Basics of nutrition Flashcards
What are the main components of nutrition?
Water
Energy (protein, fat and carb) (fat provides most)
Minerals
Vitamins
What is RER?
Energy required to maintain homeostasis without catabolising body tissue
What are the ways you can measure nutrient units?
% as fed (e.g. 8% protein)
% as dry matter (e.g. 28% DM protein)
Amount of nutrient per calories provided (e.g. 6g protein per 100kcal)
Proportion of total calories provided by nutrient (e.g. 23% metabolisable energy from protein)
How many amino acids are there?
21
11 essential in cats, 10 in dogs
Outline the importance of fat
Highest energy levels
Source of fat soluble vitamins (DAKE)
Also source of essential FAs - linoleic acid dogs and cats, arachadonic acid in cats
Source of omega 3s
Outline the importance of carbohydrate
Not considered essential but very important source of energy, especially if another source if restricted
Provides fibre
soluble - holds water to make f+ softer
insoluble - adds faecal bulk
What are the water soluble vitamins
B and C
C not essential
B is - 8 essential types, many enzymatic and metabolic functions
What are the 2 types of mineral?
Macro - need >100mg/1000kcal
Micro - need less
What are the nurtrients that don’t fall into any of the main categories?
Choline
L-carnitine
What are the fat soluble vitamins and why are they important?
D - Ca homeostasis
A - vision/ immunity
K - coagulation
E - antioxidant
What are the main important minerals?
Macro - Ca, Na, Cl, phos, K
Trace - Fe, Cu, Mang, Zn, I, Se
Important in body structure - Ca/ phos
body fluid - Na/ Cl
Enzymes - Zn
Which animals need more protein?
Cats more than dogs
What are the basic increased requirements in growth?
higher protein
energy
DHA (retinal and brain development)
Ca/ phos (ratio important)
What does each point on a 9 scale BCS mean?
10-15% weight
e.g. 7/9 = 20-30% overweight
Where can you go to get lots of tools for nutritional advice/ tips in hospital/ checklists etc
WSAVA global nutrition toolkit
What are the signs of malnutrition?
Normally greater than 10% unintentional weight loss Poor coat poor wound healing muscle wastage hypoaalbuminaemia impaired immunity
What are the predisposing factors for malnutrition?
> 3d anorexia
Large protein loss - e.g. periotonitis, GI losses
Severe disease
How can cooking affect food?
Can improve digestibility but raw shown overall to have better digestibility (and therefore smaller firmer f+)
Can cause loss of AAs
Improves plant bioavailability
Can destroy antinutrient factors
How can raw food affect teeth
Wild animals have similar levels of periodontitis but less calculus - but is the periodontitis that leads to tooth loss
What are the main risks of raw food?
Unbalanced nutrition
Bone fragment injury
microbial contamination
What are the main nutrient imbalance risks for raw feeding?
60% raw commercial diets in canada had imbalances incl v low Ca, v low I, inadequate Ca Phos ratios
What is the importance of microbial contamination in raw food?
Lots of disease found incl multidrug resistant salmonella
e.coli found in 60% of commercial diets in canada
Might increase shedding in the environment, e.g. yersinia and toxoplasma
Not to be used by immunocompromised people/ near children
What are the main bone fragment injuries with raw feeding?
Tooth injury
Oesophageal FB
gut perforation
What is the counter arguement that pets are carnivores that don’t need carb?
Whole grain is a mix of carb, protein, essential FAs, vitamins and fibre
Most dietary protein allergies in pets are meat based (beef, dairy, cats also fish and lamb)
Carb is a good source of glucose, which brain cells, RBCs and the renal medulla need
Although carb not needed essentially (except in reproducing animals) it is a good source of energy
Dogs are omnivores not carnivores. Studies have shown 36 genomic differences between wolves and dogs, 10 of these associated with carb and fat metabolism
