overview of nutrition for companion animals

Question 1

what are the storage forms of energy

Answer 1

• CHO - glycogen
• fats - triglycerides
• protein - no storage form, all functional tissue

Question 2

what is the energy called that left and used by animal

Answer 2

metabolizable energy “calories”

Question 3

what is RER

Answer 3

• resting energy requirement
• approx. of energy requirements needed for life
• reflects metabolically active tissues in body (lean tissue, organs, brain)
• even if overweight, animals still has RER b/c it’s lean body mass

Question 4

what are the factors influencing energy requirements

Answer 4

• metabolic efficiency
• life stage
• environment
• lifestyle

Question 5

how to calculate canine MER

maintenance energy requirement

Answer 5

MER = 1.2 to 1.5 (most are 1.2 - activity factors) X RER

RER = 70 X Wtkg^0.75

if overweight use estimate of optimal weight

Question 6

how to calculate Feline MER

Answer 6

Formula 1: MER = 1.0 to 1.2 X RER

RER = 70 X Wtkg^0.75

Formula 2: MER = 50 x Wtkg

Question 7

feline energy metabolism

Answer 7

cats are adapted to using protein for energy as opposed to carbohydrate

Question 8

what are the 3 ways that nutrient content can be expressed

Answer 8

1. as fed
2. dry matter
3. energy basis

Question 9

what is as fed

Answer 9

how nutrient content is expressed on pet food labels and nutrients are given as a percent of the finished product by weight

Question 10

what is dry matter basis

Answer 10

nutrients are given as a percent of the product by weight after the moisture content has been subtracted

Question 11

what is energy basis

Answer 11

nutrients are expressed as units (grams, mg, IU) per 1000 kcals. protein, fat and CHO can be expressed as percent of total calories

Question 12

what is the only meaningful way to compare the nutrient content of two foods

Answer 12

on an energy basis

Question 13

what are the two ways to balance energy

Answer 13

• bulk limiting
• energy limiting

Question 14

what is bulk limiting

Answer 14

animal gets full before eating all nutrients

Question 15

what is energy limiting

Answer 15

• add energy to diet to make limiting
• animal might not eat as much food b/c extra energy is added

Question 16

what is the moderate amount of protein for dogs

Answer 16

greater than or equal to 18%, less than 25%

Question 17

what is the moderate amount of protein for cats

Answer 17

greater than or equal to 30%, less than 50%

Question 18

what is the moderate amount of fat for dogs

Answer 18

greater than or equal to 20%, less than 30%

Question 19

what is the moderate amount of fat for cats

Answer 19

greater than or equal to 30%, less than 50%

Question 20

taurine

Answer 20

• essential AA for cats
• only found in animal tissues

Question 21

arginine

Answer 21

essential AA added to dog and cat diets (not needed in humans)

Question 22

what are the deficient AA in cereal grains

Answer 22

• leucine
• lysine
• methionine
• tryptophan
• taurine

Question 23

what are the factors affecting minimum AA content of foods

Answer 23

• bioavailability and digestibility
• amino acid imbalances
• processing and storage losses
• energy density
• palatability
• health and environment of the animal

Question 24

what happens if arginine is limited

Answer 24

get build up of ammonia

Question 25

why is ornithine important

Answer 25

* intermediate from arginine * needed in urea cycle to convert ammonia to urea

Question 26

why do cats need taurine supplemented

Answer 26

the enzyme that converts cysteine to taurine has very low activity in cats

Question 27

why is taurine needed

Answer 27

for bile acid conjugation

Question 28

what are the clinical signs of taurine deficiency

Answer 28

* dilated cardiomyopathy * retinal degeneration * reproductive failure

Question 29

canine taurine deficiency

Answer 29

* predisposed breeds (american cocker spaniel, newfoundland) * low protein diets or diets deficient in sulfur-containing amino acids * diets with poor protein digestibility

Question 30

what are the two essential fatty acids

Answer 30

* linolenic acid n-3 * linoleic acid n-6

Question 31

what essenital fatty acids are specific to cats

Answer 31

* arachidonic acid n-6 * eicosapentaenoic acid n-3

Question 32

what is the end product of fatty acids

Answer 32

eicosanoids

Question 33

what is the diet of wild canids

Answer 33

* prey * insects and mollusks * carrion * plant material

Question 34

dietary fiber

Answer 34

* "indigestible CHO" and lignin * total fiber content of a food (TDF) is greatly underestimated by "crude fiber" * non-nutritive but serves several important functions in GI tract

Question 35

what are the factors influencing amount to feed

Answer 35

* maintenance * gestation and lactation * growth * physical exertion * environmental

Question 36

what are the 3 methods of feeding

Answer 36

1. free choice 2. time restricted 3. portion restricted

Question 37

gestation calorie formula

Answer 37

* 1.1 to 1.3 X MER * feed a growth/gestation formula

Question 38

dog gestation energy requirement

Answer 38

increases during the last 3 weeks of gestation

Question 39

cat gestation energy requirement

Answer 39

gradual increase in energy requirements throughout gestation

Question 40

peak lactation energy requirement

Answer 40

* 2 to 5 X MER * dogs: 100 kcal/# of litter/day above MER

Question 41

growth feeding

Answer 41

* feed only a growth-tested ration * feed according to body condition * do not supplement * portion restricted feeding (dogs)

Question 42

what is the growth rule of thumb

Answer 42

puppies should gain 1-2 grams/day/# of anticipated adult body weight for the first 5 months

Question 43

when should dogs be fed up to 50% of their adult weight

Answer 43

4-5 months old