Introduction to Small Animal Nutrition

AAHA

American Animal Hospital Association; creates guidelines for nutrional assessments for dogs and cats

Body composition

ratio of body fat to lean body tissue

Three components of body composition:

1.) Body weight

2.) Body condition score (BCS)

3.) Muscle condition score (MCS)

Body condition score (BCS)

measures overall condition; assess fat over muscle

Is a 5 point or 9 point BCS scoring system better?

9 point

Using the 9 point BCS score scale, what is considered under ideal?

1-3

Using the 9 point BCS score scale, what is considered ideal?

4-5

Using the 9 point BCS score scale, what is considered over ideal?

6-9

Assessing BCS requires both _________ and ___________

visualization; palaption

Guideline for assessing BCS with visualizing

1.) look for how much of a tuck there is from the side

2.) look for how much their waist goes in from above

Guideline for palpating for BCS

-Make a fist

-feel over knuckles; if that is what the ribs feel like, that is a BCS of 3/9

-Open your hand, palm down and gently feel over knuckles; feel over knuckles; if that is what the ribs feel like, that is a BCS of 5/9

-open your hand, palm up and gently feel over knuckles; feel over knuckles; if that is what the ribs feel like, that is a BCS of 7/9

For cats, using the 9 point BCS score scale, what is considered under ideal?

1-4

For cats, using the 9 point BCS score scale, what is considered ideal?

5

For cats, using the 9 point BCS score scale, what is considered over ideal?

6-9

Muscle condition score

degree of muscle present; independent of fat stores

Body and muscle condition score do or do not correlate?

do not!

Assessing muscle condition score requires both _________ and ___________

visualization and palpation

Four areas where muscle condition score is assessed:

1.) temporal bones

2.) scapulae

3.) vertebrae

4.) pelvic bones

Four questions to ask when deciding how to feed healthy pets:

1.) how to choose a pet food?

2.) what does the pet food label tell us (or not)?

3.) how much to feed?

4.) when should we switch diets between life stages?

Four criteria for choosing a pet food:

1.) greater than 1 full-time veterinary nutritionist on staff

2.) Research & development department

3.) Excellent quality control standards

4.) Can provide full nutrient profiles for all diets

Three useful parts of pet food label:

1.) AAFCO statement

2.) ingredient list

3.) guaranteed analysis

AAFCO statement

sets a minimum (and a few maximum) nutrient requirements for dogs and cats and at what life stage

AAFCO is or is not a regulatory agency?

is not! cannot approve certain pet foods

Three things the AAFCO statement includes:

1.) if diet is complete and balanced

2.) what life stage

3.) how was that determied

Two ways to determine if diet is complete or balanced:

1.) formulated to meet on paper

2.) undergoing diet trials

formulated to meet

should meet nutrient requirements; however, doesn't necessarily take bioavailability into account since it hasn't been fed to animals in a testing situation

diet trials

has been "tested" in live animals; however, may not meet all nutrient requirements

true or false: diet trials do not provide a comprehensive overview of nutrient deficiencies at the end of trial

true!

*only required to measure BW, average PCV, albumin, and ALP

Two things to look for when reading pet food label:

1.) complete and balanced diet

2.) basis of nutritonal claims and life stage

complete and balanced diet

includes all the essential nutrients required for life, including vitamins and minerals

If a pet food label says it is best used for ___________ feeding, then it is not a complete and balanced diet

intermittent/supplemental

Feeding trials vs formulated to meet

formulated to meet is NOT a valid nutritional claim

Four life stages that can be claimed

1.) growth

2.) adult maintenance

3.) gestation/lactation

4.) all life stages

What is NOT a life stage that can be claimed by AAFCO?

senior/mature

Ingredients are listed by _________

weight

Dry ingredients will be _______ on an ingredient list than wet

lower

True or false: meat by-products equate to poor quality

false!

by-product

any "nonrendered, clean part of the carcass", such as liver, kidney, lungs, spleen, etc

Antioxidants are used as ____________

preservatives

Guarenteed analysis

Lists minimum and maximum nutrients (%) on an as fed, dry matter, or pre caloric basis

Four minimum and maxomim nutrients listed on guarenteed analysis

1.) Minimum crude protein (%)

2.) Minimum crude fat (%)

3.) Maximum crude fiber (%)

4.) Maximum moisture (%)

Typical nutrient analysis (TNA)

more detailed nutrient values from ingredient data bases & lab analysis; average data from many batches of food

Is it better to use the gaurenteed analysis or typical nutrient analysis when assessing nutrient percentages? Why?

