Nutrition Small Animal Flashcards
Dry Matter (amount used)
(DM) 50 to 80% used for energy
Kcal-
Same as calorie
Nerd fact - A kilocalorie (kcal) is the amount of heat required to raise the temperature of one kilogram of water 1° Celsius
Digestible energy
(DE)- the food’s gross energy minus the energy that is nonabsorbable
Metabolized Energy
(ME) - Amount of energy available for the body
gross energy minus the energy lost in feces and urine.
Net energy
(NE) - the measurement of energy used for digesting, absorbing, and using food.
Gross Energy
(GE) = DE - Energy lost through feces
EFA - nutrition
Essential Fatty Acids
Dogs and cats require omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids in the diet because they cannot produce these essential fatty acids on their own.
3 important dietary EFAs are: Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), arachidonic acid (APA) and Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA)
Daily Energy Requirement definition
Daily Energy Requirement (DER)- Calories needed to maintain weight and extra factors like lactating
Energy providing nutrient categories
- proteins, fats, carbs
Proteins (nutrition small animal)
serve as a dietary nitrogen source
Dogs need 10 AA (amino acids), Cats need 11 AA including taurine
Proteins important to the body (nutrition small animal)
primary part of many body tissues, enzymes, and hormones.
essential components of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), ribonucleic acid (RNA), hemoglobin, and antibodies
The biological value of proteins (nutrition small animal)
(BV) can determine quality.
The higher the quantities of essential amino acids found in a particular protein, the higher is its biological value and quality.
Meats have more AA but proteins from vegetables often compliment meat proteins
Carbohydrates (nutrition small animal)
Cats and dogs have no minimum requirement
Broken into soluble and insoluble
Insoluble Carbs (nutrition small animal)
Fiber
Diets high in Insoluble carbs not good for puppies and kittens
Fiber can aid in diets for obesity because increase fullness and
Soluble Carbs (nutrition small animal)
Soluble = sugars
Aid in digestion
Fats (nutrition small animal)
Concentrated form of energy
Enhance taste
Necessary for absorption/storage/transport of the essential fatty acids (EFAs) required (includes arachidonic acid)
fat-soluble vitamins
(nutrition small animal)
A, D, E, and K.
Non-energy nutrients categories
(nutrition small animal)
vitamins, minerals, water
Vitamins
(nutrition small animal)
Two categories- Fat-soluble and Water soluble
Fat-soluble -Can be stored in liver, therefor too much can be toxic
Water Soluble - C and B complex
Key Minerals
(nutrition small animal)
Calcium, Phosphorus, Sodium, Magnesium
Minerals (general info)
(nutrition small animal)
It’s the balance of minerals that’s important
categorized into two major groups
Macrominerals - include calcium, phosphorus, potassium, sodium, and magnesium
microminerals or trace minerals - iron, zinc, copper, manganese, iodine, cobalt, and selenium.
Calcium (nutrition small animal)
- highest mineral requirement but must be balanced with phosphorus
Too much calcium inhibits phosphorus uptake
Can inhibit bone growth in puppies and kittens
Supplements are most often the cause of calcium excess.
Phosphorus (nutrition small animal)
Phosphorus- important in cell metabolism and composition of bone and teeth.
Too much dietary phosphorus, however, increases the glomerular filtration rate and results in greater work for the kidneys.
Main cation of intracellular body fluids
Sodium
(nutrition small animal)
- the main cation of extracellular body fluids,
Too much leads to high blood pressure and fluid buildup
4 to 8 mg/kg of sodium is adequate to maintain homeostasis but many commercial pet foods contain 10 to 40 times the amount needed
Magnesium (nutrition small animal)
- seems to be the main contributor in the appearance of struvite uroliths
Important in energy production
Ash
(nutrition small animal)
- refers to all minerals in pet food.
Low ash often called good for urinary issues but really needs to be low magnesium
Water
(nutrition small animal)
Requirement - milliliters per day (mL/day), is roughly equivalent to the animal’s energy requirement in kilocalories per day (kcal/day).
Antioxidants (nutrition small animal)
substances that delay or prevent oxidation (breakdown) of other compounds or structures, such as cell membranes.
