EVALUATION OF SOME ELEMENT AND MINERAL LEVELS IN PRESCRIPTION AND NON-PRESCRIPTION DOG DIETS

Various prescription diets prescribed by veterinarians for specific diseases in dogs have been developed and introduced to the market. Trace element and mineral levels, which are essential for healthy living conditions in animals, can differ in both prescription and non-prescription foods. In our study, it was aimed to determine the levels of some elements and minerals in various prescription and non-prescription dry foods used in dog nutrition and to evaluate their therapeutic importance. In the study, a total of 100 different prescription dry food formulated for hepatic diseases (H, n=25), renal diseases (R, n=25), gastrointestinal diseases (GI, n=25) and, allergic diseases (HA, n=25) were used. Non-prescription dry foods from different flavors and brands in the market were considered as the control group (C, n=50). Copper (Cu), Iron (Fe), Manganese (Mn), Zinc (Zn), Selenium (Se), Calcium (Ca), and Phosphorus (P) levels of all dry foods were analyzed by Inductively Coupled Plasma-Optical Emission Spectrometer (ICP-OES, Thermo iCAP 6000 series) and the results were compared between groups. Statistical analysis was evaluated using SPSS 21. Cu levels in GI and HA groups were higher than in the control group (p<0.05 and p<0.01, respectively). Fe levels were higher in the GI group and lower in the HA group than in the control group (p<0.05). Mn level was significantly higher in the H group compared to the control group (p<0.001). The Mn levels in GI and HA groups were higher than the control group (p<0.01). There was no statistical difference in Se and Zn levels between prescription and non-prescription dry foods. Ca and P levels in all groups were statistically lower than in the control group (p<0.001). There are significant differences in element and mineral levels in prescription and non-prescription dry foods. These values may be out of the legal limits determined by EU Regulation. Considering the therapeutic purpose of these prescription formulas, some element and mineral amounts were determined as inappropriate. Vrednotenje vsebnosti nekaterih elementov in mineralov v predpisani in nepredpisani prehrani za pse Izvleček: Na trgu so prisotne različne diete na recept, ki jih veterinarji predpisujejo za določene bolezni psov. Vsebnost elementov v sledovih in mineralov, ki so bistveni za zdravo življenje živali, se lahko razlikuje tako v hrani na recept kot v hrani brez recepta. V naši študiji smo želeli določiti vsebnost nekaterih elementov in mineralov v različnih predpisanih in nepredpisanih suhih vrstah hrane za pse, ter oceniti njihov terapevtski pomen. V študiji je bilo uporabljenih 100 različnih vrst suhe hrane, formulirane za jetrne bolezni (H, n=25), ledvične bolezni (R, n=25), bolezni prebavil (GI, n=25) in alergijske bolezni (HA, n=25). Suha hrana brez recepta različnih okusov in blagovnih znamk na trgu je bila obravnavana kot kontrolna skupina (C, n=50). Vsebnost bakra (Cu), železa (Fe), mangana (Mn), cinka (Zn), selena (Se), kalcija (Ca) in fosforja (P) v vseh vrstah suhe hrane smo analizirali z optično emisijsko spektroskopijo z induktivno sklopljeno plazmo (ICP-OES, serija Thermo iCAP 6000) in rezultate primerjali med skupinami. Statistična analiza je bila narejena v programu SPSS 21. Vsebnost Cu v skupinah GI in HA je bila višja kot v kontrolni skupini (p<0,05 oziroma p<0,01). Vsebnost Fe je bila višja v skupini GI in nižja v skupini HA kot v kontrolni skupini (p<0,05). Raven Mn je bila bistveno višja v skupini H v primerjavi s kontrolno skupino (p<0,001). Ravni Mn v skupinah GI in HA so bile višje kot v kontrolni skupini (p<0,01). Med suho hrano na recept in suho hrano brez recepta ni bilo statistične razlike v vsebnosti Se in Zn. Vsebnosti Ca in P so bile v vseh skupinah statistično značilno nižje kot v kontrolni skupini (p<0,001). Vsebnost elementov in mineralov v suhi hrani na recept in suhi hrani brez recepta se je bistveno razlikovala. Te vrednosti so lahko izven zakonsko določenih mejnih vrednosti, ki jih določa uredba EU. Glede na terapevtski namen diete na recept smo nekatere količine elementov in mineralov določili kot neustrezne. Ključne besede: elementi; minerali; pes; hrana; recept