Feeds and Feeding of Companion Animals - 1

March 11, 2013

M.E. PersiaIowa State University4/16/2012

Power of Nutrition

• We can use nutrition to manage: – Production– Feed Efficiency

• Least Cost – maximum return

– Immunity– Longevity– Health– Behavior

Companion Animal Numbers

2011 Beef Inventory = 92.5 Million

American Association of Pet ProductsUSDA, National Cattlemen’s Beef Association

Why should you care?

American Association of Pet ProductsUSDA, National Cattlemen’s Beef Association

$44 billion 2011 beef economic impact

How we spend on our pets

38%

24%

26%

8%4%

American Association of Pet Products

Digestive Anatomy and Physiology

Digestive Tract• Short digestive tract

– 4 meters (human = 8 – 9 meters)– Ratio of body length to intestine:

• Human = 1:10• Dog = 1:6• Cat = 1:4• Horse = 1:12

• Stomach– Low pH (increased water intake lowers pH)– Pepsin (most active with ingestion of collagen)– Lipase

Sagawa et al., 2009; Reece, 2006; NRC, 2006

Advantages to short digestive tract

• Rapid digestion and absorption of proteins and fats

• Very fast passage rate– Microbes quickly pass

• Ability to eat raw diets and whole prey

• Low capacity for fermentation – Few putrefactive compounds produced– Limited ability to digest complex carbohydrates

• Starch needs to be cooked for use as a viable carbohydrate source!

CARNIVORE IDIOSYNCRACIESSkeletal Adaptations

• Fused wrist bones– absorbs shock of

running

• Short collarbone– increased mobility and longer stride

• Flexible spine• Felids have retractile

claws• Evolved predators

Domestication

• Dog (15,000 years ago)– Genetic lineage

• Fox-like canids (Arctic fox, red fox, raccoon dog, bat-eared fox)

• South American canids (Crab-eating fox, maned wolf, bush dog)

• Wolf-like canids (jackals, gray wolf, dogs, African hunting dog)

• Cat (12 – 15,000 years ago)– 15,000 years ago (Mediterranean)– European wildcat (Felis sylvestris)– Is it really domesticated?

Carbohydrate

Metabolism

Fat Metabolism

Protein Metabolism

Urea Cycle

• Nutrigenomics – effects of nutrients on gene expression.

• Known genomes• Nutrients influence gene expression

• mRNA production (transcription)• mRNA processing• Protein production (translation)• Post-translational modifications

How then did domestication alter nutrient needs of dogs and why are their needs

different than wolves? •10 genes regulating starch and fat digestion are different in dogs (Nature, 2013: Jan 23)

Considering the Impact of Domestication on Diet and Feeding

The Petfood IndustryHistorical Timeline

James Spratt = “Spratt Cakes”1866

FH Bennett = Milk Bone1908

20’s and 30’sCanned

Oatmeal and CornflakesPelleting

40’s and 50’sWorld War II Rationing

“Dogs Need Meat”• B12 deficiency

• 1954 1st Extrusion

History of Petfoods

The Petfood IndustryHistorical Timeline

50’s and 60’sBegan a societal shift

toward • Pets as family

• Companion animal research

70’s and 80’sTherapeutic and clinical

diets

1990’s to present• Holistic/Organic movement• Super-premium• Raw diets• Nutrigenomics

Petfood Regulations

– Agencies involved in Petfood industry• FDA, USDA, DHS, CDC, EPA, FTC, AAFCO

– US Marshals

• FDA audits companies for vendor documents• AAFCO (Association of American Feed Control Officials) –

operates through state level bills with individual state health and agricultural agencies.

• Recalls – melamine…what went wrong?

Feeding Commercial Diets• Good news

– Commercial diets must supply analytical compositions– Regulated by FDA, AAFCO– Nutrients must meet or exceed requirements (NRC, AAFCO)– Monitored and recalled– Big companies have some advantages (on staff nutritionists, vets,

etc…)

• Bad news– Not required to test regularly– Quantity has nothing to do with quality– Feed companies can change their formulas– Requirements are published in a different unit than analyses on

the product– Ingredient consistency

Processing• Extruded

– 10 – 12% moisture; must contain significant carbohydrate. – Higher in starch and lower in fats and proteins than canned.