Typical nutrient analysis (TNA) is much more accurate and is the average nutrient value of several batches of food; gaurenteed anaylysis only lists mininum and maximum values included in a food, and the actual bowl of food fed to animals may actually have a much higher or loewr nutrient percentage than what is on the gaurenteed analysis

Crude fiber vs total dietary fiber

total dietary fiber is a better source of fiber, however, guarenteed analysis only includes crude fiber

pre caloric basis

most accurate way to compare diets of different caloric densities!

pre caloric basis means...

nutrients per 100 or 1,000 kcal

Why should you not use percents of nutrients on diet when choosing a pet food?

it doesn't take into account the caloric density of a diet

What does 10% fat mean?

per every 100 grams of food, 10 grams is fat

What is the most important column to look at when looking at a pet food product guide?

the pre caloric basis; per 100/1,000 kcal ME

How to determine how many grams of a nutrient is in 100 kcal

% nutrient / kcal/kgram

Example of how to determine how many grams of a nutrient is in 100 kcal

-10% fat

-3,474 kcal/kg

(10 grams/100 grams) / (3,474 kcal/1 kg)

keep change flip!

10 grams/100 grams x 1 kg/3,474 kcal

balance units

10 grams/100 grams x 1 kg/3,474 kcal x 1000 grams/1 kg

100 grams/3,474 kcal = 0.029 grams fat per kcal

need to know per 100 kcal

0.029 grams fat per kcal x 100 = 2.9 grams fat per 100 kcal

OR SHORTER WAY

move decimal over three times for 3,474 kcal/kg

10/3.474= 2.9 grams fat per 100 kcal

Two factors to determine how much food to feed:

1.) resting energy requirement (RER)

2.) maintenance energy requirement (MER)

Resting energy requirement (RER)

the amount of calories a dog or cat needs at rest

How to calculate Resting energy requirement (RER)

70 x BWkg ^.75

Maintenence energy requirement (MER)

total amount of daily energy an animal needs to maintain its current body weight based on their metabolism

When determning how much food to feed, start with the ________ energy requirement, then consider the __________ energy requirement

resting energy requirement (RER) ; maintenence energy requirement (MER)

What type of animals typically need an MER factor applied?

growing animals

Most adult animals need a MER factor that is equal to...

the RER (though for some, they need less)

Most adult cats need more than ____-____ kcal per day

180-225 kcal per day

A diet for growth should be fed until...

animal is one year old

*exception large breed dogs

Large breed puppies diets

-feed diet for growth until 15 months

-avoid excessive calcium

Energy needs to ___________ after neutering

decrease

Adult food requirements are fed on an ____________ basis

indivudal

Things to consider with adult diets

-metabolism of animal

-energy expenditure

-healthy or diseased

Enery needs are _________ in middle aged animals, and then _______ as they continue to age

lowest; age

What is one of the most importnant nutrients in senior cat foods? Why?

phosphorus; senior cats are more likely to develop CKD and a diet with high phosphorus contributes to this

Guidelines for feeding senior animals

no strict guidelines! based on how that animal is doing on an individual basis;

When should an animal be switched to a senior dog diet?

when the adult maintenance diet is no longer sufficient for that animal

_________ loss is common in older animals

muscle

Two types of muscle loss:

1.) sarcopenia

2.) cachexia

sarcopenia

muscle loss associated with age in absence of disease

cachexia

muscle loss in presence of disease

Examples of ways to address muscle loss

make sure animal is getting adequate caloric and nutrient intake

-protein and amino acids

-anti-oxidants

-utility of appetite stimulants

-strength training

Dietary supplements do or do not require proof of safety, efficacy or quality control to be marketed

do not!

*not medication so do not have to go through FDA

Companies can opt into ____________ testing

quality

Quality testing

when companies opt in to have regulators come into their food plant to ensure their products are properly manufactured

Two regultors that do quality testing:

1.) U.S. Pharmacopeia

2.) NSF International

A seal of approval for quality testing indicates (3):

1.) product was properly manufactured

2.) contains the ingredients listed on the label

3.) does not contain harmful levels of contaminants

What does a quality testing seal of approval NOT indicate?

that a product is safe of effective

True or false: most supplements will not have all required nutrients

true!

One supplement that is regularly recommended:

omega-3 fatty acids

omega-3 fatty acids

sourced from either plants or marine species; anti inflammatories

example of omega-3 fatty acids

fish oil

True or false: supplements will count towards an animal's treat allowance

true

How can you reduce the calories in a fish oil capsule?

use double or triple strength

Treats should not take up more than ____% of an anima's intake

10%

The only joint supplement that has been proven to be effective is ____________

omega-3 fatty acids