4a Feeding Behaviour of Dogs, Cats, Horses

Question 1

What are the 3 main outcomes of digested nutrients?

Answer 1

• nutrient utilization and deposition
• satiety
• feed intake and feeding behaviour

Question 2

Why is it difficult to determine natural feeding behaviours of animals?

Answer 2

• behaviour changes when a human put into their environment

Question 3

Are feeding behaviours inherited?

Answer 3

yes and no

Question 4

What are the main differences in feeding behaviour between dogs, cats and horses?

Answer 4

dogs: hunt in packs and omnivorous
cats: hunt solitarily and strictly carnivorous
- horses graze continuously, prefer ferds, strictly herbivorous

Question 5

How do meal sizes differ between dogs, cats and horses?

Answer 5

dogs: fewer, larger, more variable meals (4-8, during day)
cats: 12-20 meals spaced evenly
horses: graze 10-17 hours/day on pasture, usually during day, up to 20-50% at night

Question 6

How does energy intake differ between dogs/cats and horses?

Answer 6

• dogs and cats adjust energy intake to diet energy density

- not true of horses; increase weight in spring and progressive loss in fall/winter

Question 7

How does water intake differ among dogs, cats and horses?

Answer 7

dogs: more water/BW than cats
cats: thought to be adapted to periods of water unavailability
horses: drink while they eat; infrequent (2-8 times/day)
- all species self regulate water intake

Question 8

What are 5 general feeding recommendations?

Answer 8

• always provide fresh, clean water
• feed a balanced diet
• adult dogs only need to be fed once a day
• cats need to eat many small meals throughout the day
• horses should be allowed to graze/forage throughout the day

Question 9

Describe the response to food variety in dogs.

Answer 9

• preferences for specific types of foods

- prefer novel foods and flavours to familiar foods

Question 10

Describe why dogs eat too rapidly?

Answer 10

• social facilitation

- perhaps leftover of competitive behaviour

Question 11

How stretchy is a wolf stomach compared to a dog stomach?

Answer 11

• after 7 day fast, wolf ate 17% of body weight and dog ate 10% of body weight

Question 12

Describe garbage eating in dogs.

Answer 12

• normal
• preference of decomposing food
• health consequences (mild gastroenteritis or intoxication)
• prevention of access to garbage

Question 13

Describe grass eating in dogs.

Answer 13

• dogs naturally would eat herbivorous prey
• viscera of prey often eaten first
• contains partially digested vegetable material
• dogs like taste and texture of plants

Question 14

Describe begging for food in dogs.

Answer 14

• whining, barking, nudging and scratching
• increased with age
• treatment: ignore behaviour; feed before or after family has eaten

Question 15

Describe hoarding/burying of food

Answer 15

• hide extra treats or food

- thought to originate from wolves

Question 16

Describe coprophagy in dogs.

Answer 16

• consumption of feces
• more disturbing than harmful
• bitches eat feces of puppies during first 3 weeks of lactation
• behavioural problem

Question 17

Describe pica in dogs.

Answer 17

• appetite for and ingestion of non food items

- causes: mineral deficiencies, permanent anxiety, zinc intoxication, behaviour, boredom

Question 18

Describe the eating behaviour of cats

Answer 18

• strong predatory drive
• very sensitive to physical form, odor and taste of foods
• consume prey beginning at head (dictated by direction of hair on prey; oral tactile sensation important)

Question 19

What flavours do cats find attractive?

Answer 19

• animal products: fat, protein, enzyme digests, meat extracts
• not attracted to taste of sugars as don’t have receptors
• averse to flavours derived from plant products
• poorly accept food with powdery, sticky and greasy textures

Question 20

What evidence is there that eating behaviour is learned?

Answer 20

• easily influence food preference of kittens with queen present
• queens trained to eat banana and mashed potato instead of meat –> kits followed

Question 21

Are cats neophobic or neophilic?

Answer 21

neophobic

Question 22

Describe coprophagia in cats.

Answer 22

• normal behaviour in queens with kittens less than 30 days of age

Question 23

Describe plant or grass eating in cats.

Answer 23

• natural behaviour
• grass not digested
• acts as local irritant to stimulate vomiting
• may serve as purgative to eliminate hair
• response to nutritional deficiencies, boredom, taste preference

Question 24

Describe prolonged nursing in cats.

Answer 24

• non nutritional suckling normally subsides near weaning

Question 25

Describe anorexia in cats

Answer 25

• few days of inappetence not detrimental to otherwise healthy cat
• malnutrition, reduced immune function, increased risk for hepatic lipidosis
• can be caused by stress, unacceptable foods or concurrent disease
• change to highly palatable food

Question 26

Describe fixed food preferences in cats.

Answer 26

• food type on first 6 months of kitten’s life influences food preferences
• only when fed a very limited number of food

Question 27

Describe learned taste aversion in cats.

Answer 27

• adaptive response
• linked to negative digestive tract experiences
• up to 40 days

Question 28

Describe cannibalism/infanticide in cats

Answer 28

• often normal behaviour in male and female cats
• queen cannibalize aborted, dead and weak kittens
• sometimes queens kill apparently healthy litter
• tomcats kill unrelated kittens

Question 29

Describe polyphagia in cats.

Answer 29

• excessive food consumption
• can be mediated by disease, drugs, psychological stress and underfeeding
• presence of weight loss or gain is of key diagnostic importance

Question 30

Describe the eating behaviour of horses.

Answer 30

• voluntary intake greatly distorted by palatability
• highly selective eaters; meal size and frequency affected by diet
• preference for what is known

Question 31

What is group feeding in horses affected by?

Answer 31

• social status
• variation in appetites
• intake rate
• creates aggressive behaviour with limited feed provisions
• may require separation into different groups

Question 32

What is grazing time affected by?

Answer 32

• seasonal eating
• rain, wind, and high temperature decrease grazing
• high humidity increased grazing
• snow cover can influence grazing time

Question 33

Describe anorexia in horses.

Answer 33

• typically indicative of an illness
• may be caused by dental problems
• can be a learned behaviour
• typically unable to discriminate between normal and toxic weeds

Question 34

Describe coprophagy in horses.

Answer 34

• not normal in horses
• adult horses will not graze in areas contaminated with equine feces
• foals will consume dan’s feces up to 2 months

Question 35

Describe geophagia in horses.

Answer 35

• not an uncommon behaviour
• may be used to acquire salt and trace minerals
• sand may create colic or diarrhea

Question 36

Describe wood chewing in horses.

Answer 36

• undecided if this is normal or precursor to cribbing
• not uncommon in feral horses or thoroughbreds
• may cause small intestinal obstruction
• typically caused by inclement weather or lack of fibre in diet (increase heat production)

Question 37

What are some stereotypic behaviours in horses?

Answer 37

• cribbing: incisor teeth grip object and gulps air; gastric ulcers
• stall walking: constant movement in circles around enclosed stall
• weaving: shifting weight from foreleg to foreleg while stationary, usually in a confined space

Question 38

How can stereotypic behaviours be alleviated?

Answer 38

• feed management (more forage, less concentrates)