Knowledge base
Descriptions of the nutrients BARFLAB analyzes in dog and cat diets.
ALA (Omega-3) - Vegetable
Alpha-linolenic acid is a fatty acid from the Omega-3 family of plant origin. In humans and herbivores, it serves as a base for the production of anti-inflammatory acids EPA and…
Arachidonic acid (ARA - Omega-6)
An essential fatty acid from the Omega-6 family. While fatty acids derived from fish oil have an anti-inflammatory effect, ARA is used to deliberately cause controlled…
Arginine
Exogenous amino acid (absolutely necessary) for dogs and cats. In addition to building proteins, it is a substrate in the urea cycle in the liver. Digesting large amounts of meat…
Ash
This is an analytical (laboratory) term. Denotes the total amount of inorganic components; minerals (calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, iron, etc.) remaining after burning a food…
Biotin (B7)
A water-soluble vitamin, crucial for the health of skin, fur and claws, as well as for the metabolism of macronutrients. It is a cofactor for carboxylase reactions, which play an…
Calcium - Ca
Calcium is an element that in dogs and cats must be supplied to the body with food in a bioavailable form. Together with phosphorus, it plays a structural role, constituting the…
Carbohydrates
From a biological point of view, carbohydrates are not necessary for dogs and cats to live - official nutritional standards do not specify the minimum requirement for them.…
Chloride - Cl
It is a macroelement and the main negative ion of extracellular fluids. It works closely with sodium and potassium, ensuring cell hydration (appropriate osmotic pressure) and…
Choline (B4)
Choline is a water-soluble, vitamin-like nutrient (historically classified among the B vitamins as “vitamin B4”). The body can synthesize some choline in the liver. It is part of…
Cobalamin (B12)
It is a water-soluble vitamin, but it is the only one that can be stored in the liver. Contains cobalt in its structure. It is necessary for the formation of red blood cells, the…
Copper - Cu
It functions as a coenzyme in many biochemical reactions.. It is necessary for hematopoiesis, i.e. the formation of red blood cells. It plays a role in maintaining proper…
Energy (kcal)
Energy is fuel for the body, it is used to maintain a constant body temperature, proper functioning of organs and muscle work. We provide it to animals in food in the form of…
EPA + DHA (Omega-3 fatty acids)
EPA is one of the most powerful natural anti-inflammatory agents - it "extinguishes" inflammation in the joints, intestines, kidneys and skin. DHA is the main building block of…
Fat
Fat is the most efficient and primary energy fuel for dogs and cats - it provides more than twice the energy per gram than protein or carbohydrates. It is the main component of…
Fiber
Fiber is a specific carbohydrate fraction that is not digested by the digestive enzymes of dogs and cats. There are soluble fibers (forming a gel with water), fermentable fibers,…
Folic acid (B9)
It is a water-soluble vitamin and is responsible for the synthesis of DNA and cell proliferation (bone marrow, intestinal mucosa). It occurs in food as derivatives of…
Iodine - I
Iodine is an essential building block of the thyroid hormones thyroxine and triiodothyronine, which act on the pituitary gland and gonads. These hormones regulate metabolic rate,…
Iron - Fe
It is a key component of hemoglobin (the protein in red blood cells that transports oxygen from the lungs to all tissues) and myoglobin (which stores oxygen in the muscles). It…
Linoleic acid (LA - Omega-6)
An essential fatty acid from the Omega-6 family, which the body cannot produce on its own.. It is responsible for the structure of the epidermal barrier (it is part of…
Magnesium - Mg
In the body, it works closely with calcium and phosphorus (about 60% of magnesium is found in bones and teeth as a building component). It plays an important role in…
Manganese - Mn
It participates in the formation of bones and joint cartilage. It is a component of antioxidant enzymes and is responsible for the proper functioning of the reproductive system.…
Methionine and cystine
Methionine and cystine are two sulfur amino acids that the calculator shows together - because together they create a pool of sulfur available for many key processes. Methionine…
Niacin (B3)
It is a water-soluble vitamin. Niacin is defined as compounds with the biological activity of nicotinamide. Its main forms are nicotinic acid and nicotinamide. After…
Pantothenic acid (B5)
It is a water-soluble vitamin, a precursor of coenzyme A (CoA) - a key element of metabolism. Without it, it is impossible to burn proteins, fats and carbohydrates, synthesize…
Phosphorus - P
Together with calcium, it is found practically throughout the body, but most phosphorus is accumulated in bones and teeth (structural role). It plays an absolutely key role in…
Potassium - K
Potassium is the main intracellular cation, necessary to maintain the normal resting potential of the cell membrane. It is predominantly found inside cells, while its partner —…
Protein
Protein is the foundation of the diet and the main building material of a dog’s or cat’s body. Dogs and cats require more protein in their diet than non-carnivorous species. They…
Pyridoxine (B6)
It is a water-soluble vitamin. It takes part in the production of red blood cells, supports immunity and creates neurotransmitters (serotonin, dopamine). In its active form, it…
Riboflavin (B2)
Riboflavin is a water-soluble vitamin that acts as a catalyst in cellular respiration. It enables cells to obtain energy from nutrients and is crucial for healthy skin, fur and…
Selenium - Se
Selenium is a microelement necessary for proper metabolism. Its most important role is in close cooperation with vitamin E - together they create the body's antioxidant shield…
Sodium - Na
In the body, it acts as the main extracellular electrolyte (works closely with potassium). Its main task is to maintain proper water management in the body (regulates osmotic…
Sulfur - S
Sulfur is a structural macroelement in dogs and cats. It does not occur in the body on its own, but as part of sulfur amino acids (methionine, cysteine, taurine), vitamins (B1,…
Taurine
It is a sulfur amino acid that, exceptionally, does not build muscle proteins and is found in free form in tissues. Its highest concentrations are found in places where cells…
Thiamine (B1)
It belongs to the group of water-soluble vitamins, which means that the body of dogs and cats cannot store it (the reserves are exhausted within a few days).. It is not…
Vit A (Retinol)
It is a fat-soluble vitamin, which means that the body stores its excess in the liver and fatty tissue. It is necessary for proper vision (forms rhodopsin in the retina),…
Vit C (Ascorbic acid)
It is a water-soluble vitamin and a strong antioxidant. It supports the immune system and is necessary for the synthesis of collagen (the building material of joints, bones and…
Vit D (Cholecalciferol)
It belongs to the group of fat-soluble vitamins. Its main task is to manage the calcium and phosphorus metabolism, without it calcium will not be absorbed from the intestines…
Vitamin E (Tocopherol)
Vitamin E belongs to the fat-soluble vitamins. It is the body’s main antioxidant, protecting cell membranes from free radicals and oxidative stress, and works closely with…
Vitamin K
Vitamin K is fat-soluble and regulates blood clotting and calcium metabolism (incorporating calcium into bone). Intestinal bacteria produce it as K2 in amounts that are almost…
Water
It is the foundation of life and the most important substance in the body of every animal. Although it does not provide energy like classic macronutrients, it is an environment…
Zinc - Zn
Zinc is a component of over 200 enzymes. It plays a key role in maintaining healthy skin and fur, wound healing processes and supports the proper functioning of the immune system.