Köszönjük, hogy feliratkozott hőstresszkezelési útmutatónkra, amely segít a hőstressz jeleinek gyors beazonosításában és a probléma kezelésében. Használatával a legtöbbet hozhatja ki a hőstressz elleni védekezésből.

Tusind tak, du kan hente dit cheat sheet ved at trykke på knappen

Futterproteine und Futterenergie sind für die Bildung von Mikrobenprotein notwendig

Wie jedes Nutztier sind auch die Wiederkäuer auf eine regelmäßige Eiweißversorgung angewiesen. Die Mikroorganismen (z.B. Bakterien, Pilze) im Pansen der Tiere wandeln einen Großteil des zugefütterten Eiweiß (Protein) überwiegend zu Aminosäuren und Ammoniak um. Dieses steht für die Bildung von sogenanntem Mikrobeneiweiß und dessen Verwertung im Dünndarm zur Verfügung. 70% bis 75% des gesamten Eiweißbedarfs einer Hochleistungskuh setzt sich aus Mikrobeneiweiß zusammen. Die Pansenmikroorganismen sind für die notwendige und bedarfsgerechte Proteinversorgung der Kuh verantwortlich. Für die Produktion von Mikrobeneiweiß benötigen die Pansenbakterien Energie und Stickstoff. Dafür ist es notwendig, dass jederzeit ausreichend Stickstoff im Pansen verfügbar ist.

Die Futterenergie spielt ebenfalls eine wichtige Rolle, da die mikrobielle Eiweißsynthese mit zunehmender Energieversorgung ansteigt. Zudem hängt die Syntheseleistung von der Abbaurate des Futterproteins ab. Beispielsweise ist das Protein aus Frischgras oder Grassilage besser von den Mikroben verwertbar als solches aus Maissilage oder Trockengrün. Anders als die stärkeabbauenden Bakterien, können die rohfaserabbauenden Bakterien ausschließlich Ammoniak verwerten, welche mitunter aus dem Abbau von Nicht-Protein-Stickstoffverbindungen wie Harnstoff resultiert. Ammoniak kann wiederum von den Mikroben als Stickstoffquelle zum Aufbau von Bakterienprotein genutzt werden. Voraussetzung dafür ist zum einen eine konstante Versorgung der Pansenbakterien mit Ammoniak und zum anderen eine ausreichende Versorgung mit pansenverfügbarer Energie.

Vorsicht bei Ammoniakmangel und Ammoniaküberschuss

Die Ammoniakversorgung des Pansens gleicht einer Gratwanderung: Ein Mangel kann genauso gravierende Folgen mit sich bringen wie ein Überschuss. Bei herkömmlichen Fütterungspraktiken gibt es Phasen mit einem Überschuss an Ammoniak im Pansen, gefolgt von Phasen mit einem Mangel an Ammoniak. Dies zeigt sich im Besonderen, wenn die Futterration mit Harnstoff oder fettbeschichtetem Harnstoff ergänzt und Ammoniak auf einmal vollständig freigesetzt wird. Überschüssiges Ammoniak im Pansen ist ein Verlust und kann toxisch wirken, da es zu einem erhöhten Blut-Harnstoff-Stickstoff Niveau kommen kann und folglich zu erhöhten Harnstoffwerten in der Milch. Gleichzeitig belastet eine zu schnelle Umsetzung von Harnstoff die Leber und den Stoffwechsel der Tiere, was zu erheblichen gesundheitlichen Beeinträchtigungen, sowie zu einer Leistungsminderung führen kann. Besteht im Gegensatz dazu über einen längeren Zeitraum ein Mangel an Ammoniak im Pansen, können die Pansenbakterien die Futterration nicht optimal verdauen, was einen negativen Einfluss auf die Milch- und Fleischproduktion zur Folge hat. Daher ist es wichtig, bei Verwendung von Harnstoff und Stickstoff in der Futterration auf eine konstante und langsame Freisetzung von Ammoniak im Pansen zu achten.

Soja- und Rapsschrot sind typische pflanzliche Stickstoffquellen, die in Wiederkäuerrationen zum Einsatz kommen. Seit Ende letzten Jahres schießen die Preise für diese Proteinlieferanten aufgrund von weltweiten Lieferengpässen in die Höhe und die Nachfrage nach stabileren Produkten steigt.

Mehr Flexibilität in der Proteinversorgung mit Optigen^®

Mit Optigen hat Alltech bereits vor Jahren eine innovative Futterkomponente zur nachhaltigen Unterstützung der komplexen Eiweißsynthese im Pansen entwickelt. Diese innovative Futterkomponente hat sich als ein geeigneter Ersatz für pflanzliche Proteinquellen in Wiederkäuerrationen bewährt. Optigen ist eine hochwertige Stickstoffquelle (Nicht-Protein-Stickstoff/NPN), die eine effektive und bedarfsgerechte Stickstoffversorgung der Pansenmikroben fördert. Die einzigartige Fett-Matrix-Struktur von Optigen ermöglicht, dass NPN langsam, kontrolliert und sicher in den Pansen abgegeben wird. Durch die kontinuierliche Freisetzung im Pansen bleibt der Ammoniakgehalt konstant, so dass ein optimales Wachstum insbesondere der rohfaserabbauenden Bakterien gewährleistet wird (Abbildung 1). Setzt man Optigen ein, so lässt sich anhand einer Kotanalyse bereits nach wenigen Wochen feststellen, dass sich der Anteil an langfaserigen Futterbestandteilen reduziert. Dies spricht für eine verbesserte Pansenfermentation. Durch die konzentrierte Gabe einer NPN-Verbindung wird die Verdaulichkeit wesentlich effizienter. Dadurch wird mehr „Raum“ für wirtschaftseigene Futtermittel geschaffen. Die Ration wird durch den erhöhten Anteil an Grundfutter „pansenfreundlicher“. Dies fördert nicht zuletzt die Gesundheit der Kühe (Abbildung 2).

Studien belegen die Effizienz von Optigen^®

Kürzlich hat Alltech mehr als 30 Forschungsstudien aus neun Ländern zur Wirksamkeit von Optigen in der Milch- und Fleischproduktion ausgewertet und die Daten veröffentlicht.

Die folgenden Ergebnisse zeigen nachweislich die Vorteile von Optigen für Mastrinder:

• Verbessert Futtereffizienz und Gewichtszunahme um 8 %
• Reduziert die Schlachtreife um bis zu 9 Tage
• Steigert die Wirtschaftlichkeit der Produktion bei 1.000 Rindern um 16.550 €
• Erhöht die Nachhaltigkeit in der Landwirtschaft durch die Reduzierung des CO2-Fußabdrucks bei Rindern um 111,5 t CO2-Äquivalente

Die Auswertung der Milchviehstudien zeigten ähnlich herausragende Ergebnisse:

• Reduziert den Einsatz von Sojamehl um bis zu 21 %
• Verbessert die Futtereffizienz um 3 %
• Steigert die Wirtschaftlichkeit der Produktion bei 1.000 Kühen um 15.250 €
• Erhöht die Nachhaltigkeit in der Landwirtschaft durch die Reduzierung des CO2-Fußabdrucks bei 1.000 Kühen um 647 t CO2-Äquivalente

Die Ergebnisse zeigen deutlich, dass Optigen ein wirksamer Ersatz für pflanzliche Proteinquellen zur Verbesserung der Futtereffizienz, Profitabilität und ökologischen Nachhaltigkeit für Milchkühe und Mastrinder darstellt.

