Canine Nutrition Flashcards
Are Dogs Carnivores or Omnivores?
Anatomy:
* Teeth - sharp, no flat molars
* Intestinal tract - length and complexity can tell
Nutrient requirements
Genetic changes - dogs have more genes involved with starch digestion that wolves don’t have
Fat
- At least 9-15% suggested for adults
- Free choice 15-20% (by dry weight)
- Fat affects palatability (sweet may, als)
- Deficiency symptoms: poor hair, flaky skin
Carbs
No real requirement but feed a lot
Inexpensive energy source
Many adult dogs are lactose intolerant
Protein - 18-26%
- In general, should not be used as the prime energy source (maybe)
- Metabolic by-products (nitrogen) can damage kidneys
- Protein composition and quality
- Young animals require higher levels
- Taurine - may run into some taurine requirements
Excess meat can interfere with mineral balance:
* Interference with Ca: P ratios
* Dog must balance this. From where does the Ca come?
* They store calcium in their bones and pull calcium from their bones to try to balance Ca: P ratio
* High-meat diets can cause bone problems
* Fiber need
Dog hearts getting bigger
- Grain-free diets linked to dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) - maybe
- May be related to taurine
- May be related to use of plant proteins
- Many unknowns at this time
Most Important Nutrient
- Need water
- Do dogs sweat? - not to cool off, maybe on pads of feet
Food allergies
- Not uncommon
- Consistent search for new, novel ingredients as allergies develop to commonly used ingredients
- Ex. salmon, sweet potatoes; rabbit & blueberry
- Nutritional Quality: some of these ingredients may not have been studied as well
Avidin
- Found in raw egg whites - feeding too much causes biotin deficiency and hair will fall out
- Binds with biotin, making it unavailable
- Not a common problem
Non-nutritional Factors
Feces volume
Feces consistency
Fecal odor
Flatulence
Appeal of feed to owner (color, odor, texture)
Appeal of feed to animal (smell)
Another Marketing Factor
“Human” factors
* Ingredients that sound like we would like them, dogs don’t need these human tastes
Byproduct Meals
are equally nutritious and digestible
Sustainability & Pet Foods
Use of byproducts vs. “human-grade” ingredients
* Dogs can eat byproducts
Sustainability issue if dogs only eat “human-grade” ingredients: what happens to byproducts? Are dogs raised only to eat “human-grade” foods?
Dry dog food
- Good for teeth
- Often contain grains, soybean meal, animal product, milk products, fats and oils, vitamins and mineral
- May be pelleted, expanded, or extruded
Canned dog food
- May include more meat products
- Expense of shipping water
Raw food &
Specialty diets (based on age or condition)
raw food: fresh or frozen
Labeling Regulations
Info that must be on the label
* Brand name
* Product name
* Ingredients
* List “most - to least”
* Designator (ie treat, snack, complete diet, etc)
* * “Complete” diet is different from “treat” or “snack”
* Net weight
“Snacks” are not required to have nutritional adequacy labels
If specific ingredient is the product name
must contain at least 95% of that ingredient
Ex. “Cooked Chicken”
If specific ingredient is in product name
must contain at least 25% of that ingredient
Ex. “Beef dinner”
If product name says “with___”
must contain 3% of that ingredient
Ex. “Gourmet Cuts in Gravy With Beef”
“Ingredient flavor”
doesn’t have to have ingredient in it, must have something that will make it that ingredient flavor
Ex. “Beef flavor”
Body Condition Scoring
1.Very skinny, ribs showing
3.Ribs still showing
5.Can still feel ribs but don’t see them
7.More difficult to feel ribs
9.Obese
Research on Feed
- 2 groups of pups
- Fed 25% less feed from 8 weeks on to one group
- Other group was free choice eating
- Restricted group - Increased median lifespan almost 2 years
Food Toys
Wild canids spend up to 60% of their awake time hunting for feed
Dog food in a bowl isn’t very challenging
Marketed for several benefits
* Slows consumption
* Alleviates boredom
* Stimulates interest
* cleans teeth
* May cut down on destructive behaviors, obesity, etc
When to Feed - Other Considerations
Dominance hierarchy - may exist around food dish. Provide each dog with own dish apart from each other
Adult dogs - at least 2/day on a schedule allow 20 or so minutes then remove dish. You are the alpha dog!
Puppies 2 smaller meals/day - avoid bloat
Home Mixed Diets
- Commercial diets are formulated to be fed as the sole ration
- Can be difficult to create a balanced diet
Study published in JAVMA:
* 200 dog food recipes analyzed (from books, internet, etc)
* 9 met all nutrient requirements from AAFCO
Treats/Scraps
Table scraps/leftovers not balanced - limit
BARF Diet
Biologically Active Raw Foods diet
Currently being promoted by some
Argument is that this is more natural, some enzymes are destroyed in cooking
* Dogs generally produce their own digestive enzymes
Be careful - disease-causing organisms are also destroyed by cooking
More difficult to balance diet
Some commercially available
* Bacterial contamination is still a concern
Chocolate
Can be a problem with dogs - avoid it
Sugar Free Gum
Artificial sweetener xylitol
Very toxic to dogs
Raisins
Raisins or grapes can be toxic
Cause acute kidney failure
Mechanism is unknown
Onions, Garlic
Can damage red blood cells and cause anemia
Takes quite of bit of these
Food Variety is not necessarily the spice of life for a a dog!
