Exam #1 Flashcards
Explain how a nutritionist would approach formulating a diet for a dog or cat compared to a production/livestock animal.
dogs and cats both digest different foods very different than livestock do, so therefore dogs and cats need a more complete diet with macronutrients, and micronutrients for specific age, health, weight, and activity level. While livestock needs a diet based on production goals that can fluctuate in essential minerals and vitamins as well as protein for maximum production
AAFCO is the regulating group responsible for the standards governing commercially prepared pet foods.
True
Nutrients become available for other metabolic functions once energy needs are met.
True
Which piece of equipment is used to measure energy?
Bomb calorimeter
What are the energy yielding nutrients?
Carbohydrates, fats, proteins
What are the 2 energy losses considered for dogs and cats?
Fecal and urinary
Provide and discuss a couple of reasons why cats are classified as obligate carnivores in terms of nutrition.
they have the biological need to consume meat in order to meet their nutritional requirements, they have a smaller digestive tract and those competing enzymes have a difficult time digesting due to this. Therefore they need to eat these nutrients to be supplied with this. Their teeth also play a role in this as well as the consumption of taurine in the meat.
How have dogs evolved to be omnivores in regards to nutrition?
Dogs have evolved to be omnivores in regards to nutrition du to their ability to digest more plant based materials than before. Like discussed in cats, dogs have more premolars that reflect these changes as well as slightly different requirements for vitamins, essential fatty acids, and essential amino acids.
Fiber has beta-bonds making it indigestible by digestive enzymes.
True
Why is beet pulp commonly used in pet food?
Beet pulp has a low solubility but moderate fermentation values. This is ideal due to its ability to add bulk to stool, slow down digestive flow, and overall ability to improve stool. Digestible fibers that are highly fermentable tend to cause upset and can in fact impede your intentions to improve the diet. SCFA are produced from this and this increases colon weight and this results in good stool if used in the correct amount.
Linoleic acid (LA) is an essential fatty acid for both dogs and cats.
True
Similar to humans, there is evidence that medium chain triglycerides (MCTs) directly enter the portal blood supply rather than the lymphatic system in dogs.
False
Describe some pros and cons regarding the function of dietary fat in pet food.
Dietary fat has a lot of good qualities such as helping the animal maintain temperature, improving palatability of pet food, and helping fat soluble vitamins such as A,D,E,K enter the system.
I would say the biggest con would be how easily it is to be unbalanced and give the pet too much fat, causing them to gain excessive weight. Not only can that be an issue, but in regards to palatability, if fat content is not between 25-40% it is likely not going to be desired. More is not always better.
Short chain fatty acids (SCFAs) provide a significant amount of energy for dogs and cats.
False
Which amino acid is not essential for dogs and cats?
Proline
If you are feeding a low-quality protein source, less quantity is needed to meet an animal’s requirement.
False
Which is commonly used as the reference protein when evaluating protein quality?
Egg
The chemical score method used to evaluate protein quality accounts for all of the essential amino acids in the test protein.
False
The net protein utilization (NPU) method for evaluating protein quality accounts for the digestibility of the protein.
True
Dogs and cats depend on dietary sources to meet their vitamin D requirement.
True
Which vitamin is routinely administered in the treatment of rodenticide poisoning in pets?
Vitamin K
Consumption of raw egg whites can lead to a deficiency in which B vitamin?
Biotin
Vitamin C must be included in diets for dogs and cats.
False
Which of the following is not a micromineral?
Copper
What are the 3 electrolytes?
Potassium, sodium, chloride
What is the recommended Ca:P ratio in pet food?
1:1 to 2:1
Methionine and cystine can provide adequate amounts of what mineral?
Sulfur
Dogs and cats can adapt to a wide variation of sodium intake.
True
Which mineral helps form stomach acid?
Chloride
Which mineral helps to convert tyrosine to melanin?
Copper
Selenium can spare which vitamin?
E
A deficiency in this mineral could cause a vitamin B12 deficiency.
Cobalt