Dr. Lilian Weber, Regional Technical Manager, Alltech (Deutschland) GmbH

Weitere Informationen zum Thema Eiweißfütterung bei Wiederkäuern

Mehr Alternativen für die Eiweißfütterung mit Optigen

Mehr Informationen zum Produkt Optigen

This is the fourth and final episode of our ‘Navigating Calf Management’ blog series designed to help UK dairy producers lay early foundations for long and productive lifecycles. This important and complex topic has been broken down into four areas, including:

Episode 1: Colostrum

Episode 2: Environment

Episode 3: Weaning

Episode 4: Calving

Rounding off this series on navigating calf management, this blog provides expert advice on how to reduce stress before, during and after calving.

It is common knowledge that good transition management is essential for a successful lactation, metabolic health and accepting the next pregnancy. Often, the dry period and calving are geared toward the cow and its needs. However, this period is also critical for the calf and their future growth, health and development.

Minimising stress in close-up dry cows

The close-up dry cow period is a critical time for both cow and calf performance. The most vital target during these three weeks is zero stress, which can be achieved through careful planning, specifically to reduce or minimise cow movements.

It is key that we avoid moving cows in their final stages of gestation (one to four days prior to calving) to avoid prolonged calving times and the risk of delivery issues and calving intervention, which can cause unnecessary stress to the unborn calf. It is also a critical factor in maintaining feed intakes during this precious time.

We advise either moving to a “just-in-time” calving area after the second stage of labour or moving to a designated calving area one week prior to calving. Where movement is unavoidable, move cows in pairs, at least, to reduce stress.

Here are some additional tips to reduce stress and maintain feed intakes during the close-up period:

• Provide at least 85 cm/cow of feed space and 10 cm/cow of freshwater space.
• Provide fresh feed by feeding daily and pushing up regularly.
• The shed should be light (150–200 lux) and well-ventilated. You can also look at installing a red light to enable checks during the night without disturbing the cows.
• Cows in loose housing should have an area of 1 m2 per cow for every 1,000 litres, plus another third for hard standing, feeding/loafing area.
• Cows in cubicles should be in deep-bedded cubicles that are 127–130 cm wide and 180 cm long with unrestricted lunge space.
• Ensure bedding is always clean and dry to reduce the risk of bacteria build-up.
• Cows on grass should have 1 m2 for every 1000 litres. However, the key is to rotate paddocks regularly, avoid overstocking and allow one month before returning cows to the same paddock. Again, moving the calving cows to a “just-in-time” pen or having a designated calving paddock and bringing the cows here a week prior to calving.

Minimising stress during and after calving

Deliveries requiring assistance are common among Holsteins. We can use the 1 to 5 scoring system (Table 1) to record the level of assistance and help individually manage calves in the first few weeks of life. Calves that have experienced difficult births should be watched more carefully and perhaps kept in single pens for longer to monitor growth and intakes. Colostrum management and environmental optimisation still remain key and probably even more vital.

Table 1: Calving ease score card

Research from S.R.U.C (Barrier et al. 2021) found that calves delivered with “severe assistance” (score 4–5) are six times more likely to die compared to calves requiring no or little assistance. Furthermore, a “severe” delivery is 1.6 times more at risk of respiratory disease and 1.3 times more at risk of digestive disease compared to a “normal” delivery.

Choice of sire, size at breeding and nutrition during the dry period can all influence calving ease prior to calving. However, it is quick and accurate calving management conducted by one or more well-trained and experienced persons that is essential to reducing stress during calving time.

Observe signs of labour in close-ups:

• Relaxation and swelling of the vulva.
• Mucus discharge.
• Relaxation of pelvic ligaments.
• General discomfort and isolation behaviours.

Examine signs of progress once in labour:

• The cow lying on her side.
• Normal presentation of both front feet first, followed by the head.
• Ability to slide your hand over the head of the calf comfortably.
• Continuous progress lasting no longer than 30 minutes to an hour in cows and less than two hours in heifers. Anything outside of this is abnormal progress and will need professional assistance.

Intervene quickly when needed:  

• Assist with either gloved and lubricated hands, calving ropes or a calving jack.
• With any intervention, it is essential to be scrupulously hygienic! Using arm-length gloves, cleaning around vulva area and using disinfected and clean equipment.
• Know when to call the vet: If there is no progress being made within 10–15 minutes of assisting the cow with steady and gentle traction, it is essential to call the vet.

Provide care quickly post-calving:

• Cows should be offered a bucket of warm water, with or without fresh cow powder, straight after birth.
• Cows should also be offered some high-energy TMR, such as the milking ration.
• Colostrum should be milked as soon as possible to ensure the best quality and fed to the calf once the calf is removed.

Minimising stress from pathogen exposure

Dr. Sheila McGuirk from the University of Wisconsin uses the phrase “manure meals” to reference manure or pathogens the calf ingests from the calving pen or dam.

One of Dr. McGuirk’s suggestions for reducing “manure meals” is to remove the calf from the dam and calving environment quickly after birth. However, there are strong arguments for both cow and calf to have some time with each other; for both the dam’s reproductive health and the calf’s breathing and circulation.

Nevertheless, pathogen exposure increases rapidly the longer the calf remains with the dam. Once the calf is standing and walking, the chances of coliform bacteria contamination go up. At this point, it is best the calf is removed. You can provide a clean, disinfected area where the dam can reach the calf to lick and stimulate the calf without the calf being able to lick and suck on the dam’s coat and teat or falling into cow manure.

Another essential area to focus on is navel disinfection immediately after birth. Studies have shown that calves that do not receive navel dipping with 7% iodine have an 11% greater mortality risk. This scales up to a staggering five additional mortalities for every 100 cows. Furthermore, there is a 14% higher rate of pneumonia in calves without navel disinfection compared to those that are disinfected.

Maximising nutrition during the dry period

Nutrition during the dry period is important for maintaining cow health and calf growth and development.

Separate diets should be made for far-off and close-up dry cows. Far-off cow diets should contain less energy and adequate amounts of fibre. Close-up cow diets should contain more metabolizable protein and energy than diets of far-off dry cows. However, they should still contain controlled amounts of both energy and fibre to ensure adequate feed intake after calving. If a herd is not big enough or it is not possible to manage close-up and far-off dry cows separately, dry cows can be managed as one group with a shorter dry period and a negative DCAD diet.

It is also essential to monitor mineral intakes during this time. Key macro-minerals include calcium, phosphorous, magnesium, sodium and potassium. These minerals and their interactions will drive most metabolic issues. In contrast, micro-minerals such as selenium, copper, zinc, cobalt, iodine and manganese are primarily responsible for disease resistance, immunity and reproductive performance.

Look for a mineral that contains Alltech technology such as Sel-Plex® (Selenium yeast) and Bioplex® minerals, chelated forms of micro-minerals that have been shown in research to deliver additional benefits to the calf in-utero during the dry period; improving calf health and growth rates post-birth, with better production and reproduction when they themselves become cows within the herd.

Click here for more tips on how to make the most of feed for the dry cow.

Producers need to constantly think ahead and monitor how things are going, focusing on any issues in the calving and fresh lactation group. If you think you could benefit from a fresh pair of eyes, please contact Imogen Ward, InTouch Feeding Specialist, on 07778 365016.

It is no secret that the physical presentation of a ruminant ration is just as important as the ingredients that go into it. Data from InTouch has repeatedly shown that optimising ration presentation can increase milk production by 16% or daily liveweight gain by 200 grams per head per day.

Tim Kneale, U.K. InTouch Feeding Specialist, explains. 

I do not claim to be Paul Hollywood, but it is really like baking a cake! If you do not put the right amount of ingredients in, or if you do not put it together in the right way, you will not get the end result the recipe promises. Moreover, the better-baked cake will get eaten more readily than the poorer one!

