Quiz Three

• Animals require a specific amount of energy to maintain a given weight.
• There are a number of equations to give an educated guess on an animal's energy requirements.
• Adjustments to the educated guesses should be made based on gross observation.
• Energy is the capacity to do work.
• In the US, the calorie is the most common.
• A calorie is the amount of heat required to increase the temperature of water from 14.5 celcius to 15.5 celcius.
• For dogs and cate, we measure energy requirements in kilocalroies.
• Joules are the SI units.
• ! calorie equals 4,184 joules.
• Energy requirements for dogs and cats are noted as Kcal/day or kJ/day
• Energy balance is the mathematical difference between energy intake and energy expenditure.
• If energy intake exceeds expenditure, there is weight gain.
• If energy expenditure exceeds intake, there is weight loss.
• The maintenance energy requirement is the amount of energy required to maintain an animal in a state of balance.
• An accurate nutritional history is key.
• Questions to ask for a diet record are type of food consumed, amount of food consumed in a 24 hour period, type and amount of treats, type and amount of nutritional supplements, type and amount of table scraps, feeding strategy, number of pets and if they're fed together, number of people feeding the animal, and housing conditions.
• Some problems with obtaining an accurate diet history are the owners are not accurate in reporting intake, they usually measure in volume, not weight, they do not use uniform measurements, and they are often not precise in measurements.
• For body condition scoring, one to three are too thin, four to five are ideal, and six to nine are too heavy.
• Measuring energy intake in a weight stable animal is the best way to determine the maintenance energy requirement of the animal.
• Body weight in kg is used in all energy requirement equations.
• Energy expenditure is divided by body weight.
• Large animals have a lower energy expenditure.
• Large animals consume less food and produce less heat.
• If a rat weighing 1 pound will eat 72kcal/day, then, if the same energy intake was extrapolated to an 80 pound dog, then the dog would consume 5,760kcal/day.
• Maintenance energy requirements, MER, is the energy required for a moderately active adult in a thermoneutral environment. This includes the energy for obtaining, digesting, and absorbing food in animals to maintain an optimal body weight.
• Average MER values for dogs are 2 X RER.
• Average MER values for cats are 1.4 X RER.
• The daily energy requirement, DER, represents the average daily requirement for any animal, dependent on life stage and activity.
• DER is calculated from the RER and a life stage factor.
• RER in kcal/day, if the body weight is less than 2 kg, is 70(BW) X 0.75.
• RER in kcal/day, for an animal between 2 and 45kg, is 30(BW) + 70
• Kittens need 2.5(RER).
• Neutered cats need 1.2(RER)
• Intact cats need 1.4(RER)
• Active cats need 1.6(RER)
• Pregnant cats need 1.6 to 2(RER)
• Lactating cats need 2 to 6(RER), depending on the number of nursing kittens.
• Some food manufacturers market different types of foods for neutered males and neutered females. There is a marginal difference between the two in reality.
• Neutered dogs need 1.6(RER).
• Intact dogs need 1.8(RER).