Companion animal nutrition

Question 1

What are Canis Familiaris?

Answer 1

Domesticated Dog

Question 2

Are dogs monogastric or ruminent?

Answer 2

Monogastric

Question 3

How much more acidic is a dog’s stomach than a human’s stomach?

Answer 3

1000x

Question 4

Are dogs Carnivores, Herbivores or Omnivores

Answer 4

Omnivores

Question 5

To maintain a healthy dog, what must a diet do?

Answer 5

• Provide correct amount, balance and availability to sustain physical and mental health.
• Promote peak condition in the animal to reduce susceptibility to disease.
• Be sufficiently concentrated to allow the animal to meet its requirements by eating enough to meet appetite limits.
• Be sufficiently palatable to ensure an adequate intake.

Question 6

What is the formula for healthy dog RER (resting energy requirements)

Answer 6

70W^0.75

Question 7

What are some examples of feeding methods?

Answer 7

• Free-choice feeding
• Time-restricted meal feeding
• Food-restricted meal feeding

Question 8

Factors to consider in a diet?

Answer 8

• Do the five main food groups appear in the diet?
• What is the quality and source of the protein?
• What is the fat content of the protein source?
• What is the carbohydrate to protein ratio?

Question 9

What should the carbohydrate ratio be in dogs and cats?

Answer 9

Cats - 2:1, Dogs: 3:1

Question 10

What is a balanced diet?

Answer 10

A diet which allows no net gain or loss of nutrients from the body, to maintain a state of metabolic equilibrium

Question 11

What are the conditions for a balanced diet?

Answer 11

• Each nutrient must be present in the correct ratio.
• Each nutrient must be at the correct ratio to other nutrients.
• Each nutrient must be in the form that is usable by the animal.

Question 12

What is the most vital of all nutrients?

Answer 12

Water

Question 13

What are the daily water requirements?

Answer 13

60ml/kg of body weight per day

Question 14

What are some of the functions of water?

Answer 14

• Chemical reactions
• Thermoregulation
• Solvent for minerals and waste products

Question 15

What are Carbohydrates?

Answer 15

Sugar molecules including fibre

Question 16

What does the length of the carbohydrate mean?

Answer 16

The longer the chain of sugars, the harder it is for the body to digest

Question 17

What are the functions of carbohydrates?

Answer 17

• Energy source (ATP) via glycolysis
• Metabolised for energy
• Once metabolised it can be used to build amino acids (proteins)
• Stored as fat

Question 18

What are the carb requirements?

Answer 18

Energy expenditure dependent

Question 19

What is fibre?

Answer 19

Complex carbohydrates that are resistant to mammalian digestive enzymes

Question 20

What are the functions of fibre?

Answer 20

• Delaying gastric emptying.
• Stabilising gastric mobility time.
• Aiding maintenance of GI tract.

Question 21

What are the daily requirements of Fibre?

Answer 21

5% of total nutrients daily

Question 22

What does protein consist of?

Answer 22

23 different amino acids

Question 23

What are the two types of amino acids?

Answer 23

Essential and Non-essential

Question 24

Why must essential amino acids be consumed?

Answer 24

They cannot be synthesised

Question 25

What are the functions of proteins?

Answer 25

- Structural components of biological compounds (building blocks) - Proteins function as enzymes, hormones and antibodies. - Energy source

Question 26

What are the daily protein requirements?

Answer 26

Cats: 26% | Kittens: 30% | Dogs: 18% | Puppies: 22%

Question 27

What are lipids?

Answer 27

Chains of fatty acids (n-3 and n-6 acids are most important for pets). These are known as essential fatty acids (EFAs).

Question 28

What acid can cats not synthesise?

Answer 28

Cats cannot synthesize arachidonic acid (n-6) which is only found in animal fats

Question 29

Functions of lipids?

Answer 29

- Meeting energy requirements (more dense than protein and carbs) - Absorption of fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E and K). - Phospholipid bilayers - Insulation and protection - Hormones (e.g. prostaglandins) - Waterproofing of fur (and feathers)

Question 30

What are the requirements of lipids?

Answer 30

Minimum supply of EFAs

Question 31

What are Vitamins?

Answer 31

Organic compounds essential in small amounts

Question 32

What are the two types of vitamins?

Answer 32

Fat-soluble and Water-solubke

Question 33

What are the Fat-soluble vitamins?

Answer 33

A, D, E, K and Choline

Question 34

What are the Water-soluble Vitamins?

Answer 34

B1, B2, B6, B12, C Pantothenic acid, Niacin, Biotin and Folic acid

Question 35

What differs between species with Vitamins?

Answer 35

The minimum and Maximum requirements for each vitamin

Question 36

What are minerals?

Answer 36

Inorganic substances within the diet

Question 37

What is Felis catus?

Answer 37

Domesticated Cat

Question 38

Are cats Carnivores, Herbivores or Omnivores?

Answer 38

Carnivores

Question 39

What are cats absent of?

Answer 39

Amylase

Question 40

What is one of the essential amino acids in cats?

Answer 40

Arginine

Question 41

What does Arginine do?

Answer 41

Involved in the removal of ammonia through the urea cycle

Question 42

What can a deficiency of Arginine lead to?

Answer 42

Diarrhoea, weight loss, food refusal, ataxia

Question 43

What is another essential amino acid in cats?

Answer 43

Taurine

Question 44

What does Taurine do?

Answer 44

Important in metabolising food and energy expenditure

Question 45

What are the consequences of Taurine deficiency?

Answer 45

Blindness, Heart disease, Dilated cardiomyopathy, Deafness, Digestive issues, Weakened immune response (symptoms are chronic)

Question 46

What are the sources of Taurine?

Answer 46

Raw muscle tissue (heart is the most efficient)

Question 47

What animals have the highest Taurine count?

Answer 47

Rodents and Birds

Question 48

How much Taurine is required in cats per day?

Answer 48

100mg