To put this into a farming context, there are three possible diets within ruminant nutrition:

1. The diet formulated by the nutritionist (the recipe)
2. The diet made or processed
3. The diet actually eaten

Accuracy and consistency are key factors in ensuring a uniform chop length of forages and even distribution of concentrate.

The effects of poor physical ration presentation

Rations that are either over-processed and too fine or under-processed and too coarse present a challenge to cattle herd health and feed performance.

Some of the main challenges that arise from a poorly processed ration include:

• A drop in milk yield and butterfats
• A feed conversion efficiency drop
• Ruminal acidosis

Warning signs that ration presentation is not quite right

Here are four aspects that producers can keep an eye on to ensure ration presentation is right:

1. Cows nuzzling and digging holes in the ration
2. Long fibrous leftovers before the next feed
3. Variable intakes and dung inconsistencies
4. Inconsistency along the feed face

Feed fences or troughs tend to be quite long, and there is a lot of scope for feed and intake variation from start to finish. When assessing your final ration, take a sample from the start, middle and end to visually check for any inconsistencies. Look for differences in concentrate levels, forage chop length and sharp cut ends, not frayed, split ends.

Image: The difference in ration presentation from the start (pictured left) to the end (pictured right) of the feed trough/feed-out.

How to improve mix quality consistency

Farmers seeking to continuously improve and advance are being advised to look closely at how they process their ration. Here are some of the things you can control to achieve greater precision:

• When adjusting the number of cows, recalibrate each feed ingredient exactly. The InTouch system allows feed allocation to be altered while maintaining the chemical composition of the diet, ensuring a consistent energy and protein supply into the rumen.
• If using a paddle feeder, load liquids and smaller elements first. When using a paddle feeder, be mindful of the volume and how full the mixing chamber is — overloading the wagon will severely reduce the effectiveness of the mixing action, leading to an uneven distribution of feeds along the trough.
• If using a vertical feeder, load in the opposite order (liquids and smalls last). Vertical feeders are much more aggressive and have a reduced window for achieving the optimum mix quality — it is easy to overmix and destroy structural fibre within the ration.
• Ensure the processing time between each ingredient is measured and consistent.

Rumen function is key to maintaining milk production and cow health, so rumen conditions need to be consistent. If you are not maintaining or controlling the mixing/processing time of each ingredient, then variation can occur and have a negative effect on production.

Cows love consistency, and so health and performance are very dependent on each and every cow getting the same mouthful of feed every time she eats.

InTouch is designed to help farmers and operators make this happen. Think of it as a SatNav for your diet feeder, with round-the-clock technical support from the experts.

The weigh box on the side of the diet feeder has very few buttons and is very intuitive and simple to use. It tells the farmer step by step what feed mix to put in the machine and then records what was actually put in the machine. If something goes wrong or there is a deterioration in animal performance, the farmer gets a phone call, and our nutritionist changes the diet in real-time via the cloud. It is like having a nutritionist in the farmyard.

The weigh box collects exact data on what is being mixed for the animals. We can also call in the data from milk and beef production, so our nutritionists are able to correlate the diets with the performance of the animal and all the other animals on our system and give real-time advice to the farmer on improving performance.

Благодаря применению в кормлении поросят меди в форме Биоплекса^® улучшены показатели продуктивности, что свидетельствует о более высокой доступности и усвояемости по сравнению с неорганической формой.

With over a decade of experience in communications, graphic design and digital marketing, Lauren offers a variety of creative services through her business, Squiggl. From copywriting to social media, Lauren brings authenticity and expertise to her work with clients ranging from start-ups to multi-billion-dollar companies. 

Originally from Gainesville, Florida, Lauren earned her bachelor's degree in Public Relations from the University of Florida and currently resides in Lexington, Kentucky.

HELM Agro and Alltech Crop Science announce a partnership to bridge the gap between traditional and biological crop input solutions. This new relationship applies a systems approach to support sustainable practices and provide growers easy access and product education on full-spectrum, integrated crop solutions.

HELM Agro will market, sell and distribute the Alltech Crop Science line of products in the U.S. Alltech Crop Science will continue to manufacture its crop science solutions while also focusing on scientific research and the development of new products. The collaboration brings together product lines from both companies and elevates science and service through expertise, resources and new, innovative product options.

The family legacies that make up the backbone of both HELM Agro and Alltech Crop Science offer a unique, synergistic partnership that furthers science and service to help deliver better performance and profitability for customers at every stage of crop production.

“Our family-owned businesses were built on the same values and with the same entrepreneurial spirit as the family farm,” said David Schumacher, president, HELM Agro US, Inc. “We’re actively seeking to provide solutions and expertise that enhance grower success. This partnership opens new opportunities and supports our customers as they push to reach their crop’s full genetic potential. Combined with Alltech’s unrelenting research and commitment to the highest quality standards, we are eager to be able to exclusively offer products you won’t find anywhere else.”

“Our collaboration with HELM Agro represents a combined 160 years of scientific rigor and crop expertise to support growers in optimizing crop efficiency at every stage of production,” said Dr. Mark Lyons, president and CEO of Alltech. “We believe what we can achieve together will be far greater and more meaningful for the future of the ag sector.”

HELM Agro and Alltech Crop Science are committed to finding new solutions to help growers feed a growing planet. By advancing science-backed technologies and nutrigenomics, the companies hope to help take crop yields and quality to the next level.

“We believe in the power of science to feed the future,” said Lyons. “Together, we will provide even stronger support to growers, empowering them to unleash the potential of their crops through scientifically proven solutions, inspired by nature itself.”

“Like everyone in agriculture, we never stand still,” said Schumacher. “We are innovating to solve complex problems to support how growers’ produce food, feed and fiber.”

U.S. customers can continue to place orders through Alltech Crop Science by emailing cropscience@alltech.com until Sept 21, 2021. Beginning Sept. 1, 2021, U.S. customers should order through HELM Agro by emailing orders@helmagro.com.

Growing up near the rice fields and beaches of Bali, Melati Wijsen saw the impact of plastic waste firsthand as it littered the landscape and endangered local wildlife. She was spurred into action, and at just 12 years old, Melati and her younger sister, Isabel, founded Bye Bye Plastic Bags, with a mission to rid the world of plastic bags and empower young people to take action. Hear from Melati on the youth-led movement to build a brighter future and what this could mean for business leaders.

In this episode of Ag Future, we revisit a conversation that Dr. Mark Lyons, president and CEO of Alltech, had with Melati Wijsen, Founder of Bye Bye Plastic Bags & YOUTHTOPIA, as a part of the Alltech ONE Ideas Conference in 2020. For more information and to register for ONE 2021, visit one.alltech.com.

The following is an edited transcript of the Ag Future podcast episode with Melati Wijsen. Click below to hear the full audio or listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

Dr. Lyons:    Welcome to the Alltech ONE Virtual Experience. I'm Dr. Mark Lyons, President and CEO of Alltech. Founding Alltech in 1980 was just the beginning of a vision for my parents, Dr. Pearse and Mrs. Deirdre Lyons. They desired to build a business, but they also wanted to ensure that that business would have an impact on our planet far into the future. Today, our customers, partners, and more than 5000 team members around the world are working together for a planet of plenty, propelling our founding vision into a new world of possibilities. We are inspired by the challenge to produce enough safe, nutritious food for all while caring for animals and sustaining our land, air, and water for future generations. Our natural resources may be finite, but human ingenuity is infinite.

                        Planet of plenty is a vision of promise and positivity for the future. It's our belief that the world of abundance is achievable, but it will take all of us working together. It's a vision that must be led by science and technology, and a shared will to make a difference, to plant trees we will never see grow. In 2020, these ideas seem to be growing in importance and urgency. Our special guest today on the ONE Virtual Experience was motivated very early in life to make a difference.

