Canine + Feline Nutrition Flashcards
AAFCO v NRC
AAFCO 🡢 nutrient profiles for commercial pet foods
- growth, repro, maintenance
NRC 🡢 general requirements
- growth, repro, maintenance
Feeding Methods
Resting Energy Requirement (RER)
energy required to maintain body weight at rest, fasted, in a thermoneutral env.
used as baseline for hosp. pets
RER = 70 x Wt (kg)🡩0.25
Maintenance Energy Requirement (MER)
AKA Daily Energy Requirement (DER)
energy needed for normal life activity
Determining MER:
1) Based on current intake (if weight is stable) 🡢 requires accurate history
- ideal = current intake is MER
- underweight = optimal MER is 🡩
- overweight = optimal MER is 🡣
2) calorimetry
MER = (?) x RER
- different coefficients for dogs v cats
more specific recommendations for puppies of certain breeds available
Factors that affect energy needs:
- species
- genetics
- activity
- age
- sexual status
- environment
Food Dosage Determination Steps
1) determine MER 🡢 based on current intake or calculated
2) select specific food
3) obtain energy density
4) energy req. / energy density = amount to feed
focus on calorie intake not volume of food
Feeding Healthy Dogs
- omnivores
- evolved as scavengers 🡢 metabolic flexibility
- can meet most nutrient needs with minimal animal products 🡢 B12 main exception
- no req. for CHOs for maintenance
- inclusion of carbs for optimal gestation/lactation
**
38 essential nutrients for adult maintenance per AAFCO**
Canine Pregnancy + Lactation
🡩 = protein/AAs, fat (omega 3s), Ca, P, Vit. D, CHOs, others.
40 essential nutrients per AAFCO
- 24/38 nutrients are higher for repro per 1000 kcal basis
High risk of clinical issues if nutrient needs not met:
- eclampsia
- small litter size
- 🡩 puppy mortality
Lactation:
- provide adequate calories + lots of water
- feed ad libitum during lactation
- depending on litter size, will need 2-3X maitenance needs (4-8xRER)
- include CHOs
Other considerations:
- optimize BCS prior to breeding
- need CHOs in late gestation
- highly digestible, nutrient-dense diet
- multiple small meals per day OR ad libitum during late gestation
Dog Growth
Weaning
- offer puppy food at 3-4 weeks of age 🡢 provides additional nutrients for rapid growth + 🡣 stress on dam
- use growth foods ad libitum
- complete weaning occurs at 6-8 of age for most
🡩 = protein/AAs, fat (PUFAs, omega-3s), Ca, P, Fe, etc.
- 40 essential nuteients per AAFCO
- 24/38 higher
High risk of clinical disease if needs not met:
- stunted growth
- bone fractures/abnormalities
- dev. orthopedic disease
Puppy Energy Needs
always feed to maintain BCS 4-5/9
lower energy puppies should be fed lower calorie puppy food
Age:
- < 4 mo = 3 x RER
- 4-12 mo = 2 x RER
- 12 mo = 1.6-1.8xRER
Large Breed Puppies
genetically programmed for rapid growth
Avoid:
- overfeeding
- high levels of calcium
Narrower range for Ca relative to smaller puppies + repro/lactation
Feeding:
- select appropriate diet 🡢 match caloric density to needs
- feed measured amount in 2-3 meals daily
- re-adjust as needed to maintain BCS of 4/9 🡢 err on side of slightly underweight
- consider use of growth chart
- do not add supplements containing Ca, P, Vit. D
Developmental Orthopedic Disease
multiple skeletal + joint abnormalities seen in growing dogs
Env, diet + genetic factors
- diet factors 🡢 excessive Ca, rapid growth
most common in lg + giant breed puppies
Includes:
- hip dysplasia
- elbow dysplasia
- panosteitis
- angular limb deformities
- osteochondrosis
- hypertrophic osteodystrophy
Adult Dogs
for maintenance, focus on calories + feeding diet that meets essential nutrient needs
Senior Dogs
aging associated with # of health conditions 🡢 orthopedic dz, 🡣 immune function, muscle loss, +/- organ dysfunction
treat pet NOT age
no AAFCO guidelines for seniors
Muscle Loss in Senior Dogs
aging animals lose muscle + gain fat
sarcopenia 🡢 loss of muscle tissue as natural part of aging
cachexia 🡢 muscle wasting d/t severe chronic illness
disuse atrophy 🡢 secondary to ortho dz
🡩 🡢 antioxidants, calories (?), proteins/AA (?) Omega-3s (?), medium chain triglycerides (?)
