Basic Nutrition Flashcards
What two amino acids are essential to a cats diet?
Taurine and arginine - both aa’s help make 3rd aa that helps in protein break down
What essential fatty acid can dogs manufacture but cats cannot?
Arachidonic
What two vitamins are cats not able to convert from pre-vitamin form to active form, but dogs can?
Vitamin A and niacin (a B vitamin)
What three reasons do animals require a balanced diet?
Growth, life-stages, maintenance
What is the most critical part of a diet?
Energy
What is metabolizable energy?
Amount of energy after losses to urine and feces
What is the energy value for carbohydrates and protein?
4 Kcal/g
What is the energy value for fat?
9 Kcal/g
What are the 3 energy producing nutrients?
Carbohydrates, fats, proteins
What are the 3 non-energy producing nutrients?
Vitamins, minerals, water
What are essential nutrients?
Components that must be supplied by the diet, the animal cannot synthesize them
What are non-essential nutrients?
Nutrients that are synthesized by the animal
How much water should be drank by an animal?
Should be proportional to the number of calories - 1000 Kcal eaten = 1000 ml of water drunk
What do carbohydrates do and where are they mostly found?
Supply energy and dietary fiber, are a major constituent of plants
Name 3 types of carbohydrates and their make-up
Monosaccharides - glucose, fructose
Disaccharides - sucrose, lactose
Polysaccharides - glycogen, starch
Are high starch diets suitable for cats?
No
What is the main carbohydrate in pet food?
Starch
What types of starches are highly digestible by cats and dogs if source is appropriate and carbohydrate is cooked properly?
Plant based starches - grains (corn)
What do soluble fibers help with?
Promote healthy gut immune function by supporting the growth of good bacteria
What do insoluble fibers help with?
The movement of material through the digestive system (hairballs in cats)
What provides the most concentrated form of energy?
Fat
What is the most noteworthy types of fat?
Triglycerides - composed of 3 glycerol and 3 fatty acids
What are the two types of fats and what are they?
Saturated - comes from animal products, not as healthy
Unsaturated - comes from plant source, healthy
What three essential fatty acids are required by both cats and dogs?
Linolenic, linoleic, DHA
What essential fatty acid is required in a cats diet?
Arachidonic - omega 6 fatty acid
What does the essential fatty acid DHA help with?
Brain and vision during puppy/ kitten development
What is protein essential for?
Normal hormone and enzyme structure and function, maintenance and repair of body tissues
What are two life-stages that require increased protein intake?
Growing and lactating
What is protein made up of and what are the requirements for this?
Chains of amino acids
Animals need 22 - can synthesize 12, remaining 10 must be consumed
What amino acid can cats NOT synthesize and what does deficiency lead to?
Taurine - deficiency leads to heart enlargement
What amino acid is essential for growth?
Arginine
What amino acid helps with GI problems, muscle atrophy and wound healing?
Glutamine
Are vitamins used as an energy source?
No
What are the two categories of vitamins and what vitamins fall under each category? Can they become toxic?
Fat soluble - A, D, E, K - stored in the liver, toxicity from excess can occur
Water soluble - B complex, C - not stored, excreted in the urine, deficiencies can occur
What is the function of vitamin A?
Vision, maintenance of epithelial tissue, skeletal and tooth development, spermatogenesis and estrous cycles
What is the function of vitamin D?
Regulate calcium and phosphorus for normal bone structure and maintenance
What is the function of vitamin E?
Antioxidant for cell health and repair - supports skin integrity and immune system to help improve disease resistance
What is the function of vitamin K?
Required for normal blood clotting
Why are rodenticides highly toxic to dogs and cats and what is the antidote for this toxin?
Contains a substance that destroys the body’s ability to make blood clotting factors that require vitamin K for synthesis - Vitamin K1 (phenytoin) is the only antidote for this toxin
What is the function of the B complex vitamins?
Essential to metabolic processes and body’s ability to use nutrients
What is the function of vitamin C?
Production of collagen - structural component of skin, tendons, bone, cartilage, connective tissues
Important antioxidant
What are minerals essential for?
Metabolism
What are the 7 macro minerals? CPPMSSC
Calcium, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, sulfur, sodium, chloride
What are the 8 micro minerals?
Copper, zinc, manganese, iodine, selenium, cobalt, chromium, iron
What are the functions of calcium (Ca) and phosphorus (Ph)?
Important in cardiac and skeletal muscle function - Main components of bone tissue (must be in correct ratio)
What is the function of potassium (K)?
Proper body fluid acidity
What macro mineral are senior cats with kidney problems often deficient in?
Potassium - often due to PU
What is the function of magnesium (Mg)?
Component of bone and of carbohydrate and protein metabolism
FLUTD in cats is often caused by an excess of what macro mineral?
Magnesium
What is the function of sulfur (S)?
Involved in protein synthesis, energy metabolism, blood clotting, hormones and acid/base balance
Wat is the function of sodium (Na)
Maintains metabolic water balance, involved in nerve transmission and transportation of amino acids in the body - Works closely with chloride (Cl)
What is the function of Iron (Fe) and where is it stored?
Essential component of hemoglobin and myoglobin - stored in the liver, bone marrow and spleen
Anemia is caused by a deficiency of what micro mineral?
Iron
What is the function of copper (Cu)?
Has a close interrelationship with iron, aids in the development of healthy red blood cells
What is the function of zinc (Zn)?
Important for enzyme systems and protein synthesis, important for skin and hair coat health
What is the function of iodine (I)?
Required by the thyroid gland for thyroid hormone synthesis
What is function of chromium (Cr)?
Aids in insulin function, improves glucose uptake by cells - chromium yeast is added to weight loss/ control diets and diabetes mellitus diets