                        Growing up near the rice fields and beaches in beautiful Bali, Indonesia, Melati Wijsen was impacted when she saw plastic firsthand as it littered the landscape and endangered local wildlife. She was spurred into action at just 12 years old. She and her younger sister, Isabel, founded Bye Bye Plastic Bags with a mission to rid the world of plastic bags starting at home in Bali and empower young people to take action. She has spoken on world stages such as TED and the United Nations. She has been honored by Time as one of the most influential teams in the world, and has also been named to CNN Heroes Young Wonders and Forbes 30 Under 30 list.

                        Melati graduated from high school one year early and recently founded Youthtopia, a global community that empowers youth through meaningful, short peer-to-peer programs and provides them with tools that they need to become young changemakers themselves. Melati, welcome to the Alltech ONE Virtual Experience.

Melati:            Thank you so much for having me. I'm very excited to be joining you today.

Dr. Lyons:    Well, you have an incredible story and I think one that will not only inspire the ONE Virtual Experience normal adult audience, but also their children, the kids and teenagers that we've invited to join us today. Could you maybe just start with telling us a little bit about what inspired you to take on this role of being a changemaker?

Melati:            Yes. Well, for starters, I grew up on the island of Bali here in Indonesia. Growing up here, we had a childhood which meant playing in the environment 24/7. We were always in the rivers, running through the rice fields. That at an early age grew such a strong connection between myself, my family, and the environment around us. When we started Bye Bye Plastic Bags when I was 12 and my younger sister was 10, we had no idea what being a changemaker even was, what an activist even meant. We just saw plastic pollution being a problem, plastic pollution ending up in places that it absolutely should not, and it wasn't rocket science. We just asked a simple question. How can we get started? How can we get involved?

                        The rest was pretty much history. My sister and I rolled up our sleeves without a business plan, without a strategy, but the pure passion to just protect the environment in our home.

Dr. Lyons:    When you specifically got things started with your sister and you decided you were going to do something, what really started that journey? What was the seed of inertia that got things moving for you?

Melati:            This is a question that we get a lot of the time. One thing that I have heavily reflected on especially during this time right now is after seven years on the frontlines, what was it? What was that moment for us? It's very difficult to pinpoint one moment. To be honest, I think it was a whole collection of moments growing up on the island of Bali. Again, we were always in nature whether that was doing our first surfing lesson and really being out there in the ocean with plastic coming out after every single paddle, or learning how to plant rice for the first time and actually planting it on top of plastic. All of those sorts of moments where you may be hearing it for the first time through my story, but for me, it was my reality.

                        I don't know if I can give you an exact moment for me, but I definitely know that me and my sister saw this problem, and at the same time, we were very much inspired by the story that we learned at school. Think back to the time when you first learned about Mahatma Gandhi, Nelson Mandela, Lady Diana, all of these incredible leaders who throughout history made a difference in their community. My sister and I, after learning about them for the very first time, we thought we don't want to wait until we're older to start making a difference. We went home that day, connected the problem of plastic pollution, this motivation that this class, this lesson had for us, and combined the two and said we're going to make our island home of Bali plastic bag-free.

Dr. Lyons:    That's incredible. I think one of the things that all of us think about is how would I have started that at that age? Or if I know young people at that age, what would I be thinking of what they were doing? What did your parents and maybe your community think about this when you got things going in those first stages?

Melati:            My parents, first and foremost, they come from completely two different worlds. My mom is Dutch, my dad is Indonesian, totally different cultures and backgrounds, but they both found themselves on the island of Bali. When they were raising me and my sister -- also, me and my sister, a little bit of background, we were that kind of sisters that never fought. We are best friends. Even up to this day, we tell each other everything and we do everything together. We were always doing projects, not as big as Bye Bye Plastic Bags, but we were organizing the village bazaars. We were organizing how to make tree houses with our friends. We're always up to something.

                        So when my sister and I went up to our parents and said we're going to do this, we're going to make Bali plastic bag-free, they thought and we thought it was just going to be another summer project. But here we are seven years later and our parents have been an incredible source of support, which we're very, very lucky to have and to call our parents as one of our biggest supporters. They've also taught us a lot about balance. I'm sure we'll get closer to that throughout the entire discussion of how young changemakers and the support system around them require that sense of balance.

Dr. Lyons:    Maybe we could talk a little bit about those early stages. You must have faced a lot of challenges. Maybe you could explain a little bit of what took place. How did you get things moving? How did you get some of the first signatures on your petition?

Melati:            To be honest, when I think about our very first days with Bye Bye Plastic Bags, it blows my mind. It still does. I have a lot of projects that we started after Bye Bye Plastic Bags where I just want to capture that same sense of spontaneousness. I don't know if that's a word, but that level of passion that just went into creating something overnight and turning into this large movement that became much bigger than just me and my sister overnight. At first, we posted our first Facebook post and the first likes were my mom and my dad, the auntie and the uncle. Then we thought, well, what can we do from there?

                        Obviously, the first step was building our team, and that was often more other young people, other peers, our best friends. From then on, we started a petition. So what you were referring to, how did we get the first signatures on board, we put it up online. And within the first 24 hours, we had 6000 signatures already agreeing that Bali should be plastic bag-free. I guess this was really the first "aha" moment for us. This was where we realized that more people agreed with us. We were onto something big and the time for change was now. Since then, we've really used that momentum that we built as one of the largest youth-led movements in the country to see how we could build those conversations and turn that into action and positive impact.

Dr. Lyons:    That must have been so exciting to get that level of response.

Melati:            I just want to share one story, just the level of excitement to give you an idea of what that was for me and my sister at 10 and 12 years old. Every morning just before school, we'd rush to our parents' computers and log on to our online petition and reload the page. Every morning, we had thousands and thousands of more and new names that signed the petition. That was something that we did every morning for the next several weeks forward.

Dr. Lyons:    That's incredible. It must have been such a rush every morning to get up and just be thinking about what the response was. Certainly, I think that message then moved even beyond Bali to international. It's extraordinary. Ultimately, you've faced some challenges. Obviously, it wasn't all smooth sailing the whole time. What did Bye Bye Plastic Bags actually achieve and what were some of the roadblocks you had to overcome to get there?

Melati:            Over the last seven years of campaigning on the frontlines, we have come across many obstacles, everything from how do we keep that long-term motivation going. Being 12 years old, starting the movement all the way up to today where I'm 19, that long-term motivation, keeping people hopeful in the movement, keeping people excited about the change that is coming while it still didn't come fast enough, that was probably one of the biggest challenges. The way we overcame that honestly was just to keep the movement fun, keep the movement as creative as possible. Being a youth-led movement, that wasn't too difficult.

                        I think one of our biggest achievements that we have accomplished after seven years, six years on the frontlines together with the like-minded, our biggest and proudest achievement is the ban on single use plastic bags, straws, and styrofoam on the island of Bali.

Dr. Lyons:    It's an incredible achievement and it's something that I think a lot of people with a lot more experience, with a lot more resources couldn't have achieved. I think everybody watching this will be watching with admiration in terms of what you and your sister and the whole movement have done.

                        You really touched on an interesting point there that I think every organization struggles with. You have a founding principle and everybody feels very passionate about it in the beginning, but how do you keep that energy going? You mentioned something that we find very important within our culture, fun. You've got to keep things fun. Right now, we're in a world where we're a bit separated. Obviously, social media has been a huge part of your movement. What have you learned over the last seven years in terms of social media, how to use that and how to influence others and keep that mission alive and strong?

