayĭrinking water (either fluoridated or naturally containing fluoride), fish, and most teas Widespread in foods, especially plant foods Legumes, nuts and seeds, whole grains, organ meats, drinking water ![]() Part of many enzymes needed for iron metabolism Seafood, foods grown in iodine-rich soil, iodized salt, bread, dairy products Meats, fish, poultry, leavened whole grains, vegetablesįound in thyroid hormone, which helps regulate growth, development, and metabolism Part of many enzymes needed for making protein and genetic material has a function in taste perception, wound healing, normal fetal development, production of sperm, normal growth and sexual maturation, immune system health Organ meats red meats fish poultry shellfish (especially clams) egg yolks legumes dried fruits dark, leafy greens iron-enriched breads and cereals and fortified cereals Part of a molecule (hemoglobin) found in red blood cells that carries oxygen in the body needed for energy metabolism Note that iron is considered to be a trace mineral, although the amount needed is somewhat more than for other microminerals. The body needs trace minerals in very small amounts. Occurs in foods as part of protein: meats, poultry, fish, eggs, milk, legumes, nuts Nuts and seeds legumes leafy, green vegetables seafood chocolate artichokes "hard" drinking water Meat, fish, poultry, eggs, milk, processed foods (including soda pop)įound in bones needed for making protein, muscle contraction, nerve transmission, immune system health Important for healthy bones and teeth found in every cell part of the system that maintains acid-base balance Milk and milk products canned fish with bones (salmon, sardines) fortified tofu and fortified soy beverage greens (broccoli, mustard greens) legumes Important for healthy bones and teeth helps muscles relax and contract important in nerve functioning, blood clotting, blood pressure regulation, immune system health Meats, milk, fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, legumes Table salt, soy sauce large amounts in processed foods small amounts in milk, meats, breads, and vegetables Needed for proper fluid balance, stomach acid Table salt, soy sauce large amounts in processed foods small amounts in milk, breads, vegetables, and unprocessed meats Needed for proper fluid balance, nerve transmission, and muscle contraction The two tables below list minerals, what they do in the body (their functions), and their sources in food. The amounts needed in the body are not an indication of their importance.Ī balanced diet usually provides all of the essential minerals. These two groups of minerals are equally important, but trace minerals are needed in smaller amounts than major minerals. Essential minerals are sometimes divided up into major minerals (macrominerals) and trace minerals (microminerals). ![]() The body needs many minerals these are called essential minerals.
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