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Diet plays a central role in your dog’s overall health and well-being, and it stands to reason that you want to provide your dog the best possible source of nutrition in the dog food you choose. But some nutrients, like L-Carnitine, may be unfamiliar or completely foreign. Learn more about this vitamin-like compound and how it can help your dog maintain a healthy weight.
Carnitine, or L-carnitine, is a vitamin-like compound made in the body from amino acids. It's found naturally only in animal-based protein sources. It has been used to help with fat metabolism in other species, and recent scientific studies show that it can help reduce weight in overweight dogs.
This water-soluble substance attaches to fatty acids, transporting them into cellular mitochondria, the part of the cell that converts fat into a usable form of energy. There, they are broken down through oxidation and converted to energy for all tissues, including the heart, liver, and skeletal muscles. Through this process, carnitine helps reduce the storage of body fat and the amount of fat in the bloodstream.
In a study conducted by The IAMS™ Company, overweight dogs were fed similar diets. One group was given a diet supplemented with L-carnitine while another group received a diet without supplemental L-carnitine.
After seven weeks, the group that received the diet without supplemental L-carnitine lost 1.8% body weight compared to 6.4% body weight loss from the group that was fed the L-carnitine supplemented diet. Likewise, body fat was reduced in each group by 2.4% and 4.6%, respectively.1 The study found that L-carnitine promotes loss of body weight and body fat in overweight dogs.
IAMS™ ProActive Health™ Adult Healthy Weight is formulated with L-carnitine that helps turn fat into energy, providing a path to help keep him fit for life.
1 Sunvold GD, Tetrick MA, Davenport GM, Bouchard GF. 'Carnitine supplementation promotes weight loss and decreased adiposity in the canine.' Proceedings of the XXIII World Small Animal Veterinary Association. p. 746. October, 1998.
Not all small dogs have the same nutritional needs. Giving your dog a food specially formulated for her size and activity level is the easiest way to make sure you’re providing complete and balanced nutrition. Here’s how to provide the right nutrition for your small dog.
Small adult dogs require a food that offers complete nutrients essential for health and vitality. Here’s what to look for:
These ingredients are the keys to nutrition whether you feed dry or wet dog food or give your dog treats.
Small dogs have small mouths and stomachs. You may want to feed your dog a formula with a small bite size for easy chewing. A nutrient-dense food will help make sure she’s absorbing essential nutrients even though her stomach can only accommodate what seems like a small volume of food.
When choosing a food for your small-breed dog, also ask:
Special conditions like these dramatically affect your dog’s nutritional demands.
Less-active dogs and dogs who have been neutered or spayed are prone to weight gain. Controlling your dog’s weight is an important step toward protecting against complications of excess weight, such as diabetes or joint health problems. If you use a weight-control food, look for these ingredients:
Starting in the seventh week of her pregnancy, a mother dog will need to increase her energy intake up to 50% by the time she gives birth and increase it even more when she starts nursing her puppies. Because she may lose her appetite at times, it’s important that she eats a nutrient-dense food. A complete, balanced small-breed puppy formula can give her the extra nutrients she needs.
Unlike larger dogs that are considered mature at age 5, your small dog can remain on an adult diet until age 7. In fact, small-breed dogs tend to live longer and don’t experience age-related changes as early as bigger dogs. However, it is important to make a proactive transition to a specially formulated mature diet, such as IAMS™ ProActive Health™ Mature Adult Small & Toy Breed, so you can help keep your dog healthy and active for years to come.