Melati:            Well, I could write a book about all the different lessons because if one thing is for sure, Bye Bye Plastic Bags was my life school. There's no other textbook that could teach me what I learned through the hands-on experience. Some of the biggest tools and learnings that I've had is really how can we collaborate more? How can we create those connections and those partnerships to create meaningful impact in our communities? I think that was one of the biggest takeaways over the last seven years and something that I really hope we can be a living example to show that collaboration. But also, youth empowerment is key if we want to see change happening.

Dr. Lyons:    Absolutely. That's a lot of what you're working on now. You've moved on. You're talking about a lot of other ways to engage with young people, and you've created something very exciting and new and something I was very inspired by first learning about it when we chatted earlier, Youthtopia. What is Youthtopia about and what is it that you want to achieve with this new ambitious effort?

Melati:            Yes, and thank you for letting me share a little bit more about Youthtopia. I don't know if you can tell, but my cheeks always get very hot and excited when I talk about the new project that me and my sister are working on. Think about the seven-year journey that me and my sister had. It brought us to so many extremely beautiful stages all around the world from the TED stages to the UN headquarters. My sister and I were going all over the world, but our biggest audience, no matter where we were, was always young people, other students, other like-minded, young people that were always curious about our story.

                        Whenever we stepped into the classroom, they sat a little bit taller, leaned on their chairs and said, "If they can do it, I can do it, too." But the question we always got after presenting and sharing our story with Bye Bye Plastic Bags was young people coming up to us and asking, "How can I do what you do?" This is where the larger passion of me and my sister really came into, which is education, specifically peer-to-peer education, and youth empowerment. How can we mobilize an entire generation of young changemakers?

                        That's what Youthtopia is all about. We're a community-centric platform with learning at its core and we work with real life, frontline, young changemakers. We use their experience. We pull together their knowledge and put it into a program for the rising young changemaker. We provide the education systems and the educational programs that the current traditional system doesn't have in place right now.

Dr. Lyons:    Yeah. I think for a lot of us, we're going to think, okay, that sounds fantastic. How do we define youth empowerment? What can we do to make sure that youth do feel empowered? I think a lot of times, young people today feel a little bit disconnected, disheartened particularly in this moment where COVID has been such a challenge. What can we do to define that youth empowerment and make sure to support it?

Melati:            This is again where my passion for education comes in, so cut me off at any moment when I talk too much about it. This is really where a huge passion of mine and a belief of mine is, that the education system needs to change. A big reason why young people all around the world feel a disconnect is because a big chunk of our day, five days a week, we spend it at school and we learn about things that are not relevant nor happening in the moment. Where when we come back home, when we turn on our phones and go through Instagram, we're seeing all of these bigger problems. This heavyweight suddenly sits on our shoulders and we want to play a more active role in the community we're living in, and we're not being provided with that.

                        When we talk about youth empowerment, we have to expect more from the young generation. We have to expect more and to guide more with the relevant tools, the relevant skills, and educational material our generation is asking for. I really think that youth empowerment, especially in the space that I'm in with the young people I've gotten to meet, we're empowering each other with our stories, with the other things that we're learning and sharing with each other. I think that that's really where the power of youth empowerment is.

Dr. Lyons:    I think a lot of people are going to be wanting to get onto Youthtopia hearing about it when they go through this. How can other youths get involved? Is this something that is limited to Asia? Is it something that's global?

Melati:            This is definitely going to be a global project and we welcome anyone that would like to join and learn how to become a young changemaker. As most startups nowadays, especially led by the Gen Z, the best source of information at the moment as we build is our Instagram page, youthtopia.world or our website, which is the same handle.

Dr. Lyons:    Awesome. Let's switch gears a little bit. We're in a moment right now that is truly unprecedented. One thing that we're seeing in the lens that we have is that a lot of these mega-trends are speeding up. And things that we were speaking about before, sustainability, climate change, and it being accepted and being something that we're really going to focus on are two that we do see speeding up.

                        We took a great quote from Martin Luther King a few months back and said there's a fierce urgency of now and that this is a moment that we've got to grasp. How do we grasp the opportunity that is being presented to us right now in a moment of such change and really continue to move these types of things forward?

Melati:            I asked myself this question a lot and I definitely don't have the answer. I think it's a learning curve that we are all experiencing. I guess the way that I would approach an answer would be to zoom out and zoom in at the same time and really personally reflect on what this time means to you. This is on a global scale. I think we're being given an opportunity, an unprecedented opportunity, not a challenge, not a risk, but this is an opportunity for us. I think young people as well, again, we often look at challenges or burdens without the heaviness, but we again look at it more as an opportunity.

                        I think we have to look at it as when I say zoom out, think about the timeline that we have set in place. Five years ago, the United Nations invented the 17 Sustainable Development Goals. This has become a framework that is implemented or spoken about all around the world, in classrooms, in board meetings, in government halls. The 17 SDGs is a framework or acts as a framework and a guideline of 17 different goals from humanitarian issues to environmental issues that we have to reach. 2020 and this year, we have hit the ten-year mark to reach those goals or not. I think with everything going on, we're being given an opportunity to reflect and refocus, restructure, reinvent the time that we're living in because we know already way longer before the 17 SDGs were invented, we know that the current system no longer works to our favor or to our benefit. And if we do not change business as usual, we're headed to an unlivable future.

                        The opportunity that is right in front of us, where and how we grasp it is by first and foremost becoming face to face. Once we do the whole zoom out, come up close. Embrace the confrontation that is happening right now on a global scale and on a personal scale, and understand what side you want to be on: the part that makes the future worth living or the history that doesn't move us forward. I think this is where we as individuals have a huge role to play in creating the movement forward.

Dr. Lyons:    Yeah, I think it's really that moment. It is a gut check moment in a way to really say where are we going and how are we going to change the trajectory if we don't like that place that we're going to end up. For a lot of the audience, and I'm thinking particularly even within our core business, the word 'activist' often strikes a tone of fear. People are thinking, "What is this person doing?" Of course, we know one of the big challenges that we have as humans is sometimes not embracing change, which is certainly something we need to be doing right now. How do we help people to overcome that fear and actually see that opportunity that you're highlighting for change?

Melati:            I love this. I love that the word 'activist' already makes people a little bit uncomfortable. That's good because that's when we know we're doing our job right. The role of an activist, especially young activists, is that we don't have that level of diplomacy. We know we do not have the time for chitchat and how's the weather. We get down to business. We know what we want. We're determined. Activists, especially in the recent couple of months, couple of years back, especially with the youth movement on the rise, we make people uncomfortable. The goal is to make us as uncomfortable as possible so we know we have to change. It's about applying the right kind of pressure.

                        Notice the reason why I don't mention the word 'fear' is because I think that that's not necessarily where the movement even comes from. The movement comes from a place of passion, of authenticity, and of love. I think that's why older generations or people that are afraid of change, they come up from a place of fear. They come up from a place of not willing to change because they're stuck in their comfort zone. Again, that's where we come in to make you as uncomfortable as possible so that we can change and move things along.

Dr. Lyons:    Yeah. We like to say that the magic in life starts at the edge of your comfort zone, so I think that's absolutely what we need to be doing and provoking in certain regards. Fear is one of the most useless emotions I think we have. I'm thinking about people watching this and saying, like you've said, "I'm a young person. I want to get involved." But a lot of people do feel intimidated or uncertain about themselves. How did you have the confidence in yourself to say, "Yes, we can go and get this done" and what would you suggest for young people if they were wanting to embark on such a mission themselves?

Melati:            I think that there are a lot of reasons why you are feeling this way and rightly so. Don't feel like it's not normal. There are definitely moments even where I find myself feeling super overwhelmed because when we look at the problem that the world is currently facing, we can feel very small and very -- well, just simply asking the question, where can we start? Where do I start? And how do I start? I think one piece of advice or one learning that I've had through my own experience is if you find just your piece of the puzzle, where can you add your strength, your power, your authenticity? Fuel it with your own passion. For you, it might not be plastic bags. For me, that was something that opened a whole opportunity and started me on this journey. It might be feeding the homeless, fighting for the forest and the rights of the trees.

