Changes

   

   

Paleo is a human food trend increasingly observed in pet nutrition. The philosophy   

Paleo is a human food trend increasingly observed in pet nutrition. The philosophy   

is based on mimicking the nutrition of ancestral dogs and cats during evolution. It is assumed that this form of nutrition addresses nutritional requirements in an optimal way and, hence, supports peak metabolic performance of dogs and cats. Paleo diets are rich in protein with low carbohydrate content, which is achieved via a high meat content. In contrast to B.A.R.F., feeding ingredients raw is less relevant. B.A.R.F. is considered a pure pet nutrition trend, whereas paleo is a human nutrition trend and humans typically do not consume large quantities of raw meat. Pet owners practicing paleo tend to be health conscious and convinced that old days were generally better, including the nutrition<ref name="Buff">Buff, P. R., Carter, R. A., Bauer, J. E., et al. (2014) '''Natural pet food: a review of natural diets and their impact on canine and feline physiology'''. J Anim Sci 92(9):3781-91.</ref>. They are searching for a primitive way of nutrition.   

is based on mimicking the nutrition of ancestral dogs and cats during evolution. It is assumed that this form of nutrition addresses nutritional requirements in an optimal way and, hence, supports peak metabolic performance of dogs and cats. Paleo diets are rich in protein with low carbohydrate content, which is achieved via a high meat content. In contrast to [[Feeding Types of Pet Food#B.A.R.F.|B.A.R.F.]], feeding ingredients raw is less relevant. B.A.R.F. is considered a pure pet nutrition trend, whereas paleo is a human nutrition trend and humans typically do not consume large quantities of raw meat. Pet owners practicing paleo tend to be health conscious and convinced that old days were generally better, including the nutrition<ref name="Buff">Buff, P. R., Carter, R. A., Bauer, J. E., et al. (2014) '''Natural pet food: a review of natural diets and their impact on canine and feline physiology'''. J Anim Sci 92(9):3781-91.</ref>. They are searching for a primitive way of nutrition.   

Primary motivations to practice paleo can be described as follows:  

Primary motivations to practice paleo can be described as follows:  

*A belief that the wolf or feral cat diet provides the right nutrition.  

*A belief that the wolf or feral cat diet provides the right nutrition.  

However, around 14,000 years of domestication has elapsed between the ancestral wolf and the modern pet dog over which time social behavior, appearance and feeding habits have changed substantially. This time has even influenced gene expression, and modern dogs have been found to be capable of digesting and utilizing starch compared to wolf<ref name="Axelsson"> Axelsson, E., Ratnakumar, A., Arendt, M. L., et al. (2013) '''The genomic signature of dog domestication reveals adaptation to a starch-rich diet'''. Nature 495(7441):360-4.</ref>. Hence the nutrient requirements of wolves are no longer ‘up-to-date’ for modern pet dogs. Cats by contrast have deviated less from the nutritional preferences of their ancestors during evolution. A paleo type of diet, therefore, may be less inappropriate for cats than for dogs, given the higher protein requirements of cats.  

However, around 14,000 years of domestication has elapsed between the ancestral wolf and the modern pet dog over which time social behavior, appearance and feeding habits have changed substantially. This time has even influenced gene expression, and modern dogs have been found to be capable of digesting and utilizing starch compared to wolf<ref name="Axelsson"> Axelsson, E., Ratnakumar, A., Arendt, M. L., et al. (2013) '''The genomic signature of dog domestication reveals adaptation to a starch-rich diet'''. Nature 495(7441):360-4.</ref>. Hence the nutrient requirements of wolves are no longer ‘up-to-date’ for modern pet dogs. Cats by contrast have deviated less from the nutritional preferences of their ancestors during evolution. A paleo type of diet, therefore, may be less inappropriate for cats than for dogs, given the higher protein requirements of cats.

==References==

==References==