Nutrition Flashcards
Water
Essential for hydration
Flushes out toxins
Provides minerals
Transports nutrients and gases
Carbohydrates
Needed for energy
Fibre
Keeps intestines healthy - passes through gastrointestinal tract unchanged
important for nutrient absorption, alters gut transit time
either soluble = fruit pectin
insoluble = cellulose
Fats
Additional source of energy
provides insulation - Assists in the formation of cell walls
needed for the absorption of fat soluble vitamins A, D, E, K
Source of essential fatty acids
Fat soluble vitamins
A, D, E, K
Proteins
Growth, production and repair of tissues
manufacture of hormones and enzymes
additional store and use of energy
made up os chains of amino acids
Essential amino acids
cannot be made by the body must be provided in the diet
Vitamin B
Thiamin B1, Riboflavin B2, Niacin B3, Cobalamin B12
B12 most complex of B Vitamins
Needed for metabolism
Deficiency = poor metabolism and appetite. Anorexia. Neurological signs
Excess = Rare as water soluble
Vitamin C
Needed for immune system & healing, antioxidant and free radical scavenger, collagen synthesis
Deficiency = Poor wound healing & scurvy
Excess = Rare (water soluble)
Scurvy
teeth, gum and skin disorders
progress to full or partial limb paralysis, eye disorders and death
Vitamin A
Found in fish oils, fleshy orange coloured fruit and vegetables
Needed for production of visual pigments, reproduction, healthy skin, bone and muscle growth
Deficiency = poor vision, skin disorders, hearing disorders
Excess = fusion of vertebral joints
Vitamin D
Found in animal tissues, ergocalciferol in plants and mushrooms
Needed for calcium and phosphorus absorption from the intestines - bone and tooth formation
Deficiency = rickets (young) Osteomalacia (old)
Excess = calcification of soft tissues & kidney failure
Vitamin E
Found in many fruit and veg sources & liver
Needed = antioxidant
Deficiency = reproductive disorders males, gestation failure, degenerative skeletal muscle disease
pansteatitis (infl fat) myositis (infl muscle)
Excess = Rare (prevent absorption of other vits)
Vitamin K
Found in green leafy veg & gut flora can synthesis
Needed for normal blood clotting mechanisms
Deficiency = clotting disorders
Excess = rare - clotting disorders
Minerals can be in which two forms?
macro or micro
macrominerals
calcium, phosphorus, potassium, sodium and chloride
Microminerals
iodine, Iron
Calcium
macromineral
Found in green veg, soya, milk, bones
Needed for healthy bones and teeth
aids in blood clotting
Deficiency = rickets in large breed puppies
Excess = urinary stones soft tissue calcification.
Bone abnormalities in large breeds due to imbalance in Ca:P ratio
Phosphorus
macromineral
Found in meat, eggs, nuts and wheat germ
Needed for growth and repair of tissues
healthy bones and teeth
Deficiency = poor bone formation
Excess = urinary stones, soft tissue calcification, hyperparathyroidism
Iodine
Micromineral
Found inseaweed, seafood, eggs and nuts
Needed for healthy thyroid function
Deficiency = inadiquate thyroid hormone production. cause of hypothyroidism
Excess = rare, most animals can tolerate high levels
Iron
Micromineral
Found in liver, kidneys and dark green veg
Needed for carrying oxygen to blood
Deficiency = anaemia, dull coat
Excess = anorexia and weight loss
Potassium
Macromineral
Found in grains, soya, fruit and veg, yeast, beans
Needed for acid-base balance role, osmosis, nerve and muscle function
Deficiency = hypokalaemia (blood K levels too low)
Excess = hyperkalaemia (blood K levels too high)
Hypokalaemia
Kidneys responsible for controlling potassium levels. excess leaves body through urine or sweat.
hypokalaemia is a result of losing too much K when in kidney failure
Hyperkalaemia
Potassium level in blood much higher than normal
Sodium & Chloride
Macromineral
Found in salt, meat and vegetables
Needed for maintenance of osmotic integrity of fluid within the body
Deficiency = rare but lethargy and anorexia
Excess = thirst, pruritis (itching of the skin) constipation, seizures
Nutrition calculation steps
- 30XBW+70
- kcals/grams i.e. 250kcal/100g
- answer 1/answer 2
Canned food and biscuits
Bulky
Lots of carbs and water
Need more to satisfy animals needs
Dry food
Advantages
less bulk
Disadvantages
More protein, more fat
Less carbs and/or fibre
Pregnancy diet
1st 2/3rds of preganancy = normal maintenance energy requirements (MER)
last 1/3rd 1.5-3x MER (depending on litter size) energy dense food isless bulky (not much space in abdomen)
A growth diet is ideal as its high in fat and protein.
Bitch protein requirement
22-32%
Queen protein requirement
35-50%
Hand rearing puppies/kittens
Hand feed every 2-4 hours
at 4 weeks wean onto a growth diet (high in fat & protein, low in CHO)
22-24% protein puppies
34% kittens
at 6 months 4meals to 2 meals
Hand rearing rabbits
Rabbits require milk and lots of fibre. Hay, picked grass, vegetables & concentrate, recycling food via caecotrophs.
Working dogs
High protein, high fat, low carbs (could feed a growth diet)
Greyhounds have short bursts of energy, care taken when feeding. Risk of a GDV.
Obese dog dietary requirements
Increase fibre intake. Fills animal up without the extra calories. Balance fat and proteins of good quality.
Underweight dog dietary requirements
Give energy dense food- 6 small meals a day – could feed a growth diet.
Complex carbs such as brown rice
Recovering from illness or injury Dietary requirements
Animals with liver/heart/kidney diseases - should be careful of proteins
energy dense convalescent diet
Elderly Dietary Requirements
Low protein but must be of good quality (eggs, fish, chicken)
Fat to increase to more than 5% dry matter- must be good quality (omega oils good for joints and brain)
Also makes food palatable
High fibre to fill up
Ash – moderate levels depending on blood pressure
Fibre helps with gut motility