                        Find your own passion and what is happening in your local area. I think once you find something that you deeply connect with, intimidation and the butterflies in your stomach is a healthy and good way to keep you on this path, to keep you moving forward because you also have to understand that it's bigger than you. It's bigger than one person. For me, this was the biggest lesson that I still cherish and carry with me to this day. We're a part of something bigger. There's a bigger message here, and young people are here to play a role in a bigger picture.

Dr. Lyons:    Fantastic and very inspiring. There are going to be other people watching this and they're going to be thinking, gosh, this young lady, very inspiring, very impressive, has spent a third of her life now focused in this area, but I'm a little later in life. How do I become a changemaker as well or how do I help to mentor changemakers? What would be your message perhaps to the audience a little bit older?

Melati:            Well, first of all, you're probably in a position of power, so I hope that you are using it to the potential of creating a world and a future that we are proud of, that is legal, that is just, and that is fair. I think that as a company owner, an industry leader, a government representative, being an adult, there's so much that you could do for good. When we talk about empowering young people and bringing us and inviting us into the space, that is one thing that we need more of. We need to be invited more often to conferences, to sit on panel discussions, and when we're not on stage, to be in the room.

                        Too many times, I'm finding myself in these beautiful, incredible, wealthy, knowledgeable conference rooms, and I ask the question, how many of you here are below the age of 30? Not because I want to see how many old people there are, but just because I want to make a point of how many or too little young people are in the audience. This for me, you have so much power as adults to invite us into those spaces. That's one of the ways that I think that you can empower and foster us into the realm of changemaking as well.

Dr. Lyons:    Yeah, I really like that idea. I recently was introduced to a book called "The Good Ancestor" and it was basically talking about future generations, generations that aren't even with us. Somehow, we need to also be thinking about them and bringing their voice into the room. I think that type of concept of getting more listening sessions and engagement with youth and what's really important on their agenda is a great suggestion and something we should be thinking about.

                        I might just think a little bit back on plastics. Plastics had been a big, big focus. That was the initial core issue that you guys identified and moved ahead with. Plastic is really part of a larger problem, which is a huge reliance on fossil fuels, which has been the dominant driver of climate change.

                        Do you have any thoughts about how we can use that focus and that success you've had with plastic to maybe put a light on the bigger issue of overuse of fossil fuels?

Melati:            Well, if we think about it -- and it touches on a way bigger point and I like that we're headed into there. When we think about problems or issues or challenges, we often box them or label them as if they're separate. Plastic pollution is connected and intertwined to climate change. Climate change is intertwined to gender inequality, to poverty. We have to start understanding that there is a global interconnectedness to all of these issues.

                        Think about the Black Lives Matter movement. There is no racial justice without climate justice. There is no climate justice without racial justice. Just before diving into that, of the plastic pollution, I just wanted to paint the picture of just how the narrative needs to change that everything is interconnected. Plastic bags, for example, the very thing that it's made of is from the fossil fuels that we need to keep in the ground. The reason, without even knowing it when we started, plastic pollution or going up against plastic pollution, it's a low hanging fruit. It is something where people are ready for as individuals, consumers, businesses even, government even. We're all towards a willingness and an intention to see how we can find alternatives.

                        When we started, for example, Bali banned plastic bags. That opened an entire discussion of okay, now what? What is the long-term solution? How can we look more into other types of alternatives not only for plastic bags, but for other plastic products for the entire waste management system? I think using the fact of the discussions on plastic pollution as a leverage to climate change and the climate crisis is a good way to go and a good start to open the larger discussion.

Dr. Lyons:    I think it really touches on the actual opportunity. Maybe you have a plastic ban in one location, but it creates commercial opportunities. You are getting an opportunity now to engage with business, to engage with policymakers. Have you been able to see or identify anything within companies that's maybe restricting them to see the opportunity that some of these changes and perhaps aligning with the 17 Sustainable Development Goals could actually create for them?

Melati:            Yeah. I'm not sure if I'm answering your question 100%, so please correct me or guide me in the right direction. But from what I get and where I think I would like to answer is that right now, what I'm coming on to when I'm in board meetings or when I'm with a government meeting, I constantly hear the excuse that people are not ready or even business leaders themselves are not ready for the change. But when I dig a little bit deeper, I'm like, why are we not changing fast enough? Is it a budget issue? Not really. Is it a consumer issue? I may live in a bubble, but I don't think so. I think the demand is there.

                        What it comes down to is definitely what you're touching on, is that systemic support is not there. I feel like the government regulations are not changing or adapting nor supporting the level and the speed of change. So business leaders can hide behind that and have no consequences or need to change their behavior. I think it's a little bit frustrating because when we talk about the elephant in the room, that's the elephant in the room. We're having too much gray area. People are hiding behind the willingness only and the inspiration only without actually implementing or changing the regulations, the policy frameworks to be able to actually implement that change.

Dr. Lyons:    We've been touching on a lot of different topics and I like the way that you phrased that the Sustainable Development Goals give us a framework. For us and for me personally, I feel like one of the most important of the Sustainable Development Goals is the last one focused on partnerships, and you've already mentioned collaboration. How do you think that policymakers, youth activists, and even companies can come together in partnerships to bring about the change that we need?

Melati:            I couldn't agree more. There is a very strong need and urgency for more partnerships, more authentic partnerships to take place.

                        To touch on it a little bit as well, I think when we look at partnerships, especially between young people and businesses, government sectors or departments, it's often viewed upon as an annual CSR program or a charity event where it's a one-off partnership. I think moving into 2020, learning everything that's happening around the world right now, we have to understand that when we talk about partnerships, it has to be more long-term. It has to be sustainable.

                        The way that authentic partnerships can take place is if there's a true transparency and communication. What I mean by that is take for example when a big corporation sets a goal or even a government sets a goal and a massive commitment. We love viral articles and viral videos and headlines, but we need more than that. In order to have a real working partnership, transparency and communication in the progress of achieving that commitment is necessary for us to be able to commit fully and to be able to contribute back into the partnership in a meaningful way. I think that that's what young people are really looking for, just to have a seat on the table and be taken seriously at the same time.

Dr. Lyons:    This is a time of challenge. It's a time of separation. You guys have had to deal with that and modify what you're doing. Maybe a two-part question, the first, how have you adapted your program through COVID and kept that engagement? Then maybe I'd ask, you're an optimistic person and I think that's one of the things that makes what you're doing very attractive and something that people want to be part of. What makes you optimistic for the future?

Melati:            Okay. The first question, with Bye Bye Plastic Bags, we were definitely more hands-on. You could find us at a bazaar, at an event, at a conference. We're doing three to five events a week. As a youth led movement, that was a lot for us to be doing. When COVID-19 happened, we had to switch everything online. We kept it as interactive as possible with our followers and continued our educational outreach there.

                        But with Youthtopia, we use this momentum and this growth in online learning to our advantage because Youthtopia's signature programs live online. That, for us, has been a real boost and actually worked to our advantage where we now host a lot of webinars, and again, interactive peer-to-peer panel discussions. We've had a lot of traction continue forward there also simply because we see that kids, young people all around the world, especially now, what is being amplified is the question of how can I create positive change? Our goal with Youthtopia is really to become that go-to headquarters for young changemakers all around the world.

                        What keeps me hopeful is exactly that, I would say, seeing young people from all around the world, all corners, no matter what background, no matter what culture, them coming up with the craziest and coolest and just so simple solutions. Being so determined no matter how often they're met with barriers and challenges. Their persistence, that's what inspires me. I feel like this sense of global community that we have as young changemakers has really been, again, amplified throughout this COVID-19. I think it's really brought us closer together as a global community, so I'm grateful for that, but it's also what fuels me every single day.

