nutrition learning outcome 3

what are the different life stages

pregnancy

neonates

hand rearing

growth

maintenance

geriatric

why is adapting feeding to lifestage

as an animal develops and begins to age, the nutritional requirements will change

throughout different life stages quantity and frequency of meals

heath, allergies and diseases also have an impact on what’s fed to the animal

neonate times

birth to weaning ( 4 - 10 weeks)

growth times

weaning to a point where growth ceases

maintenene times

Time after growth ceases and before ageing signs begin

geriatric times

maturity to death

in what stage of pregnancy should mothers food ration be increased

the last 3 weeks - foetus has a growth spurt

for dogs this should be a 10 - 15% increase per week so by brith the dog is eating 50% more then normal

for cats it should be a 10% increase per week, by birth cat should be eating 30% more them normal

mothers should not be overfed as fat babies cause complications

how should pregnant mothers be fed

small meals often

special pregnancy and lactation diets can be fed

neonates

have poor thermoregulation abilities

weak immune systems

poorly developed nervous system - slow to develop

eye lids and ear canals are not open - open 10 - 14 days

neonates diet

best diet is mothers milk as it is. nutritionally balanced and contains antibodies, proteins, hormones, enzymes, and growth factors - nutrients change throughout lactation

supplement milk can be fed that is nutritionally balanced but doens’t provide the extras

hand rearing infomation

very time consuming

requires dedication - 24 feeding

initially feed every 2 hours

use specialists milk replacer

special feeding bottles and teats can be brought - must be correct size

growth information

larger breeds remain in the growth stage much longer then smaller breeds

referred to all puppies and kittens - can walk and express new behaviours

teeth begin to grow

rapid growth spurt

growth stage diet

higher requirements for protein, energy and calcium

overfeeding could lead to skeletal problems in larger dogs and obesity in all animals

underfeeding can be stop animal from reaching full size and cause malnutrition and deformities

too rapid growth is a major factor in the development of bone and joint diseases

maintanece - adult phase

small breeds will mature earlier then large breeds

cats are adults from 1 - 7

nutritional demands are met by good quality food at correct levels

overfeeding will cause obesity

maintenance diet

a balanced diet should be provided

weight should be ideal and not fluctuate too dramatically

the diet needs to reflect any additional needs and way of life, such as working

growth stops and adult features are present (teeth)

cat life stage ages

mature = 1 - 7

senior = 11 - 14

geriatric = 15+ years

when are dogs considered geriatric

depends on breed, size and average life span

considered senior in the last 25% of their expected lifespan

geriatric information

teeth loss and gum disease can occur

kidneys can have decreased function - avoid too much protein as kidney cant break down

taste decrease

smell decreases

vision decrease

metabolic rate decreases

reduced immunity

increased body fat

osteoarthritis

reduced muscle mass

heart function can worsen

additional needs that may affect diet

working animals

preparing animal for surgery or procedures

recovery

working animals

skin conditions

diet has big impact of healthy skin and coat

food allergies are usually triggered by a hypersensitivity to a protien - body sees as a threat

dry skin and coat can be improved with diets and supplements such as omega 3

how can diet help control vomiting or diareaoh

animals (not rabbits) should be fasted for 12 hours to control the condition

animal should be kept hydrated

animal should be offered bland diet

how can you manage kidney disease with diet

protien, phosphorus and slat should be reduced, no dry food should be fed

eggs and poultry should be fed

type 1 disbletes

pets body doesn’t produce insulin - most common form in dogs

type 2 diabetes

body produces insulin but body doesn’t respond to it - issuing restsinacfe and most common in cats

diatebites and diet

best way to control blood sugar is to feed at set times of the day, times for insulin injections

diet for diabetic dogs

meat based, high in protien

moderatley fat and carbohydrate restricted

cats diet with diabetes

no carbs or dry food

pre surgery

starvation of animal should happen 8pm night before surgery

water can be given till first thing in the morning

rabbits only started until na hour before surgery

small bland meal should be offered in recovery

working animals diet consideration

intensity of work

duration of work

environmental conditions

species age and heath

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diet for working animals

high fat for energy and endurance

chicken as its easily broken down

what must be removed from feed to accurately make comparisons

moisture content

what is left when all the moisture content is removed from a feed

dry matter

how do you work out dry matter

100 - moisture content

100 - 50 moisture content = 50% dry matter

how do you work out nutrient based dry matter

% of nutrient divided by dry matter x 100 = nutrient based dry matter

10% protein divided by 10% dry matter content x 100 = 100% dry matter protein

what is gross energy

gross energy is the energy in a feed before accounting for losses due to normal digestive and metabolic functions

not all of this energy is available to the animal

how is gross energy determined

it is determined by the amount of heat produced when the food is completely oxidised in a bomb calorimeter

what is digestible energy

digestible energy is how much energy doesn’t end up in faeces

therefore it is absorbed

it is not always all used by the animal and some of it is lost

what can digestible energy provide us with

an indication of the actual amount of energy from a feed that can be available for use by the animal

how is digestible energy estimated

subtracting energy lost in the faeces (FE) from the gross intake energy

(DE = GE - FE)

what does ME stand for

metabolisable energy

how do we calculate ME

ME = 10(3.5 x CP) + (8.5 x CF) + (3.5 x NFE)

what does CP stand for

crude protien

what does CF stand for

crude fats

what does NFE stand for

nitrogen free extract (carbohydrates)