Week 1 Nutrition

• Simple sugars like glucose, fructose, and galactose are monosaccharides, with glucose being the primary energy source.
• Oligosaccharides consist of 3-10 linked monosaccharides, are hard to digest, can cause gastrointestinal distress and flatulence, and have prebiotic effects.
• Polysaccharides are made of thousands of monosaccharide units and include cellulose and starch found in cereal grains like corn, wheat, barley, rice, and potatoes.
• Digestible carbohydrates mainly contain monosaccharides (simple sugars) and disaccharides (double sugars).
• Indigestible carbohydrates are polysaccharides.
• High carbohydrate intake (>40%) in cats can result in diarrhea, bloating, and flatulence.
• Cereal grains are the most common form of carbohydrates in pet food.
• Carbohydrates provide the texture to kibble diets.
• Dogs show thirst when body water decreases by 4% or less.
• Cats exhibit thirst when they lose 8% or more of their body water.
• Water makes up 70% of a dog and cat's body composition.
• A 10-15% water loss can be fatal for dogs and cats.
• Daily water requirements in dogs are calculated as 1.6 x RER, and in cats as 1.2 x RER.

Protein Functions

• Proteins are essential for building body tissues and organs.
• They play a structural role in cell walls.
• They are vital for tissue growth, replenishment, and repair.
• Dietary protein provides a source of amino acids.
• Amino acids assemble into long chains, folding into 3D structures to create proteins.
• From hundreds of amino acids only 21 are used in animal proteins.
• Surplus protein is converted to glycogen.

Amino Acids

• Essential Amino Acids (EAAs) must be obtained through diet.
• Non-Essential Amino Acids can be synthesized by the body.
• Conditionally Essential Amino Acids are needed during specific disease states or life stages.
• The EAAs needed vary by species.
• Dogs require 10 EAAs, while cats require 11 EAAs.
• Cats need significantly more protein in their diet than dogs.

Biological Value of Protein

• Protein quality is indicated by its biological value.
• Biological value represents the percentage of absorbed protein that is retained by the body.
• This measurement reflects how well the body uses absorbed amino acids to create body tissue.
• Proteins with higher biological values mean smaller amounts are needed in the diet to meet EAA requirements.

Amino Acid Deficiencies

• Deficiencies in any EAAs can lead to poor growth, weight loss, dull coat condition, and impaired immunity.

Taurine

• Cats cannot synthesize taurine.
• Taurine is important for proper retinal function and myocardial function.
• It is found only in tissues from animals.
• Diets high in plant products and cereal grains might not provide sufficient taurine, even if meat-based products are included.
• Cats consuming canned foods need more taurine than those eating foods that are dry.
• The heat processing of canned foods can damage the protein.

Lipids

• Two main forms are triglycerides (simple) and lipoproteins (compound).
• Triglycerides are the most important fats in the diet, including saturated (animal fat), monounsaturated, and polyunsaturated types.

Essential Fatty Acids

• Omega 3 and 6 fatty acids are essential because they cannot be synthesized by the body.
• Linoleic acid (omega 6) is essential for both cats and dogs.
• Alpha-linolenic acid (omega 3) is essential for both cats and dogs.
• Arachidonic acid (omega 6) is essential for cats only; dogs can synthesize it from linoleic acid.
• Arachidonic acid is found only in fats from animal sources.

Omega 6 Fatty Acids

• Linoleic acid is found in vegetable oils such as corn, soybean, and safflower, as well as in pork fat and poultry.
• Linoleic acid deficiency results in a poor hair coat, skin infections, weight loss, and reduced immunity.
• Arachidonic acid is found exclusively in animal fats and cannot be obtained by cats on a vegetarian diet (dogs can convert linoleic acid to arachidonic acid).
• Arachidonic acid deficiency leads to impaired reproduction and growth.

Sources of Essential Fatty Acids

• Omega 3 fatty acids are derived from fish and fish oils like menhaden, salmon, sardines, tuna, and anchovies.
• They are important for retinal and nervous system development.

Vitamins

• There are 13 major vitamins: A, B complex (8 vitamins), C, D, E, and K.