Dr. Lyons:    Yeah. It is one of the paradoxes of this time. Somehow we are physically separated, but somehow socially we're actually coming together, so it's great to see that you're experiencing that as well. Well, Melati, this has been fantastic. It's been really exciting to talk to you. I think it's been inspiring for me personally. I think for the audience, they will feel exactly the same, so thank you for being with us and sharing your story.

Melati:            Thank you very much.

ทุกปีเจ้าของสัตว์เลี้ยงต้องจ่ายค่าอาหารสุนัขและแมวของพวกเขาเป็นเงินประมาณ 10,000-15,000 บาทหรือมากกว่า ตัวเลขนี้อาจดูเหมือนไม่สำคัญ แต่เมื่อรวมกับค่าใช้จ่ายอื่นๆ ที่เจ้าของสัตว์เลี้ยงต้องจ่ายต่อปีแล้วก็เป็นจำนวนเงินที่มากทีเดียว นี่ยังไม่รวมกับค่าใช้จ่ายยิบย่อยอื่นๆ ที่มีเพิ่มเติมอีก

เมื่อพูดถึงการประเมินคุณค่าของอาหารที่พวกเขาให้กับเพื่อนขนปุยของพวกเขาแล้ว เจ้าของสัตว์เลี้ยงแทบจะไม่นึกถึงความสามารถในการย่อยอาหารสัตว์เลี้ยงในภาพรวมเลย

ทำไมคุณค่าถึงสำคัญ?

อาหารสัตว์เลี้ยงที่ประกอบด้วยโปรตีนส่วนเกิน และ/หรือสารอาหารรองที่ย่อยได้ยาก จะไม่ถูกสัตว์นำไปใช้

ไม่เพียงแค่สัตว์เลี้ยงที่จะได้รับโภชนะในระดับต่ำ แต่นั่นหมายถึงของเสียที่ถูกขับออกจากร่างกายสัตว์มากขึ้นด้วย ซึ่งส่งผลกระทบต่อสิ่งแวดล้อม

อย่างไรก็ตาม การปรับปรุงการย่อยได้ของอาหารสัตว์นั้นก็ไม่ใช่เรื่องยากจนเกินไป ตัวช่วยหนึ่งได้แก่  Yucca schidigera extract (YSE) ที่รู้กันว่ามีประโยชน์ทั้งในด้านสุขภาพและสิ่งแวดล้อม เราจะมาดูกันว่าสารเสริมตัวนี้สามารถช่วยทำให้ภาพลักษณ์ของแบรนด์อาหารสัตว์เลี้ยงของคุณดีขึ้นได้อย่างไร

โปรตีนมีความสำคัญในเรื่องการย่อยได้ของอาหารสัตว์เลี้ยง

สิ่งแรกคือ: ความสามารถในการย่อยอาหารสัตว์เลี้ยงนั้นอ้างอิงถึงปริมาณอาหารที่สัตว์ย่อยได้, ถูกดูดซึมและนำไปใช้ ค่าความสามารถในการย่อยอาหารที่สูงขึ้นหมายถึงว่าสัตว์เลี้ยงจะได้รับปริมาณสารอาหารที่สูงขึ้นด้วย ซึ่งจะเห็นได้จากสุขภาพที่ดีขึ้นและการขับถ่ายมูลที่ลดลง

อาหารสัตว์เลี้ยงทั่วไปจะสามารถถูกย่อยได้ประมาณ 80% หากย่อยได้น้อยกว่า 75% นั่นหมายถึงอาหารนั้นมีคุณภาพต่ำ และหากมีค่าการย่อยได้มากกว่า 80% ขึ้นไปถือว่าเป็นอาหารคุณภาพดีเยี่ยม เพราะฉะนั้นโดยเฉลี่ยแล้ว 20% ของสิ่งที่บรรจุในอาหารสัตว์ถุงหนึ่งจะถูกขับออกเป็นของเสียโดยสุนัขและแมวของคุณ

โปรตีนเป็นเพียงสารอาหารหนึ่งที่เกี่ยวข้องกับการการย่อยได้ แต่ดูเหมือนว่าเราจะให้ความสนใจกับโปรตีนอย่างมากเมื่อพูดถึงสุนัขและแมว หลายคนทราบดีว่าการดูดซึมกรดอะมิโนจำเป็นในระดับที่เหมาะสมนั้นสำคัญมากต่อสุขภาพที่ดีของสัตว์เลี้ยง เพราะโดยปกติพวกเขาต้องกินอาหารแบบเดิมทุกวัน ดังนั้นการให้พวกเขาได้รับโปรตีนเพียงพอที่ร่างกายต้องการในทุกๆ วันจึงเป็นเรื่องสำคัญ

และเมื่อพูดถึงโปรตีน เราไม่เพียงแต่จำเป็นต้องพิจารณาว่าแหล่งโปรตีนนั้นย่อยได้ดีแค่ไหน แต่ควรพิจารณาว่าจะเกิดอะไรขึ้นหลังจากโปรตีนนั้นถูกย่อยไปแล้วด้วย

การย่อยโปรตีนในสุนัขและแมวเริ่มต้นในกระเพาะด้วยกรดไฮโดรคลอริคและเพปซินที่มีหน้าที่ทำให้โปรตีนแตกตัวเป็นพอลิเพปไทด์ เมื่อพอลิเพปไทด์เดินทางไปสู่ลำไส้เล็ก ตับอ่อนจะถูกกระตุ้นให้ปล่อยเอนไซม์เพิ่มขึ้นซึ่งจะย่อยพอลิเพปไทด์เป็น ไตรเพปไทด์, ไดเพปไทด์ และกรดอะมิโนเชิงเดี่ยว

เพปไทด์และกรดอะมิโนเล็กๆ เหล่านี้ จะถูกดูดซึมผ่านผนังลำไส้เล็กและเดินทางไปยังตับซึ่งเป็นอวัยวะที่จะแจกจ่ายกรดอะมิโนไปทั่วร่างกาย และหากมีปริมาณโปรตีนส่วนเกินในอาหารที่ไม่สามารถย่อยได้ก็จะถูกสัตว์ขับออกมา

นอกจากนั้น หากมีกรดอะมิโนส่วนเกินในตับ ร่างกายจะเริ่มกระบวนการกำจัด (deaminate) หรือย่อยมันให้กลายเป็นโครงคาร์บอน (carbon skeleton) และแอมโมเนีย แอมโมเนียนั้นจะเข้าสู่วัฎจักรยูเรีย (urea cycle) และท้ายที่สุดจะถูกขับออกจากร่างกายในรูปปัสสาวะ

จะเห็นได้ว่าโปรตีนนั้นอาจเป็นส่วนผสมที่มีราคาแพงที่สุดทั้งตอนที่อยู่ในถุงและต่อสิ่งแวดล้อม จึงเป็นสาเหตุว่าทำไมการใช้สารเสริมเพื่อปรับปรุงการย่อยได้อาจเป็นวิธีที่สามารถนำไปใช้ได้แก้ปัญหาได้

Yucca schidigera อุดมไปด้วย สเตียรอยด์ซาโปนิน

พืช Yucca  schidigera มีถิ่นกําเนิดในเม็กซิโกและถูกใช้ด้วยคุณสัมบัติทางยาสำหรับมนุษย์และสัตว์มานานหลายปี สรรพคุณของพืช Yacca นั้นเกิดจากสารประกอบที่ออกฤทธิ์ทางกายภาพเช่น สเตียรอยด์ซาโปนิน (steroidal saponins) และ พอลิฟีนอล (polyphenols) อย่างเช่น เรสเวอราทรอล (resveratrol)

