Pet Food

Three basic physical forms or food are dry semi moist, wet (or canned or moist)

Dry contains less than 12% water. Dry, crunchy foods can be helpful in keeping teeth clean. This type can be stored for the longest period of time.

Semi-moist typically contains 23 – 38 % water. These foods taste good, but are sold in single servings and can’t be stored for very long

Canned or wet foods contain about 75% moisture. These foods taste the best but can’t be stored for very long. Usually after one day, you should throw it away

Shelf life… what is it?

Shelf life is how long you can keep something on the shelf and still have it be good

What can change the shelf life?

Temperature Rodents

Fungus and Mold Bugs

All packages should be inspected for

Signs that rodents have gotten into it Rusty cans Swollen cans

Any damage to the packaging should lead to it being removed from the shelf.

Storing pet food

• Never store food directly on the floor

• Rotate the bags so the oldest ones are closest to the front.

• Don’t store foods with toxic chemicals

• The storage room should be well ventilated, have regular temperature, and be easily cleaned.

Any time you open a pet food for a patient, make sure to write the date you opened it so it can be thrown away before it goes bad.

Anatomy and Physiology

Study of the structure of the animal body

Macroscopic study: also called gross anatomy, this is the study of the structures you can see with your eyes. Eg, organs.

Microscopic study: this is the study of things you can’t see without a microscope. Eg, cells

Integumentary SystemThe skin

1st line of defense Maintains temperatureMaintains water balanceRecognitionStimulus

3 layers

Epidermis (epi = outer dermis = skin – this is the outer layer of skin. (The layer you can see right now)

Dermis – located below the epidermis

Hypodermis (hypo = below dermis = skin The inner most layer that contains fat

The epidermis is made of cells called stratified squamous epithelial cells. These are dead cells infused with fibrous material.

The musculoskeletal system

Bones and muscles

Joints are the junctions when 2 or more bones meet

Where are some of your joints?

Ligaments join a bone to another bone

Tendons attach muscles to a bone

This system provides protection for organs, support for movement

There are three different types of muscles

• Smooth muscle – found in organs (involuntary)• Skeletal – used for movement (voluntary)• Cardiac – the special muscle of the heart (involuntary)

Smooth muscle : mononucleated (mono = one) non striated (no stripes)

Skeletal muscle : striated and multinucleated

Cardiac muscle : mononucleated, striated

Bones types:

LongShortFlat Irregular

Bones help to support the body, protect vital organs , regulates calcium, and help create blood cells (hematopoiesis : hemat = blood poiesis = formation

Long bone

Short bone

Flat bone

Irregular bone

Muscles are elongated cells that can contract or elongate to produce movement. They can flex, or extend

Cardiovascular systemHeart and blood vessels

The heart is located in the thoracic cavity and pumps blood around the body. Arteries take oxygenated blood away from the heart and veins take de oxygenated blood towards the heart. The largest artery is the aorta and the largest vein is the vena cava

Tiny vessels called capillaries allow oxygen and nutrients to exit the blood and enter the tissues.

The circulatory system is like a highway and the blood cells are like 18 wheeler trucks carrying goods and wastes.

The truck picks up oxygen and hormones and transports them to the tissues using the highway of blood vessels. Once it has dropped off that load, it can pick up a load of waste and garbage from the tissue for disposal.

The heart has four chambers. The upper chambers are called atria and the lower chambers are called ventricles.

The right atrium receives deoxygenated blood and passes in to the right ventricle.

From the right ventricles the blood travels to the lungs to pick up a shipment of oxygen.

Once the shipment of oxygen is picked up, the blood returns to the left atrium of the heart.

The blood enters the left ventricle and is then pumped out of the heart to deliver the shipment of oxygen all over the body.. From your head to your pinkie toe.. Then it picks up the waste and does it all over again!

