PET ANIMALNUTRITION

Vasuki silvaMaterials provided by Dr. Gamika

Prathapasinghe

The principle of nutrition and feeding

■ The domesticated dog(canis lupus familaris) is a form of the grey wolf.

■ A member of the canidae family of the oder carnivore

Diet in dogs in pre –food era■Before domestication they live in wild■Found their food by hunting or relying on

left overs , basically bony skeleton and other less palatable remains of carcasses

The likely composition of the diet of the pre pet food in dogsnutrient percentageCrude protein 54.4fat 23.7ash 10.6CHO 11.2Ca 3.95P 1.62

Humanization of the dogs and its impact on nutrition.■Adult dogs daily diet

carbohydrate – 50%protein 10%fat 5.5%fiber 2.5-4.5%

Food

■Any substance which is capable of nourishing the living being

■The components of the food which have these functions are called nutrients

■The food mixtures which is actually eaten are referred to as diet

■Any nutrient which is required by the animals & cannot be synthesized in the body are called essential nutrients

Energy■ In addition to supply specific nutrients food also supplies energy

■ Derived from CHO fat and protein

■ Water has no energy value. So the energy density of food varies inversely with its moisture content

■ Most animals are efficient self- regulators of their energy intake

■ Excessive energy intake leads to obesity, inadequate energy intake results in poor growth in young and weight loss in adults

Levels of energy ■ Gross energy

– The amount of heat released when the food is totally oxidized in an environment of pure oxygen

■ Digestible energy– Is the E available in a food when it has been absorbed into body after

digestion in the digestive tract.– DE= Gross E- fecal losses

■ Metabolizable energy– The E which is ultimately utilized by the tissue and is calculated as

DE- urinary losses.

Macro nutrientsProteins■Is req. during normal maintenance to replace protein

loss during the natural turnover of epithelial surfaces, hair, secretions etc.

■Additional protein is req. during growth, pregnancy, lactation.

■Animal proteins have more balanced amino acid profile with a greater proportion of essential a.a and better digestibility

■Protein sources- meat, eggs, dairy products, corn, organ meat

How Much Protein is in My Dog’s Food?

Deficiency signs of proteins■ Poor growth and wt loss,weak and deformed bones■ Rough and dull hair coat■ anorexia ■ Increase susceptible for diseases■ Muscle wasting and emaciation■ Edema and death■ Tail chasing

taurine

Essential amino acid for dogs and cats■ Dogs cannot survive without protein in their diet.■ Dietary protein contains 10 essential a.a■ They provide the building blocks for many important biologically

active compounds■ They donate c-chains needed to make glucose to energy■ High quality proteins have a good balance of all the essential a.a

Histidinearginine

Leucine Isoleucine

LysinePhenylanaline&

tyrosineTrytopan

ValineThreonine

Met&cystine

humansdogs cats

■ Deficiency of single essential a.a can leads to serious health problems

■ Arginine is vital to many of the animals internal chemical functions. Without Arginine, the entire system goes on strike.

■ dogs ; not so sensitive to Arg. Because dogs can produce enzymes that supports production of Arg.

■ Cats ;extremely sensitive to even a single meal deficient in arginine, because unable to make their own arginine.

■ Arginine is critical to the removal of NH3 from the body through urine. Without sufficient arginine, in diet, cat may suffer from a toxic build up of NH3 in the blood stream

■ Taurine is a dietary essential for cats■ Deficiency causes metabolic and clinical problems such as

– Feline central retinal degeneration– Blindness– Deafness– Cardiomyopathy – Heart failure– Inadequate immune response– Poor neonatal growth– Reproductive failure– Congenital defects

■ Taurine is found abundantly in many fish, birds and small rodents■ Strict vegetarian diets are not suitable for cats unless

supplemented of essential nutrients, that are not found in cats

■ Cats use 20% of protein for growth and metabolism, and 12% for maintenance.

■ Dogs use 12% and 4% respectively

Fat■ Most concentrated source of energy■ Carrier for fat soluble vitamins■ Give palatability for foods■ Structural components of cell membrane

Linoleic acid, linolenic acid and arachidonic acid are the three essential fatty acids. Are polyunsaturated■ Cats are unable to convert linoleic and linolenic acids into

arachidonic acid and therefore require dietary source of arachidonic acid(liver does not contain delta-6 desaturase enzyme)

■ Deficiency signs of E.F.A Dull scurfy coat Hair loss Fatty liver Anemia Impaired fertility Fat soluble vitamin deficiency

Carbohydrate ■ Provides energy and converted into body fat■ Most animals can synthesize enough to meet the need■ Dietary carbohydrate is not required for dogs and cats■ However cooked starches are economical source of energy■ Some dogs find sugars are palatable, but cats do not

response to the taste of sugars■ The activity of intestinal disaccharides declines with time,

therefore sucrose and lactose containing products may lead to diarrhea