Recommended energy/nutrient intakes for dogs/cats Flashcards
MR
minimal requirement
- minimal concentration or amount of a maximally bioavailable nutrient that will support a defined physiological state
- often absent from tables
AI
Adequate intake
- minimal concentration or amount that results in NO animal being deficient or when no MR has been demonstrated
RA
Recommended allowance
- based on MR, the RA considers the normal variation in bioavailability of nutrients in feed ingredients of typical quality
- if no MR available, use AI
SUL
Safe upper limit
- maximal concentration or amount of a nutrient that has not been associated with adverse effects
Which value is similar to AAFCO recommendations?
Recommended allowance
What value is similar to AAFCO’s maximum level?
safe upper limit
Use of which term is not accepted by many pet food experts?
SUL
Table format - nutrient recommendations
- per kg dietary DM
- per 1000kcal ME/day
- per kg BW^0.75 (dog) and BW^0.67 (cat)
Conditionally essential nutrients
Omega 6 FA - linoleic acid, arachidonic acid
Omega 3 FA - alpha-linolenic acid, EPA, DHA
Major nutrient classes
- water
- protein
- fat
- carbs
- minerals
- vitamins
Majority of nutrients that drive ingredients?
Macro and micro nutrients
Source of water
- diet
- metabolic water
- drinking water
Metabolic water
product of oxidation
Drinking water
The key is proper management
Water loss through?
Obligatory or facultative
Obligatory water loss
- minimal for waste removal
- respiratory
Facultative water loss
Kidney resorption
- controlling breakdown products from protein degradation and high levels of glucose = drink more
Faces
- diet dependent
- fiber –> gelling to sequester water (faster it moves, less water reabsorption)
Evaporation
- environment –> panting, condensation, evaporation, conduction
When do dogs retain water?
When eating protein and carbohydrates
- carbs deposited as glycogen - attracts large amounts of water
- rapid fat loss = rapid water loss not fat
Dogs adapt water intake in response to:
- body water stores (not in cats; dogs much better at detecting thirst and pre-programmed to drink)
- exercise (water = #1 limiting factor)
- food (linear correlation to intake)
- sodium intake –> drives urinary health and dilutes urine
To conserve water, what adaptation do cats utilize?
Concentrate urine
- implicated in risk factor for feline lower urinary tract disease
Increasing water (40%) and lowering energy density of cat feed is associated with?
increased exercise
What is FLUTD
Feline lower urinary tract disease
- includes cats that have interstitial cystitis (IC) and other causes for a much lower % of cases
FLUTD symptoms
- dysuria
- hematuria
- pollakuria
- periuria
Which cat is most prone to FLUTD
neutered males
FLUTD risk factors
stress, diet matrix, obesity, decreased water intake
To help prevent FLUTD
- Use reverse osmosis water - lower mineral content
- increase water intake –> wet food, trickling tap, fountain
painful/difficult urination
Dysuria
blood in urine
Hematuria
Excessive urination
Pollakiuria
Urination in inappropriate places
Periuria
Is energy a nutrient?
No, but is a characteristic of nutrients
What is energy essential for?
growth, maintenance, reproduction
Calorie
heat required to raise temperature of 1g of water from 16.5 to 17.5 degrees celsius
How many kj are in 1 kcal?
4.18
How many J of energy are in 100kcal of food?
100 x 4.18 = 418 kj x 1000 = 418,000
Which requirement tends to be tighter (mineral/energy)?
Mineral
E.g. general distribution for calcium in diets in dogs but another distribution in large breed dogs = lower calcium requirement
What is considered regarding net energy?
Gross energy + digestible energy + metabolizable energy = net energy for maintenance and production
- accounts for fecal, heat of fermentation (before DE), urinary, gas (before ME), heat increments of feeding losses (before NE)
Basis of feeding trials re equivalent to?
Proximate analysis (Atwater)
DE formula
DE = energy intake - energy in feces / energy intake x 100
- similar for protein, fat, fiber, organic matter
ME formula
ME = energy intake - energy in feces - energy in urine/energy intake x 1-00
What do we use to calculate ME of foodstuffs?
Modified Atwater factors
ME = (3.5 x g or protein) + (8.5 x g of fat) + (3.5 x g of NFE)
Net energy formula
NE = energy intake - energy in faces - energy in urine - HIF/energy intake x 100
What % NE is used for maintenance?
60-70%
Basis of energy requirement to support what?
basal metabolism win healthy animals at rest, in a post absorptive state and thermo-neutral environment
What % of NE is used for production?
up to 30%
What might change NE for maintenance?
- environmental temperature
- genetically predisposed to be on either end of energy distribution
- activity level
- pain (fever) = immune response (health status)
What do dos and cats used net energy production for?
activity, deposition of fat, reproduction
Adaptive thermogenesis - NE
Calorimetry, post partial response, genomics, proteomics, physical performance (5-15%) - variable, regulated by behaviour - responds to environment - responds to diet
Physical activity - NE
play motivation, physical activity, engagement
(20-35%)
-variable, related to behaviour
Obligatory or resting energy expenditure
Calorimetry, body composition, biomarkers, genomics, proteomics, physical performance
(60-70%)
- required for performance of basal metabolism
- controlled by body composition, age, gender, diet
Energy balance is equal to
energy ingested - energy expended
Positive energy balance leads to?
body gain in energy
Negative energy balance leads to?
body loss in energy
Energy balance = 0 means?
there is no gaining or losing
Energy balance is made up of which components?
