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astech term test 1 > topic 3: Bedding/Feed > Flashcards

topic 3: Bedding/Feed Flashcards

1
Q

essential nutrients

A
  • cannot be synthesised in sufficient quantity by the animal
  • must be supplied in the diet
  • quantities vary across species (e.g. more vit C for guinea pigs, NHPs and humans)
  • macronutrients
  • micronutrients (in parts per million/ppm or mg/kg)

e.g. water, protein, fats/lipids, carbohydrates (CHO), vitamins, minerals

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2
Q

non-essential nutrients

A
  • can be synthesised by the animal’s body, not a must to be supplied in the diet
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3
Q

water (essential nutrient)

A
  • most important!!!!
  • metabolic reactions & most body processes require or take place in water
  • required for transportation of substances throughout the body
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4
Q

protein (essential nutrient)

A
  • commonly found in muscle, skin, cartilage, organs & blood vessels
  • enzymes, haemoglobin & some hormones are made of proteins
  • in the event of starvation, proteins will be metabolised to provide the calories that the body needs as a source of energy
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5
Q

fats or lipids (essential nutrient)

A
  • contains more calories per unit of weight than proteins or carbohydrates
  • important in maintaining the structural integrity of cell membranes
  • provides thermal insulation (e.g. brown fats in newborns & even some adult animals are metabolised very fast into fatty acids to provide heat for the body)
  • stores & transports fat soluble vitamins
  • protects the internal organs
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6
Q

carbohydrates (CHO, essential nutrient)

A
  • main source of energy in body metabolism
  • excess is stored as glycogen in the muscle tissue and liver
  • when thee storage areas are full, the excess is converted to body fat
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7
Q

vitamins (essential nutrient)

A
  • organic compounds, only required in SMALL quantities
  • 2 types: water soluble & fat soluble
  • variation in the quantity of vitamins can cause serious disease
  • e.g. deficiency of Vitamin C can cause scurvy
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8
Q

water soluble vitamins (essential nutrient)

A
  • vitamin C, vitamin B complex (thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, B6, B12, folic acid & biotin)
  • easily lost from the body system & must be replenished daily.
  • NOTE: as vitamin C degrades easily, lab animals fed with improperly stored/expired feed or feed that has been exposed to high temperatures may be at risk of deficiency
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9
Q

fat soluble vitamins (essential nutrient)

A
  • vitamin A, D, E, K.
  • stored in fat and not excreted from the body easily (may cause hypervitaminosis)
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10
Q

minerals (essential nutrient)

A
  • organic or inorganic
  • at least 21 minerals are needed to sustain a common lab animal species (e.g. calcium, phosphorus, sodium, iron, etc.)
  • mineral deficiency or excess could cause serious disease
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11
Q

organic minerals (essential nutrient)

A
  • beneficial for body metabolism
  • formed through biological processes or due to the presence of certain biological material
  • has ionic bonds which the body can break down into usable materials for tissue repair & functions
  • E.g. kidney stones.
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12
Q

inorganic materials (essential nutrient)

A
  • never lived
  • elements that cannot bring life to our cells
  • has covalent bonds which the body is unable to break down
  • body treats them as toxins rather than nutrients
  • E.g. prescription iron
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13
Q

evaluation of feed

A
  • to formulate an animal diet, the contents must be analysed and evaluated using a proximate analysis
  • not indicative of feed quality
  • does not provide information about vitamin contents
  • the proximate analysis is only a list of 6 important characteristics of a feed product as determined by chemical techniques
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14
Q

moisture (evaluation of feed)

A
  • percentage of water determined by comparing the weight loss of a sample before and after complete oven drying
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15
Q

crude protein (evaluation of feed)

A
  • measured by assaying the amount of nitrogen in a sample
  • N value is multiplied by 6.25 to calculate the total protein
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16
Q

crude fat (evaluation of feed)

