Energy Requirements Flashcards
What factors influence the energy requirements of an animal?
Age Breed Sex Activity Reproductive status Environment Health status
What is energy measured in?
Calories (cal), kilocalories (kcal) and kilojoules (KJ)
How many joules does one calorie equal?
1cal = 4.2J
What is one calorie?
The amount of heat required to raise 1g of water through 1C
What is the gross energy (GE)?
The total energy contained within a food
What is the digestible energy?
The amount of energy that can be extracted from a food. The digestible energy is the gross energy minus the energy within the faeces attributed to that food.
What is metabolisable energy?
The digestible energy minus the energy lost in urine and combustible gasses
What is a foods net energy?
The metabolisable energy minus the heat lost during digestion and absorption of food
What is the most energy dense nutrient?
Fat
What is the Basal metabolic rate?
The amount of energy an animal expends (or needs) when it is asleep, 12-18 hours after eating in a thermo-neutral environment
What is the resting energy requirement? (RER)
The amount of energy required by the body to maintain homeostasis while at rest in a stree-free, non-fasted, thermo-neutral environment
What is the resting energy requirements calculation for an animals weighing less that 2kg?
RER (kcal) = 70 x BW (kg)
What is the calculation for the resting energy requirement for an animal weighing over 2kg ?
RER = [30 x BW(kg)] + 70
What is the maintenance energy requirement? (MER)
The amount of energy a moderately active animal expends (or needs) in its daily search for and utilisation of food
It does not include the energy required for growth, repair, pregnancy, lactation or work
What is the maintenance energy requirement calculation for a cat?
MER = RER X 1.4