Cats daily calorie requirement
About 35 kilocalories per pound of body weight.
Free Feed problematic because of risk of obesity but closer to natural feeding
High protein requirements
Greater need for meat based proteins
arachidonic acid
(nutrition small animal)
Is an EFA
Dietary requirement
Cats requirement is about 12 percent in comparison to 4 percent for adult dogs.
assists the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins as well as improving taste
Amino Acids- Cats
(nutrition small animal)
Requirements for arginine, taurine and Niacin
Cat vitamin requirements (nutrition small animal)
Can’t synthesize vitamin A from beta carotenes
Too little can lead to vision issues and dull coat
Toxicity (too much liver, Vitamin A, or fish oil) - anorexia, weight loss, stiffness/lameness, new bone formation, neurological signs
Poor growth
arginine - cats
(nutrition small animal)
With deficiency of arginine, the urea cycle cannot convert ammonia to urea, resulting in ammonia toxicity. Even eating one meal devoid of arginine may result in hyperammonemia in less than 1 hour.
Niacin Cats
(nutrition small animal)
converted from amino acid tryptophan to B-vitamin niacin in most other mammals
too little- weight loss, loss of appetite, unkempt fur and wounds around the mouth.
Taurine Cats
(nutrition small animal)
Can’t synthesize taurine from cysteine
Taurine deficiency- progressive retinal damage and also heart issues
Dogs and EFA
EFA deficiencies occur when they are fed low-fat dog food containing beef tallow as the sole source of fat in the diet or when the diet has been improperly stored for an extended period.
RER calculation
RER- kcal/day = 70 (ideal BWkg)0.75power
DER calculation
RER × life stage/condition factor
Gestation/lactation nutrition concerns
Malnutrition
Affects both pregnancy and lactation
Obesity
May result in a difficult or prolonged delivery and may prolong labor,
This can cause oxygen or low blood sugar in puppies or kittens.
Gestation/lactation and water
Can require up to double normal water amounts
Gestation/lactation and food general facts
Carbs important ingredient in food
Calcium supplementation not important
Above average digestibility is important
Dogs gestation/lactation
Nutrition (edit,)
During pregnancy energy requirements are about 30% more than normal adult. Can go up to 50% to 60%
–Highest during 6 to 8 weeks of pregnancy
Food should be high in energy density
Throughout pregnancy and nursing fat is important
–Especially eicosapentaenoic acid and acid docosahexaenoic acid (Omega 3 fatty acids)
After whelping a bitch’s energy needs increases with highest point at 3 to 5 weeks
–At highest point, 2 to 4 times the energy needed compared to non-nursing
Returns to maintenance levels at 8 weeks after whelping
Crude protein recommendation 20 -22%
Cats gestation/lactation nutrition
Recommended energy for gestation is 25 - 50% above adult
Approximately 90 to 110 kcal/kg x BW/day
May increase to 70% above maintenance
Minimum crude protein recommendation 21.3%
protein levels at or above 35% DM are recommended for gestating queens.
Puppy/Kitten general nutrition
Requirements for all nutrients are increased during growth.
Most nutrients supplied in excess cause little to no harm.
Excess energy can cause obesity which can lead to skeletal problems
Excess calcium - hypercalcemia
EFAs can affect neural development
Puppies nutrtition
Weaning 4 - 8 weeks
Puppies initially use about 50% of their total energy intake for maintenance and 50% for growth
Energy needed for growth decreases to about 8% to 10% of the total energy requirement when puppies reach 80% or more of adult BW
Protein requirements of growing dogs differ quantitatively and qualitatively from those of adults.
need more calcium and phosphorus compared with adult dogs, but not a lot
However large breed puppies need more than others
digestible (soluble) carbohydrates for growing puppies is recommended to be approximately 20%
DHA
Docosahexaenoic acid is an EFA
Puppies and protein
arginine is an essential amino acid for puppies, less important for adults
adding a source of DHA should be considered essential for growth (Fish Oil).
– It improves neural function
The minimum recommended allowance for DHA plus EPA is 0.05%