A
  • measures the amount of fat and oil in the feed by using ether to extract the fat from the feed
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17
Q

fibre (evaluation of feed)

A
  • measures the residue of a feed sample that is neither soluble in hot dilute acid nor hot dilute base
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18
Q

ash (evaluation of feed)

A

measures the inorganic residue left after burning the feed sample

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19
Q

N-free extract (evaluation of feed)

A
  • represents the carbohydrate portion of the feed
  • measured by subtracting the sum of percentages of the other characteristics from 100%
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20
Q

supplements & treats

A
  • only given occasionally!
  • to contribute to the animal’s daily calorie intake
  • when the animals are eating less of their commercially balanced diet
  • used sparingly only when necessary and if the experiment parameters permit it
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21
Q

standard diet (commercial diets)

A
  • fulfils nutrient requirement more than sufficiently (unless improperly stored)
  • nutritionally complete; suitable for different life stages
  • composition of nutrients in diets may vary (batch-to-batch, by brand, etc.)
  • must obtain batch-analysis certificates with results specific to that batch as these differences may affect experimental results.
  • choice of standard diet is dependent on:
    > the need of the individual strain/species
    > animal’s condition (pregnant/lactating/geriatric, etc.)
    > research needs of the investigator
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22
Q

custom made diet (commercial diets)

A
  • formulated according to principal investigator’s specification to meet experimental needs
  • contents are adjusted accordingly (e.g. increased/decreased sodium, fibre, fat, protein, etc.)
  • can be irradiated or purified & in pellet or liquid forms
  • e.g. high/low fat diets, nutritional deficiency diets, salt modification diets, insulin resistance diets, etc.
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23
Q

certified diet (commercial diets)

A
  • similar to other diets but certified by the manufacturer that there are no contaminants (e.g. pesticides, heavy metals, etc.)
  • used for GLP (quality assured) studies e.g. toxicity
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24
Q

autoclavable and irradiated diet (commercial diets)

A
  • sterilised feed for animals housed in a barrier facility (e.g. germ free or SPF)
  • additional nutrients are often added to the feed so that the diet is still balanced even after autoclaving/irradiating
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25
Q

purified diet (commercial diets)

A
  • made from purified ingredients (e.g. casein (milk protein), sucrose, corn starch, fat, oil & cellulose
  • used in studies of specific nutritional deficiencies and excesses
  • can be reproduced in consistent nutritional value from batch to batch (allows researchers to consistently repeat & modify a study, obtaining accurate data each time)
  • contains only very low levels of non-nutritive ingredients
  • e.g. diet induced obesity diets, low sodium diets, protein free diets, cholesterol free diets, folic acid deficient diets, high carbohydrates diets
26
Q

verified diet (commercial diets)

A
  • absence of a particular nutrient/molecule
  • e.g. feed lacking phytoestrogen used in toxicology studies
27
Q

potential contaminants of feed (general concerns with regard to feed)

A
  • pesticides
  • pests e.g. insects & mites
  • bacteria, bacterial toxins, mycotoxins
  • natural plant toxins
  • breakdown products of nutrients
  • nitrates, nitrosamines
  • heavy metals
28
Q

types of feed

A
  • ground feed (meal)
  • pelleted feed
  • extruded feed
  • semi-moist feed
  • canned feed
  • roughage hay
  • aquatic feed/live feed
29
Q

ground feed (meal)

A
  • granulated/powdered
  • most common form for poultry & swine
  • for rodents with limited mobility/difficulty chewing (e.g. due to malocclusion)
  • high dust concentration may cause respiratory issues in some species such as rats
  • due to the greater surface area, it may spoil faster
  • if left in humid environments, texture change will occur and feed will clump up
30
Q

pelleted feed

A
  • feed is first ground and then moulded into different shapes and sizes
  • most common form for rabbits, rodents and ruminants
  • hardness can aid rabbit and rodents in wearing down their teeth
  • high fat diets are typically not pelleted as they cannot hold their shape well
31
Q

