General Nutrition

Types of diets

• Omnivore

• Herbivore

• Carnivore

Animals that eat and derive energy from plant and animal matter

Omnivores

What species are omnivores?

Humans, dogs, pigs, some bears

Animals that eat and derive energy from animals

Carnivores

Obligate carnivores

Have nutritional requirements that can only be met by consuming meat

What species are obligate carnivores?

Cats, polar bears

Animals that only eat plants

Herbivores

Anatomic adaptations of herbivores

Utilize bacteria in their digestive tract to help break down plant matter and produce energy sources for the host

What species are herbivores?

Guinea pigs, rabbits, cows, horses

Concentrates

Highly digestible feedstufs that are high in energy and low in fiber

Concentrates are typically what percent digestible?

80-90

Common concentrates

Cereal grains and oil meals

Common cereal grains

corn, wheat, barley, oats

Common oil meals

soybean meal, linseed meal, cottonseed meal

Roughages

Feedstuffs that are high in fiber, low in energy, and less digestible

Roughages are typically what percent digestible?

50-65

Common roughages

Hay, pasture grasses, straw, grazed forages, silage

Monogastric digestive system

One simple stomach that secretes acid resulting in low gastric pH

Typical gastric pH of a monogastric stomach

1.5-2.5

Function of low pH in monogastric stomach

Destroy most bacteria and begin food digestion

What dietary components are best for a monogastric system?

High concentrates, lower fiber (can’t digest large amts)

Species with monogastric system

Humans, dogs, cats, pigs

Ruminant

Digestive system with large stomach divided into four compartments

Four compartments of the ruminant stomach

• Rumen

• Reticulum

• Omasum

• Abomasum

Function of rumen

Contains millions of microbes that break down plant material and produce VFAs that are used as a primary energy source

VFA

Volatile fatty acid

What percent of energy in a ruminant comes from VFAs?

60-80%

Dietary components for ruminants

Large amounts of roughages, low amounts of concentrates

What diet type do ruminants have?

Herbivore

Ruminants are also know as…

foregut fermenters

How much saliva do ruminants produce daily?

100-150 L

Function of saliva production in ruminants

Provide rumen fluid and acts as alkaline buffer for maintenance of rumen pH

Unique action in ruminant digestion process?

Ruminants regurgitate their food (“cud”), rechew it, and swallow it again

How many times daily do ruminants chew cud on average?

6-8

The average rumen holds more than ____ gallons

25

What side of the animal is the rumen located on?

left

Species with ruminant system

cattle, goats, sheep

Psuedo-ruminants/hindgut fermenters

Herbivores that have one simple stomach but ferment plant materials in hindgut (LI or cecum)

Dietary components for hindgut fermeters

Can consume large amounts of roughages and can consume concentrates/grains

Species with hindgut fermenter system

horses, rabbits

What is an essential amino acid for cats?

taurine

Essential amino acid

An amino acid that can not be synthesize by the animal and must be acquired from the diet

Results of taurine deficiency in cats

dilated cardiomyopathy or retinal degeneration

What diet may cause taurine deficiency in cats?

Homemade dites

BEG

Boutique, Exotic, Grain-Free

What were grain-free/BEG diets previously suspected of?

Potentially cause cardiovascular disease in non-predisposed dogs

Diets containing high levels of ____ are suspected to cause cardiovascular disease.

Pulses: peas, lentils, chickpeas, dried beans