RMR + voluntary activity + TEF + thermogenesis
Internal signals that affect energy intake
- gastric distension (dilute calories with fiber)
- physiological response to stimuli
- physiological satiety and hunger cues (different macronutrients stimulate release of different satiety hormones)
External signals that affect energy intake
- food availability
- timing/size of meals
- food composition
- texture
- palatability (can override satiety cues e.g. bag of chips)
Consumer perception regarding speed a pet eats their food
They must like it!
Challenges to predicting energy requirements
drastic differences in energy requirements between animals
Differences between animals that may affect energy requirements
- age (goes down)
- reproductive status (energy demanding)
- body condition (fatter - less food they need to maintain weight)
- activity level
- breed (body type, innate/genetics)
- temperament
- health status (immune response = energy demanding)
- environmental conditions (in homeotherms)
Metabolic body weight
the amount of energy that is used by the body is correlated with body surface area
-body surface area decreases as animal increases in size (e.g. elephants have lower metabolic rate vs. hummingbirds)
K in ME formula
# kcal animal requires to maintain body weight K = constant x BW^0.67
relationship between BW, energy requirements and metabolic body weight?
BW and energy requirements are positively correlated (5x increase) but metabolic body rate is not
Exponent commonly used in animals that are geometrically similar?
0.67 - cats
Exponent commonly used in animals that are most heterogenous?
0.75 - dogs
Are energy requirements associated with lifespan?
Yes
Relationship between energy requirement and lifespan?
lower resting metabolic rate (kj/day) = longer lifespan
- smaller animals = lower energy requirements = longer lifespan
ME requirement in dogs
ME = K x BW^0.75
Where k = energy constant
E.g inactive = 95
Which factors would lead to a larger K value in dogs?
active, younger, bigger, higher energy
What are the energy requirements of a 10kg inactive dog?
= 95 x 10^0.75
= 534 kcal of ME/day
–> total caloric intake for the day
Increased energy requirements for? (on top of maintenance)
- post weaned
- late gestation
- %BW weight gain
- lactation
- prolonged physical work
- decreased environmental temperature
As animal ages, what happens to energy requirement?
decreases
Cat ME formula
ME = K x BW K = 50 for sedentary; 60 for active; 70 for very active
What happens to K value and exponent in overweight cat?
- k goes up, exponent goes down = reduced metabolic rate
BCS for lean cat
less than or equal to 5 on 9 point scale
BCS for overweight cat
greater than 5 on 9 point scale
What products require a calorie consent statement?
dog/cat food, treats and supplements excludes chews
Why are individual requirements overestimated?
- so much variation between animals
- better to be over - if dog/cat gains weight just lower amount given
Why do cats have higher protein requirement compared to dogs?
to maintain gluconeogenesis
- obligatory breakdown of protein producing more nitrogen
Does more protein indicate better quality
NO - quantity does not equal quality
What makes up protein?
300 naturally occurring AA but only 22 are found in protein
20 plus selenocysteine and selenomethionine
How many indispensable (essential) AA in dogs/cats
10
- arginine
- histidine
- isoleucine
- leucine
- valine
- lysine
- methionine
- phenylalanine
- tryptophan
- threonine
BUT methionine –> cysteine and phenylalanine –> tyrosine
What are dietary AA required for?
- building and maintaining tissue (muscle, bone, skin, hair, hooves, adipose tissue)
- synthesize enzymes
- synthesize blood constituents
- synthesize some hormones
- synthesis of other metabolites
- yield energy
Pet food companies have moved away from AAFCO feeding studies to demonstrate?
“complete and balanced”
- to make this claim –> all AAFCO recommendations must be met or exceeded
Why does AAFCO vary from NRC?
AAFCO accounts for bioavailability, quality and digestibility
- AAFCO requirement is always higher
How did NRC determine protein requirement?
reviewed empirical measurement of AA requirements
- no studies in adult animals, extrapolation of growth data
How are most estimates regarding protein requirements in dogs and cats made?
Using growth or nitrogen balance in growing dogs
- nitrogen balance requires longer adaptation to diet to significantly change the whole pool of nitrogen
- growth studies note differences in growth rate and lean deposition, but cannot compensate for adaptation mechanisms in AA efficiency
- the requirement for lean deposition may be different than for maintenance, gestation, lactation, exercise, disease, geriatric animals
Why in AAFCO good?
makes recommendations for all nutrients supplied to cats/dogs and ultimately represents the state of organizations regulating the scale of commercial and animal feeds
- these minimums prevent deficiency in AAs when any ingredient is used
Terminal output of AA can only occur via oxidation through its respective catabolic pathway where:
- the carbon backbone enters the TCA cycle or is conserved through conversion to fat or glucose
- the nitrogen is excreted via urine in urea
AAFCO protecting against?
PROTEIN QUALITY
- digestibility and absorption
What can change body protein?
growth, dietary deficiency, disease, aging, exercise (resistance; not just walking/running)
What does AA intake control?
protein synthesis
what happens to excess protein?
it is catabolized (broken down)
Protein quality depends on?
- protein content
- AA composition
- AA digestibility and availability
The more I eat, the more protein I make (true or false)
True - if single AA, total protein or energy are deficient
False - if these nutrients are adequate or greater in the diet
Under what conditions does lean tissue increase in size?
- growth
- resistance training
- anabolic steroid use
- pregnancy
- lactation
What does nitrogen balance of zero mean?
nitrogen intake = nitrogen excretion
What does positive nitrogen balance mean?
when nitrogen intake > nitrogen excretion
What does negative nitrogen balance mean?
when nitrogen intake
Physiological/nutritional stage associated with zero nitrogen balance?
maintenance and no indispensable AA deficiency