extruded feed

A
  • feed is passed through a tapered mould under high pressure and heat
  • most common form for cats, NHPs and dogs
  • more palatable for some species
  • tends to be softer and less dense than pelleted food
  • good for aquatic animals like frogs and fishes (less dense = floats = harder to disintegrate in water, cleaner water, etc.)
  • more fat content because of extrusion (puffed up, different from pelleted!)
32
Q

semi-moist feed

A
  • for dogs and cats
  • usually high in calories = unsuitable for routine feeding of caged animals
  • contributes to dental problems over long term studies
  • in mice, it can be used for weaning/post-surgeries
33
Q

canned food

A
  • palatable for dogs and cats
  • expensive
  • short shelf life after opening
  • useful to whet a sick animal’s appetite or hide medications
34
Q

supplemented fibre

A
  • hay
  • given to ruminants, rabbits & guinea pigs
  • timothy/alfalfa hay
  • needs to be irradiated/autoclaved
  • HAY NOT STRAW (straw has no nutritional value)
35
Q

aquatic feed

A
  • pelleted (more nutritious, contains more protein & fibre which reduces the likelihood of overfeeding)
  • flaked (enrichment, feeding at the surface, can contain more fat than pellets, shorter shelf life compared to pellets)
36
Q

live feed

A
  • certain strains can eat this feed: fish, tree shrews, amphibians, reptiles, etc.
  • examples of live feed: brine shrimp larvae (artemia), paramecium, rotifers, mealworms, crickets
  • to ensure that reptiles and amphibians receive enough calcium, supplements in the form of powder can be sprinkled onto the live prey
37
Q

important aspect of feeding

A
  • unless indicated otherwise by the investigator, easily accessible & palatable feed + drinking water must be provided daily or freely
  • pay attention to the transportation, storage & handling of feed to avoid spoilage/contamination with pollutants, disease vectors, parasites or pathogens that may affect the nutritional value
  • even if contamination of the food is not great enough to cause poisoning, enzymatic activity/hormone production etc. may still be affected
  • if necessary to change diets, do it gradually over a few days and not suddenly so as to not stress the animal (if too sudden, they may not eat or even exhibit diarrhoea)
38
Q

nutrition required for growth and reproduction

A
  • has special nutritional needs
  • pregnant rats need 10-30% more energy and will eat 10-20% more food
  • this may increase up to 140% more food by day 16-18 of gestation
  • if the nutritional needs of pregnant rats are not met, the size & viability of the pups may be decreased and the dam may even end up absorbing them
  • diets higher in proteins & calories are recommended for growth and lactation
  • MORE NUTRITION!!
  • the young of most rodents begin eating feed 10-14 days after birth
  • cats and dogs do not begin eating solid food until they are 3-4 weeks old
39
Q

nutrition required for lactating dams

A
  • nursing females need a high protein diet to adequately nurse their young
  • 2-4 times more energy than non-nursing females
  • more babies to feed = more energy consumed!
  • during the 2nd week of lactation, dams will lose body fat so it is important to get the MAXIMUM protein and energy required to maintain their health
  • poor nutrition = poor milk production = malnutrition of pups
40
Q

effects of overfeeding pregnant dams

A
  • foetuses may grow too large
  • dams may have poor muscle condition and fat deposits which interfere with the process of giving birth
  • in dogs, early weight gain may increase the risk of dystocia (advisable to do ultrasound by 6-9 weeks to get an estimate of the size of the litter, more puppies = more nutrients, less puppies = less nutrients)
41
Q

signs of dehydration

A
  • VERY SERIOUS
  • animal appears restless & distressed within the first 24 hours
  • less urine and faecal production
  • decrease in dry food consumption
  • may be a complication of a disease or caused by faulty watering system
42
Q

signs of decreased food intake

A
  • significant weight loss
  • unusually prominent skeletal structure
  • sometimes, a dominant animal may be preventing others from getting to the food (may want to remove this animal)
  • must be observant to spot the problem quickly
43
Q

factors affecting the choice of diets

A
  • genetics of breeds, strains, stocks & sexes
  • stages of life e.g. growth/maintenance/pregnancy/lactation
  • different environmental parameters/conditions
  • research protocols (restricted quantity or nutrients)
  • research conditions (more palatable diet to encourage appetite if the procedures are noxious)
  • changes in dietary intake
  • change of microbial status in germfree animals or when coprophagy in rodents is prevented
44
Q

treats & why they should not be fed too much.