ซาโปนินเป็นสารที่สร้างฟองเมื่อเติมลงในน้ำ เราจึงมักนำเอามาใช้ใส่ในสบู่ เมื่อร่างกายได้รับซาโปจินินในปริมาณน้อย เชื่อกันว่ามันจะช่วย “ขัดล้าง” เยื่อเมือกในระบบทางเดินอาหาร ซึ่งเป็นการช่วยการทำงานของกระบวนการดูดซึมอาหาร

ซาโปนินยังมีคุณสมบัติในการจับ (binding abilities) กล่าวกันว่ามันสามารถจับกับแอมโมเนียเป็นสารประกอบซาโปนิน-แอมโมเนีย และจะถูกส่งผ่านไปตามทางเดินอาหารไปเป็นมูลโดยไม่ถูกดูดซึม ถึงแม้ว่าอาจต้องมีการวิจัยเพิ่มเติมเพื่อให้เข้าใจกลไกนี้ วิธีการนี้ก็ยังเป็นวิธีที่น่าสนใจในการช่วยลดความเข้มข้นของแอมโมเนียและกลิ่นในปัสสาวะและอุจจาระของสัตว์

นอกจากนั้นแล้ว พอลิฟีนอล, โดยเฉพาะเมื่อใช้ร่วมกับสเตียรอยด์ซาโปนิน, พบว่ามีคุณสมบัติต้านการอักเสบ, ต้านเชื้อแบคทีเรีย และต้านโปรโตซัวได้ และอาจบ่งชี้ได้ว่าการใช้ YSE มีประโยชน์ในการรักษาโรคข้ออักเสบและการอักเสบอื่น ๆ

Yucca สำหรับสุนัขและแมว

งานวิจัยในสัตว์สายพันธุ์อื่นแสดงให้เห็นว่าการใช้ YSE ให้ผลลัพธ์ที่ดี ตัวอย่างเช่น ในโรงเลี้ยงไก่ การใช้ YSE ในอาหารสัตว์ช่วยลดกลิ่นไม่พึงประสงค์จากมูลและลดการปล่อยแอมโมเนีย การศึกษาในไก่เนื้อแสดงให้เห็นว่าYSE ช่วยเพิ่มประสิทธิภาพการใช้อาหาร, อัตราการโต และอัตราการรอดชีวิต การเสริม Yucca schidigera ในการผลิตสุกรและโคก็พิสูจน์ให้เห็นว่ามีประโยชน์ต่อสวัสดิภาพของสัตว์ด้วยเช่นกัน

ในขณะที่สัตว์เลี้ยงของเราไม่ได้ถูกเลี้ยงแบบปศุสัตว์ จะไม่ดีหรือหากเราสามารถลดกลิ่นของมูลสัตว์เลี้ยงได้ด้วยวิธีแบบธรรมชาติ?

จากการศึกษาในสุนัขแสดงให้เห็นว่าการใช้ YSE ในอาหารที่มีโปรตีนสูงนั้น ให้ผลในการลดความเข้มข้นของแอมโมเนียและกลิ่นอุจจาระได้อย่างมีประสิทธิภาพ เมื่อเทียบกับอาหารที่ไม่ได้เติม YSE ลงไป

ในแมว การศึกษาหลายชิ้นพบว่าการใช้ YSE ในรูปแบบน้ำ (เช่นในผลิตภัณฑ์ De-Odorase) ใส่ลงในกระบะขับถ่ายของแมวโดยตรง สามารถช่วยกำจัดกลิ่นไม่พึงประสงค์ได้ถึง 40% ด้วยคุณสมบัติในการลดระดับแอมโมเนียที่ถูกปล่อยออกมานั่นเอง

นอกจากนี้ ด้วยคุณสมบัติในการก่อให้เกิดฟองของซาโปนิน YSE จึงอาจช่วยในการย่อยอาหารและการดูดซึมวิตามินและเกลือแร่ ซึ่งจะช่วยเพิ่มประสิทธิภาพของอาหารสัตว์ของคุณและช่วยลดการปล่อยแร่ธาตุทิ้งสู่ธรรมชาติอีกด้วย

การใช้ yucca สำหรับสุนัขและแมวในระยะยาว

การใช้ Yucca schidigera extract ในอาหารสัตว์เลี้ยงปรากฏให้เห็นในการศึกษแล้วว่าให้ผลลัพธ์ในเชิงบวกมากมายต่อระบบทางเดินอาหาร, ช่วยในการเพิ่มความสามารถในการย่อยได้ของสารอาหารที่จำเป็นเช่น โปรตีน, วิตามิน, และเกลือแร่  ทั้งนี้ YSE อาจจะมีประโยชน์ในการต้านการอักเสบโดยเฉพาะอย่างยิ่งการอักเสบของข้อได้อีกด้วย

ความสามารถในการย่อยที่ดีขึ้นนั้นมีนัยสำคัญในเชิงสุขภาพ, เศรษฐกิจและสิ่งแวดล้อม และแน่นอนว่าการดูดซึมสารอาหารที่ดีขึ้นจะส่งผลดีแก่สุขภาพของสัตว์เลี้ยงเพื่อนของเรา และนั่นยังหมายถึงว่าเจ้าของสัตว์เลี้ยงจะได้รับมูลค่ามากขึ้นจากอาหารสัตว์เลี้ยงที่พวกเขาซื้อ ซึ่งนี่เป็นจุดขายที่ดีสำหรับแบรนด์อาหารสัตว์เลี้ยงเสมอ

และความพยายามในการลดการปล่อยแอมโมเนีย และ/หรือ การขับสารอาหารทิ้งน่าจะเป็นกุญแจสู่ความยั่งยืนทางสิ่งแวดล้อม ซึ่งอาจเป็นเรื่องที่สำคัญที่สุดในยุคนี้

ออลเทคเชื่อในการทำงานร่วมกันเพื่อ Planet of Plenty (โลกแห่งความอุดม) ภารกิจของเราคือสุขภาพสัตว์และสภาพแวดล้อมที่แข็งแรงขึ้น และนั่นทำให้เราได้กำหนดมาตรการที่สอดคล้องไปกับแนวทางของ Pet Sustainability Coalition

การปกป้องสิ่งแวดล้อมเป็นเรื่องที่ทั้งโลกต้องร่วมมือกัน แต่พวกเราเองก็สามารถมีส่วนร่วมในภาคส่วนการผลิตอาหารสัตว์เลี้ยงได้ ด้วยการพิจารณาทางเลือกในการแก้ไขปัญหาที่ยั่งยืน เช่น De-Odorase

Alayne Blickle is an accomplished horsewoman and educator who works with horse and small acreage livestock owners and teaches horse-keeping and land management practices.

An entrepreneurial businesswoman, Blickle has been a pioneer in the field of horse-keeping and land management. In the mid-90s, she created her own consulting business, Horses for Clean Water, which she continues to lead today. Blickle has fostered partnerships with natural resource agencies and horse organizations through her business.

Blickle has traveled and taught throughout North America and, thanks to Zoom, reaches audiences worldwide. She is a writer and photojournalist who regularly shares her work through publications such as “The Horse: Your Guide to Equine Health Care,” TheHorse.com and Northwest Horse Source.

Blickle’s undergraduate studies focused on psychology and the natural sciences, and she earned a graduate degree in communications. She keeps her training current in the areas of sustainable agronomy, natural resource management, rangeland ecology, soil health and equine science. You can reach her at alayne@horsesforcleanwater.com or via the websites for Horses for Clean Water and her ranch, Sweet Pepper Ranch.