Fat-Soluble Vitamins

• Fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, and K) are stored in lipid deposits, so daily intake is not required.
• Excessive supplementation can cause hypervitaminosis or toxicity due to storage of these vitamins.

Water-Soluble Vitamins

• Water-soluble vitamins (B complex and C) are not stored in the body.
• Daily intake of B vitamins is necessary, however vitamin C is synthesized in the cat and dog.
• Deficiencies can occur when excessive water loss occurs, like polyuria, diarrhea, and GI disorders that alter intestinal flora.

Vitamin A

• Sources include animal products, with plants containing provitamin A (carotenoids).
• Required for normal vision, bone growth, reproduction, tooth development, and maintenance of epithelial cells.
• Deficiencies can lead to lesions in the epithelium (infection), reproductive problems, and night blindness.
• Excesses can cause skeletal malformation, spontaneous fractures, and internal bleeding.

Vitamin A in Cats

• Cats require pre-formed Vitamin A, sourced from animal tissue (carnivores).
• It is present in fish, organ meats (like liver), dairy products, and eggs.

Vitamin D

• Cats and dogs cannot use sunlight as efficiently as humans.
• It controls calcium and phosphorus metabolism.
• The source is from harvested plants, not living plant tissue.
• Functions include support of intestinal absorption, mobilization and bone deposition of calcium (Ca) & phosphorus (P), bone mineralization.
• Deficiency leads to rickets, osteoporosis, enlarged costochondral junctions.
• Toxicity results in soft tissue calcification and hypercalcemia.
• Fish oils are high in vitamin D.

Vitamin E

• Acts as an antioxidant, protecting vitamin A from oxidation.
• Utilized as a preservative in pet foods.
• Deficiencies in dogs cause degenerative skeletal muscle (weakness), impaired sperm production, and failure of gestation; in cats, it causes steatitis, myocarditis, and myositis of skeletal muscle.
• Toxicity is rare.
• Sources are exclusively from plants (vegetable oils) and green leaves.

Vitamin K

• It is a unique fat-soluble vitamin that body can either absorb or synthesize.
• Sources include green leafy plants (spinach, kale, cabbage, cauliflower), animal sources (liver, egg, fish); some synthesis in large intestine (coprophagy increases vitamin K absorption in dogs).
• It is essential for blood clotting and bone growth.
• Deficiency is rare unless rat poison is ingested (spontaneous bleeding), or with diseases that cause malabsorption.
• Toxicity occurs if vitamin K treatment is given IV instead of SQ or orally.

Thiamin (B1)

• Sources are brewer’s yeast, whole grains, organ meats, and egg yolk.
• Cooking destroys it over time.
• Deficiency caused by consumption of food containing thiaminases (antagonist) such as raw fish, shellfish, bacteria, yeast and fungi. Thiaminases is destroyed by cooking.

Riboflavin (B2)

• Sources are dairy products, organ & muscle meat, eggs, green plants, and yeast.
• Deficiency is uncommon, symptoms are dermatitis, erythema, weight loss, cataracts.

Minerals

• Essential for proper growth and function of body cells.
• There are more than 18 essential minerals in dogs and cats.
• Minerals are classified into two groups: macrominerals and microminerals.

Macrominerals

• Requirements expressed in percentage (%).
• Examples include Calcium (Ca), Phosphorus (P), Potassium (K), Sodium (Na), Magnesium (Mg), and Chloride (Cl).

Microminerals

• Requirements expressed in parts per million (ppm) or 1 mg / kg diet.
• Examples include Iron (Fe), Copper (Cu), Zinc (Zn), Iodine (I), Manganese (Mn), and Selenium (Se).

Calcium (Ca)

• Important for skeleton and teeth.
• Vitamin D regulates Calcium absorption.
• Deficiencies are rare, only seen if fed only “table scraps" or all meat diet (muscle & organ meat), this leads to bone loss and fractures.
• Excesses from supplementation, especially in large breed puppies, can cause Wobbler's syndrome and skeletal malformations.
• Good sources include meat meal (bone content), soybean, and flaxseed meal.