A
  • treats such as fruits, vegetables, tablets, trail mixes, cereal
  • different types of enrichment food are utilised for different species
  • treats should not interfere with an animal’s intake of its normal diet or protocol requirements!
  • THIS IS BECAUSE treats are usually not nutritionally balanced and if they eat treats instead of their diet, they may suffer from nutrient deficiencies and have long-term health effects
  • some enrichment tablets that are nutritionally sound can be fed in larger quantities than others (e.g. those based on grain diets/purified diets & acts as a supplement)
45
Q

foraging behaviour (environmental enrichment using food)

A
  • standard feeding practice is to provide food freely via a food hopper = little opportunity for foraging behaviour
  • preference testing has shown that rats show inclination for the foraging device
  • foraging device shows a tendency to decrease aggression between pairs of rats housed together
  • reduces social stress
  • reduces risks of aggression-induced injury
  • corn-cob bedding can offer a foraging opportunity as well
46
Q

skinner’s operant conditioning

A
  • operants: intentional actions that have an effect on the surrounding environment
  • 3 types of responses
  • neutral operants: responses from the environment that neither increase nor decrease the probability of a behaviour being repeated
  • reinforcers: responses from the environment that increase the probability of a behaviour being repeated (can be positive or negative)
  • punishers: responses from the environment that decrease the probability of a behaviour being repeated (weakens behaviour)
47
Q

positive VS negative reinforcement

A
  • positive = strengthens behaviour by providing a reward, e.g. receiving food when pressing a lever
  • negative = strengthens behaviour by stopping/removing an unpleasant experience, e.g. removing electrical shocks when pressing a lever
48
Q

types of bedding materials

A
  • shredded paper
  • recycled cellulose fibre (absorbent, less dusty)
  • mixture (enrichment) of alpha cellulose (absorbent) & corn cob (ammonia control)
  • pelleted paper chips made from recycled newspaper (dust-free, absorbent, ammonia control, often used for diabetic animals)
  • soft pellets & curly flakes (unique blend of unprinted newspaper)
49
Q

what does choice of bedding depend on?

A
  • type of housing
  • species of animal
  • experimental requirements
  • practicability
50
Q

what is an appropriate quantity of bedding?

A
  • enough to keep animals comfortable and dry at all times
51
Q

direct bedding

A
  • touching/in contact with animals (e.g. corn cob in rodent cages, hay strewn on stable floors)
  • corn cobs: ammonia control, allows rodents to gnaw for enrichment. must be complemented with nesting materials. the abrasive nature may cause foot lesions in immunocompromised mice.
  • paper chips: absorbent but not as cost effective as corn cobs.
52
Q

indirect bedding

A
  • bedding that is placed underneath cages
  • e.g. rabbits & NHPs have catch trays lined with absorbent materials
  • cellulose material: can add antibiotics to stop bacterial growth
  • wood shavings: increases foraging time, retains heat, absorbent, but will clog up drains & requires the additional step of sweeping before washing the housing (husbandry considerations)
53
Q

purpose of bedding

A
  • thermal regulation (especially for hairless strains e.g. nude mice)
  • absorbs moisture, faecal & urinary waste (limits the animal’s contact with excreta)
  • environmental enrichment (nest construction, gnawing, etc.)
  • minimises growth of microorganisms by lowering the amount of ammonia in the rodent cages
54
Q

