nutritional math

Question 1

BCS

Answer 1

Body Condition Score

Question 2

What is Body Condition Scoring

Answer 2

a subjective analysis of a patients’ initial fat and muscle content as well as the fluctuations

Question 3

Why is BCS important?

Answer 3

it’s important as it can help determine the overall health of a pet, especially for the body conditions that are different between breeds

Question 4

2 common BCS scales

Answer 4

5-point scale
9-point scale

Question 5

5-point scale

Answer 5

increases by 1/2 point intervals with 3 being ideal

Question 6

9-point scale

Answer 6

increases by intervals of 1 where 4-5 is ideal

Question 7

3 methods of evaluating body condition

Answer 7

starting at the head move caudal
evaluate fat coverage on the ribs, spine, abdomen and hips
look for abdominal tuck, defined waist, palpable ribs

Question 8

T or F: A score of 3 on a 5-point scale is considered a perfect body condition

Answer 8

true

Question 9

Recommended body fat % for cats and dogs

Answer 9

15%-25%

Question 10

Body fat % for a pet to be considered overweight

Answer 10

26%-35%

Question 11

Body fat % for a pet to be considered obese

Answer 11

40%+

Question 12

DER

Answer 12

Daily Energy Requirements

Question 13

The amount of food we feed to an animal is based on what?

Answer 13

Daily Energy Requirements

Question 14

What does DER consider?

Answer 14

age
lifestyle factors
reproductive status

Question 15

RER

Answer 15

Resting Energy Requirement

Question 16

DER or RER first?

Answer 16

RER - we calculate the amount of energy required for the animal to maintain its’ body weight at rest (thermo regulated)

Question 17

Equation to determine RER

Answer 17

RER (Kcal/day) = 70 (BW in KG) to the power of 0.75 (3/4)

Question 18

RER (Kcal/day) = 70(10kg)^0.75

Answer 18

RER = 393 Kcal/day

Question 19

What is the next step to calculating a patient’s DER

Answer 19

multiplying the patient’s RER by a coefficient based on life stage/body condition

Question 20

Next step of calculating calorie requirements

Answer 20

muliply the sum of the RER by the life stage/lifestyle factor

Question 21

RER = 70(1.36kg)^0.75

Answer 21

RER = 88Kcal/day

Question 22

DER = 2.5(88) kcal/day

Answer 22

DER = 220 kcal/day

Question 23

Do it yourself: RER = 70(6kg)^0.75

Answer 23

RER = 268 kcal/day

Question 24

Do it yourself: DER = 1.2(268)kcal/day

Answer 24

DER = 402 kcal/day

Question 25

How do we determine the amount of food a pet should receive

Answer 25

divide the DER by the number of calories in a can/cup of selected food/treats

Question 26

If a kittens DER is 220 kcal/day and dry kitten food contains 338 kcal/cup, how much food does the kitten eat?

Answer 26

220kcal / 338kcal/cup = 0.65 cups of food per day or 2/3 cup each day

Question 27

T or F: We should divide the number of feedings an animal gets per day with the total amount of kcal they need to consume in order to best understand how much we're feeding them

Answer 27

true - if we're feeding the previously mentioned kitten 2/3 cups of food a day but have two feeding times thats broken down to 1/3 cups 2x a day

Question 28

What should we do if we want to add treats into the kittens diet?

Answer 28

we need to substract the amount of calories a treat contains from their normal intake in order to not over feed (if a treat = 22 cals, we will subtract 22 cals from the regular feeding)

Question 29

T or F: Only 10% of calories should come from treats/extras

Answer 29

true

Question 30

MER

Answer 30

Metabolic Energy Requirement

Question 31

Metabolic Energy Requirement

Answer 31

amount of energy an animal needs to support energy equilibrium, accounts for thermoregulation, activity and exercise

Question 32

What does MER include?

Answer 32

requirements for reproduction gestation lactation

Question 33

T or F: Pet food bags base their feeding guides on MER

Answer 33

true - variations based on individual pets

Question 34

3 different feeding methods

Answer 34

ad-lib feeding portion controlled feeding/meal feeding time restricted feeding

Question 35

Ad-lib feeding/free feeding

Answer 35

allows the pet to have unlimited access to food all day meal is left down - pet will not empty bowl right away bowl is filled multiple times a day - pet is constantly eating, no measuring

Question 36

T or F: Pets who are free-fed usually eat 10-20% more calories than they should

Answer 36

false - 15-20%

Question 37

T or F: Pet owners can't gauge how much their pet is truly eating with free-feeding

Answer 37

true

Question 38

Portion controlled feeding

Answer 38

a specific measurement of food that the pet receives multiple times throughout the day, at the same times everyday

Question 39

T or F: Two meals are usually offered daily with portion controlled feeding

Answer 39

true - morning and evening

Question 40

How many meals should puppies/kittens have when it comes to portion controlled feeding

Answer 40

3-4 meals

Question 41

Why is portion controlled feeding more recommended?

Answer 41

it allows an owner to evaluate their pets appetite, note changes and prevent unneeded weight gain

Question 42

List some benefits of a pre-scheduled feeding device

Answer 42

help with weight control decreases overfeeding prevents early morning wakeup calls can be programmed to a specific pet (no overeating/undereating)

Question 43

Time restricted feeding

Answer 43

this allows an owner to feed their pet as much as they desire but in a set amount of time, the pet MUST eat well to assume necessary calories

Question 44

T or F: There is a high chance of overfeeding when it comes to time restricted feeding

Answer 44

true

Question 45

List some pros of interactive feeders

Answer 45

designed to make pets work for their food helps with weight control adds environmental enrichment adds mental stimulation can help slow down pets that inhale their food

Question 46

T or F: Pets can develop acne or skin irritation around their mouth if they eat from plastic/porous dishes

Answer 46

true

Question 47

T or F: Food/water dishes should be washed EVERY DAY, thoroughly, with hot soapy water no matter the material

Answer 47

true

Question 48

Why should we be washing our pets food and water dishes every day?

Answer 48

still water can become rancid and harbour harmful pathogens/bacteria wet food can cement itself to a bowl and the fats covering dry food end up sticking to the bowl, also becoming rancid and creating a breeding ground for bacteria

Question 49

How do we calculate the 10% of calories that can be made up of treats

Answer 49

you multiply 0.10 or 0.1 by the total amount of DER

Question 50

Calculate the 10% of the DER from number 24, 402

Answer 50

402 x 0.10 = 40.2, which means treats should make up only 40 calories of the 402 DER