Lecture 1: Intro to Nutrition, Feeding Methods, & Dietary Options for Dogs & Cats (Exam 1) Flashcards
Why is proper nutrition & feeding practices necessary
- Better health & longevity
- Improving/optimizing production
- Standardizing protocols
Which feeding method is associated w/ increased risk of overweightness
Free choice feeding
Describe meal feeding
- Food is offered once or twice a day in a measured/fixed amount
- May be 3 to 4 times a day for growing puppies, kittens, finicky pets, or if decreased appetite
- Uneaten food is removed & discarded (or saved for the next meal)
What are the advantages of meal feeding
- Portion control
- Observe palatability, acceptance, appetite, & intake
- Physiologic for dogs
What are the disadvantages of meal feeding
- May be difficult to know the amount to feed
- Measuring cups or scoops are variable
- Req more time & effort
- Not physiologic for cats
Describe free choice (ad libitum)
- Food is always ava
- Replenished whenever the bowl is empty
What are the advantage of free choice feeding
- Less time & effort
- No special measurements
- Eliminates begging behavior
- Allows multi pets to have access
What are the disadvantages of free choice feeding
- Limited portion control
- Risk of overweight/obesity
- Difficult to monitor appetite & intake
What is time feeding
Food is offered for a fixed period of time & then removed
What are the advantages of time feeding
- Measurement not as import
- Some control over intake
What are the disadvantages of time feeding
- Req more time & effor
- May lead to under or over feeding
- May encourage rapid intake
What are the advantages of hand feeding
- Coaxes animals to eat
- Reduces stess & distractions sometimes
What are the disadvantages of feed handing
- Req the most time & effort
- May lead to under or over feeding
- Encourageds dep behavior
What is combination feeding
ex. wet food is offered as a meal once a day & dry food is fed free choice
What is the advantage of combinations
Tailored to what works for owners & pets
What is the disadvantage of combination feeding
Adds complexity
Describe dry pet food
- Kibble
- Produced by extrusion
- Less commonly made by baking or pelleting
Describe wet food
- Can & pouches produced by mixing & sterilization (heat & pressure)
- Frozen & refrigerated produced w/ various methods, may be raw, cooked, or partially cooked
Describe freeze dried food
May be raw or partially cooked
What are the advantages of dry food
- Most economical
- Convenient
- Long term storage
- Most sustainable
What are the disadvantages of kibble
- May have a lower palatability
- Lack of variety of flavors &/or texture
What are the advantages of wet food
- Long shelf life
- Convenient
- Palatable (variety of flavors & textures)
What are the disadvantages of wet food
- Expensive
- High environmental impact
What is wet food high in
- Water (70 - 85%)
- Fats
What is wet food lower in
Non-fiber carbohydrates than dry kibble
What are the advantages of frozen, refrigerated, & freeze dried
- Palatable
- Variety of flavors & textures
What are the disadvantages of frozen, refrigerated, & freeze dried
- Expensive
- Requires special handling & storage
- Short shelf life (refrigerated)
- High environmental impact
T/F: Frozen/refrigerated food is low in water content
False it is high in water content
Describe retail diets
- Widely ava
- Mostly intended for healthy pets
- Can be grocery stores, big box general retailers, farm supply retailers, big box pet exclusive retailers, indep & regional pet exclusive retailers, & online retailers
What are vet therapeutic diets
- Only prescribed/sold by licensed vet
- Mostly intended for pets w/ medical conditons
- Sold by vet clinincs, some in petsmart stares that have clinics, online pharmacies, amazon, & chewy
Who is retail diets for
Healthy pets
Who is vet exclusive diets for
Pets w/ special needs
Describe the “mays” of retail diets
- May have more variations batch to batch
- May focus more on marketing trends & ingredients
- May have lower cost
What are the “tends to” of vet exclusive diets
- Tend to have precise specifications w/ little variation batch to batch
- Tend to focus more on science/nutrients & less on ingredients
- Tend to have a higher cost
What are the gen categories of vet diets
- GI
- Weight management
- Dermatologic
- kidney (renal)
- lower urinary tract
- Mobility (arthritis)
- Liver (hepatic)
- Dental
- Critical care
- Cancer
- Heart (cardiac)
- Neurologic (seizures)
When are home made diets used
- When some owners prefer to avoid commercial products
- Vet can recommend home-cooked diets in some situations
What is a major disadvantage of home cooked diets
Lots of room for error
What are some reasons why owners choose to make their own pet food
- Palatability (pets “refuse” to eat)
- Perceived health benefits of human food vs. pet food
- Control over what the pets eats (fear of what may be included in the pet food)
- Wish to avoid “additives”, “preservatives”, “chemicals”, etc.
- Food allergies (need to avoid certain ingredients)
- Unique medical conditions for which no commercial diets are appropriate
- Equating food w/ love
What is the most legit reason for an owner should choose to make their own pet food
Unique medical conditions for which no commercial diets are appropriate
What are the common nutrient deficiences w/ inappropriately formulated homemade recipes
- Fiber
- Vitamins
- Minerals
- Fatty acids
What are the advantages of commercial diets
- Most are 100% complete & balanced
- Some diets supported by research & feeding trials
- May be cooked/heat processed or raw
- Most undergo quality control screening for toxins, contaminants, bacteria, etc.
What are some flaws of home-cooked diets
- Most published recipes are not complete & are not balanced
- Little research
- May be cooked/heat processed or raw
- No screening
Who should be consulted before starting a home cooked diet
A board certified vet nutritionist
What is balance it
- Recipe generator
- Anyone can use the site
- Working knowledge of nutritional req of dogs & cats necessary for best results
- For healthy pets or when consulting w/ a board certified vet nutritionist isn’t practical