important criterions for the selection of bedding

A
  • dust (saw dust, wood shavings/chips, etc. may irritate the respiratory tract)
  • toxicity (untreated recycled newspaper materials may contain carbon/dyes due to the printed letters & pictures)
  • sanitation (is it autoclavable & sterile?)
  • absorbency (absorbing urine & minimising odours)
  • non-nutritive (must have low nutritional value as lab animals like to gnaw)
  • ammonia control (may be dependent on the frequency of cage change. higher change frequency = not as important)
  • cost effectiveness
  • long-lasting (saves cost & labour needed to change)
  • easy cleanup (easy and safe to clean)
  • static electricity (may clog dispensing equipment)
  • comfort (no sharp edges that may be painful)
55
Q

how often should bedding be changed?

A
  • no set rule, depends on various factors
  • could vary from daily to weekly
  • try not to change too frequently due to the pheromones & behaviour of the animals (unless research objectives state otherwise)
  • minimum once a fortnight (2 weeks) in SPF facilities
  • if the cage is wet, change it immediately!
56
Q

what are the factors that affect the frequency of bedding changes?

A
  • number & body size of the animals in the cage (more/bigger animals = more waste)
  • size of the cage (small cage = less bedding to dilute the waste out = gets dirty faster)
  • urinary & faecal output amount (diabetic animals/animals undergoing metabolism tests may produce more waste)
  • appearance & wetness of bedding (wet = reached maximum capacity = must be changed. OR materials that have poorer absorbency must be changed more frequently)
  • experimental conditions (animals with surgical wounds require very clean environment = more frequent changes)
57
Q

concerns regarding material type

A
  • nude mice do not have eyelashes. paper bedding/bedding with a lot of dust should be avoided as it could lead to periorbital abscesses (irritates their eyes)
  • nude mice may get conjunctivitis from cotton nestlets
  • bedding can influence mucosal immunity & endocytosis
  • untreated softwood beddings can impact metabolism (aromatic wood shavings e.g. pine/cedar should be avoided as they may induce the activation of hepatic microsomal enzymes & affect experimental results)
  • avoid cotton/shredded paper in breeding cages as pups may become entangled in the fibres, causing suffocation or loss of limbs
  • BEST BEDDING FOR NUDE MICE = CELLULOSE!
58
Q

things to take note for storage of bedding materials & feed

A
  • always keep them dry! moisture = fungal growth (e.g. Aspergillus)
  • store on pallets/racks/carts, elevated from the ground to minimise contamination & preserve quality
  • follow the storage methods used by manufacturers and/or suppliers
  • during autoclaving, bedding may absorb moisture & lose absorbency thus supporting the growth of microorganisms. appropriate DRYING TIME and storage conditions should be used
59
Q

good practices for storage of bedding materials & feed

A
  • adequate storage space so that supplies do not hinder husbandry
  • separate area for storage that is free of pests & protected from contamination/toxic/hazardous substances
  • make sure feed is NOT subjected to any increase in temperature/humidity for prolonged periods
  • storage bags must be at least 6 INCHES away from the walls (facilitates cleaning & prevents contamination from condensation/mould)
  • live feed should be stored in appropriate containers to preserve nutritional content, minimise contaminants & prevent entry of pests
  • fruits & vegetables in fridges to avoid spoilage
  • unopened cans can be stored as indicated on the can
  • pest management program with regular inspections
  • no cracks or crevices on the walls (for easy disinfection)
  • pipelines, drains and air filters should be well sealed & inspected frequently
  • maintain good housekeeping & cleanliness
  • follow manufacturer’s recommendations for storage!
60
Q

how to curb increases in temperature + what are the effects? (storage of bedding materials & feed)

A
  • control the environment with cool climate control (temperature below 21 degrees celsius & humidity less than 50%)
  • increased temperature induces rancidity, high humidity
  • fungal and mould growth

astech term test 1 (5 decks)

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