🡣 🡢 calories (?), protein (?), phosphrous, sodium
Should geriatric dogs receivess less protein?
high protein intake NOT shown to contribute to dev. of renal dz in healthy animals
after kidneys are impared, high protein intake may play role in dz by 🡩 uremic eps + exacerbating proteinuria
feeding high quality protein can help maintain lean mass without having to provide excess proteins
Cat Feeding Behavior
- select for fat, peptidesm AA +/- higher moisture
- avoid bitter, can’t taste sweet
- strong texture preferences
- naturally eat many small meals
Cat Physiology + Nutrient Requirements
Fat
- cats tolerate quite high amounts of dietary fat
- high palatability + energy density
- lack enzyme activity for adding double bonds to create essential FAs such as arachiodonic acid + EPA
Protein
- high protein needs than most domestics 🡢 N + AAs
- can adapt to wide range of protein intakes
- require taurine + arginine
Carbs
- no requirement at any stage
- natural diet of prey is low in carbs
- minimal glycogen storage, active gluconeogenesis
- can digest + metabolize glucose from dietary CHO 🡢 have pancreatic amylase + intestinal disaccharades, minimal hepatic glucokinase, lack fructokinase
- dietary carb can be used as an energy source if protein/fat needs met
42 essential nutrients for adult maintenance per AAFCO
Feline Micronutrient needs
can’t make certain vitamins that are common in prey
Feline Gestation
Pre-breeding + Gestation
- optimize BCS prior to breeding
- feed diet for repro, growth or all life stages from time of breeding
- queen gain weight linearly thruoughut but greatest in last 1/3 of gestation (day 42+)
Gestation energy needs:
- 1.6x at breeding w/ gradual 🡩 to 2x at parturition
- avoid excessive gain
- feed free choice or multiple small meals in late gestation
Feline Lactation
- most cats consume placentas 🡢 may not eat for 1-2 days after parturition
- queens tend to lose weight during lactation
- feed diet labeled for repro 🡢 high energy density
- 🡩 meal freq or feed ad lib
- offer kittens food by 3-4 weeks
needs vary with litter size
lactation lasts up to 9 weeks
Nutritional Factors for
Feline Gestation + Lactation
🡩 🡢 water, protein/AAs, fat, Ca, P, Mg, etc
44 essential nutrients per AAFCO for repro
- 19/42 higher
High risk of clinical issues if nutrients not met:
- small litter size
- 🡩 kitten mortality
Kitten Growth
- kitten should gain 50-100 g/week
- introduce repro/growth food at 3 weeks
- fully weaqned by 8-10 weeks
- free choice or meal feed (>3) until castration 🡢 monitor BCS
- energy needs ~2.5 x RER
🡩 🡢 proteins/AAs, fat, Ca, P, Mg, etc
44 essential nutrients for growth per AAFCO
- 19/42 higher
High risk of clinical issues if nutrients not met:
- poor growth
- bone abnormalities
Feeding Older kittens
- neuter/spay 🡣 energy needs + 🡩 food intake
- switch to measured meal feedings 🡢 have O monitor BCS
- reduce 20-30% of calories after surgery 🡢 switch to lower calorie diet if needed
- switch to adult food at 12 mo if desired