The lymphatic system

Once the tanker trucks have picked up their shipment of waste and garbage.. this is the

highway they use to get it to the dump

The lymphatic system includes, the thymus, the spleen, the tonsils, the lymph nodes and it has it’s own highway separate from the road used to deliver oxygen.

Antibodies identify what kind of waste it is.

Lymphocytes determine how to get rid of the waste

Macrophages eat the waste and get rid of it.

The lymph system also filters out toxins.

The spleen is like an old age home for blood cells. It is responsible for identifying the cells that are reaching retirement age and removing them from the workforce.

The Digestive System

The digestive system includes everything needed to chew, swallow, digest and eliminate the food that we eat.

The process of digestion begins in the mouth. Chewing, lubricating and swallowing the food starts our body converting food into energy. Different species have different functions of the lips and mouth.

Once food is swallowed it travels down the esophagus into the stomach.

Dogs, cats, horses and humans are examples of monogastric animals

Gastric means stomach.

What did mono mean?

Once food passes through the stomach, it reaches the small intestine. This is where food is converted into the energy we use to live.

Anything the body doesn’t use is moved to the large intestine and removed from the body.

Cows, sheep and goats are examples of polygastric animals.

Poly means many.

So what does polygastric mean?

The rumen and reticulum help to break down food. The cow regurgitates food so that it can rechew it.

The omasum helps regulate that water balance

The abomasum is the true stomach and this is where food is converted to energy.

Horses are at risk for colic (a blockage or twisting of the gut) They are monogastric but have a large cecum (the areas that attaches the small and large intestines together)

Respiratory system

All animals must take in oxygen and expel carbon dioxide. The respiratory system is responsible for this exchange. We take in oxygen (inspiration) and get rid of carbon dioxide (expiration) This exchange is completed in the aveolar sacs.

In addition to gas exchange, the respiratory system also warms and humidifies air, aids in smell and sound.

Breathing is involuntary.

The chest cavity contains the lungs and the heart. The diaphragm is a muscle that helps the chest cavity expand and contract. It also keeps the intestines out.

Once air enters the lungs, it is the transferred to the blood vessels. The red blood cells transport the oxygen to the tissues and pick up carbon dioxide to be removed.

Reproductive System.

The reproductive system includes the organs used to reproduce.

This includes internal and external organs, fluids, hormones and pheromones

Urinary System

The urinary system includes the kidneys, ureters, bladder and urethra

This system regulates water and helps remove waste. When proteins are broken down, they produce a waste called urea, this is filtered by the kidneys and removed from the body in the urine.

The kidneys also help regulate blood pressure and create a hormone that signals the body to produce more red blood cells.

Endocrine System

The endocrine system creates hormones that circulate throughout the body via the blood stream. These hormones regulate things like:

Metabolism (the speed that the body breaks down and uses energy)

Growth and Development

Mood

Different hormones are intended for different cells (target cells) Once the hormone reaches the target cell they bond together.

The Nervous System

The nervous system includes the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord) and the peripheral nervous system (all other nerves)

It controls the organs, muscles and sensory input and output.

The peripheral nervous system takes the messages from the central nervous system and takes that message to the muscles or organs.

The messages can be outgoing (efferent) or incoming (afferent)

Outgoing messages tell you body what to do, incoming messages give information back to the brain.

If you put your hand on the stove, the afferent message sent to the brain is “ouch, that’s hot”. The efferent message sent from the brain is “take your hand off of there you silly monkey!!”

Somatic nerves control voluntary actions and autonomic nerves control involuntary actions.

Neurons are cells that spread the message. They have and axon body, and dendrites (fingerlike projections)

Many of these neurons have a sheath called a Schwann sheath. This simply transmits the message faster.

The brain has several parts as well.*cerebrum*cerebellum*medulla oblongata

The cerebrum makes you who you are. It controls your thoughts, reaction to stimulus and helps you reason

The cerebellum (your little brain) coordinates muscle movement and gives you spatial awareness.

The medulla oblongata controls respiration and circulation and is part of your brain stem.