• Canned – 70 – 80% moisture; contain higher concentrations of fat and

protein, meats. – Retort process – heat and pressure cooking after the can has

been filled and sealed. Sterilizes. Doesn’t have to be just cans.• Pelleted• Semi-Moist• Expanded• Dehydrated• Baked• Canned

Major Processing Considerations• Starch-Lipid complexes

– Starch holds kibble together during extrusion• Maillard reactions

– Can reduce palatability (cats primarily)– Can reduce protein quality

• Fat concentrations – majority of fat added/sprayed on after extrusion– Increases palatability

• Mold• Nutrient losses

– Canning – Thiamin, pyridoxine, biotin, carotenoids, Vitamin C (> 50% in cat foods)

– Extrusion – Thiamin, Vitamin A and E (up to 25% loss)

Ingredients Used: Proteins• Protein Sources (defined by AAFCO)

– Meats (turkey, chicken, etc…)• Clean flesh and skin with or without bone - exclusive of feathers, heads,

feet, and entrails. – Meat meals (chicken meal, turkey meal, lamb meal, etc…)

• Dry, rendered (cooked down) product from clean flesh and skin…– By products (chicken by-products)

• Rendered, clean parts of the carcass of slaughtered chicken, such as heads, feet, viscera, etc…

• Examples: organ meats– By product meal (poultry by product meal)

• Ground, rendered, clean parts of the carcasses of slaughtered poultry…– Plant proteins

• Soy bean meal• Corn gluten meal

Ingredients Used: Proteins• Must consider essential amino acids (completeness)• Must consider biological value (BV)

– Egg (98%) vs. Corn (45%)– Meats much higher BV for carnivores

• Rendering reduces digestibility and protein quality of meats (more with poultry protein sources).

• Species rendered products have higher protein quality than unidentified species (chicken meal is better than poultry meal) – although some differences are minor.

Ingredients Used: Fats

• Carnivores digest fat VERY efficiently (>90%)– Most digestible nutrient in kibble/canned diets– Can be 99% in raw diets

• Fat aids palatability• Increases overall diet digestibility• Linoleic acid – poultry and pork fats > beef

– Arachidonic acid only from animal fat – no plants

• 1% of diet DM should be EFA (2% of Kcal intake)

Ingredients used: Carbs• As long as they are cooked/processed

– Dogs can utilize 65-70% carbs– Cats can utlize 35 – 40% carbs– Digestibility can be >85%

• Not essential, but provide lower cost Kcal source• Types

– Meals• (Corn) = entire corn kernel, finely ground

– Grits, midds, mill run (wheat midds, wheat mill run) • Are coarsely ground grains from which the bran and germ have been

removed, usually screened to uniform particle size.

– Flour• (Corn, wheat or rice) Fine sized hard flinty portions of ground corn

containing little or none of the bran or germ, highly processed.

Ingredients Used: Additives (palatants)• Artificial and natural flavors• Fats• Animal proteins• Citrus bioflavanoids• Animal digests• Monosodium glutamate• Acidified yeast• HCl• L-lysine• Phosphoric Acid• Sweeteners (dogs)

Cats•Meat ingredients•Inorganic acids (phosphoric acid)•Lower pH•Cystine•Glycine

Dogs•Fat•Sugar•Meat ingredients•Lysine•Whey

More effective on extruded diet. Canned diets, protein selection is more important.

My pet has been on this food for years and just got sick? What goes wrong?

• Could be an ingredient change• Bacteria

– Salmonella, clostridia, staph, E.coli, bacillus, neorickettsia (salmon poisoning)• Mycotoxins

– Aflatoxins, vomitoxin (common in wheat and barley)– Grains/by product ingredients <5 ppm and must be less than 40% of total

formulation• Biogenic amines

– Decomposition compounds (histamine) – Humans senstitive to 500 ppm. Carnivores up to 2,500 ppm

• Metals– Contamination, rendering (bone meal)

• Others– Melamine

Some guidelines – evaluation basics

• High quality proteins as top 2– Fresh meat should be followed by a

meal from an identified species (Chicken, chicken meal…)• Know the species

– “chicken” vs. “poultry”• Fractions are OK

– Watch for splitting, location on list• Select for a Protein to Fat ratio of 1.5 – 2.0• Compare products on DM basis (especially

canned/kibble comparisons)

What is splitting

• Venison meal, dried potatoes, potato starch, potato protein, pea protein, sunflower oil

Understanding the Guaranteed Analysis

Nutrient As Fed Basis Dry Matter

Moisture, % 78.0Dry matter, % 22.0Protein, % 8.0 (8/.22) = 36.4Fat, % 5.0 22.7Fiber, % 1.0 4.5Protein: fat 1.6

Ingredients: Chicken, water, natural flavors, cassia gum, carrageenan

Understanding the Guaranteed Analysis

Nutrient As Fed Basis Dry Matter

Moisture, % 11.0Dry matter, % 89.0Protein, % 22.0 (22/.89) = 24.7Fat, % 12.0 13.5Fiber, % 4.0 4.5Ash 8.0 8.9Protein: fat 8.0 1.8

Ingredients: chicken, chicken meal, oatmeal, barley, rice, rye flour, tomatoes, canola oil, carrots, etc…