Courtney Davaloz, 3VMTexas A&M University

School of Veterinary Medicine

Nutrition is defined as being the process by which organisms take in and utilize food material

All of the animals above are affected by nutrition

Everyday we make decisions affecting nutrition, whether in regards to our pets or ourselves

Finding a complete balance for yourself and your pet can be challenging

Why do we have these guidelines on what we should or shouldn’t eat?

Fats, Oils, Sweets

Milk, Yogurt, Cheese

Vegetables

Meat, Poultry, Fish, Dry Beans,

Eggs, Nuts

Fruit

Bread, Cereal, Rice & Pasta

Food Pyramid

Water Fat Carbohydrates Protein Vitamins Minerals

Why so important? Solubilize biochemicals and thereby facilitate

their actions and interactions Regulates body temperature Fluid medium for blood and lymph systems

(Blood is 90% water) Lubrication of body tissues Makes up 55-75% of the human body

Water is not stored heavily in the body so it must constantly be replaced as it is excreted

Condition marked by a shortage of water or fluids in the body

Can be caused by vomiting/diarrhea or excessive sweating due to strenuous activity

Symptoms Lethargy(weakness) Headaches and cramps Increased thirst Decreased urination

Made up of a long sequence of amino acids that folds upon itself to form function-specific structures

Serve numerous essential functions in the body such as muscle growth, tissue repair, and transporting oxygen

Myoglobin:Oxygen transport protein

As protein is consumed from food, its constituent AAs are used to produce necessary body proteins

Certain AAs are essential (required by the body for normal growth)

Not all protein sources contain the same amino acids so the diet must be diverse or well-managed

Natural sources include meat, eggs, dairy products, and soy beans

Tryptophan

Carbohydrates are the primary source of fuel for the body. They ultimately produce the energy that powers the body processes.

The three main sources of carbs are simple sugars, starches, and fiber

Simple sugars are the product of digestion of the larger molecules.

• The most important of these is glucose, which is the primary sugar absorbed by the body

Starch Long chain of sugars connected by a specific

type of bonding(α-bond) that is easily digested by enzymes in the small intestine.

Fiber Long chain of sugars connected by β-bonds

which can only be broken down by microbes in the stomachs of ruminant animals

Is a concentrated form of energy Most common type is triglycerides Saturated fats vs. Unsaturated fats

Fat Soluble Vitamins A, D, E, K

Water Soluble B – vitamins, Vitamin C

Important for maintaining balanced diet Vitamin A Deficiency Vitamin D Toxicosis Vitamin K Deficiency

Many different functions Bone and Cartilage (ex. Calcium and

Phosphorus) Maintaining fluid balances (ex. Sodium and

Chloride) Muscle and Nerve functions (ex. Potassium) Enzymatic reactions (ex. Potassium and Zinc)

Very important for balanced diets Calcium deficiencies

53% of these deaths are attributable to under-nutrition

What is obesity? Increasing problem Evolutionary change Has many health affects What is an ideal body weight?

Diabetes Mellitus

Orthopedic issues

Heart Disease Liver Disease

Type I vs. Type II Cats and Type II diabetes

High fat diet cause activation of a regulatory protein which can cause development of insulin resistance

Over-weight cats two times more likely to get diabetes

Obese cats four times more likely to get diabetes

Ruptured Cranial Cruciate Ligament Osteoarthritis Elbow and hip dysplasia Laminitis in horses Orthopedics

Take animals into local veterinarian

Body Condition Scores Scale 1-5 Scale 1-9

Similar to BMI (body mass index) in human medicine

Quantity vs. Quality Animals being fed one big meal a day vs.

2-3 small meals a day Table Scraps Relation to human medicine

Healthy vs. Unhealthy methods Not a quick fix! Proper diet

Purina OM Science diet R/D

Exercise Importance in human medicine

Drugs Consult your veterinarian!

To get you and your animal on the right track!

A 40 lbs dog who is 5 lbs overweight is

equivalent to a 200 lbs man being how many pounds overweight???

The first prescription drug aimed for canine weight-loss in the USA

Dirlotapide Targets small

intestine Reduces fat absorption Gives a feeling of

satiety Therefore reduces food

intake i.e. calories

Goal Lose 3% of body

weight every month Different phases

Weight loss phase Maintenance phase

Consult your veterinarian!

Study trying to determine the distribution of Body Condition Score values for dogs examined at a veterinary hospital and to see if the scores differed from dogs with malignant neoplasm with dogs that did not have neoplasm

Retrospective prevalence case-control study involving 1777 dogs with cancer and 12,893 dogs without cancer

Sample population was pulled from January 1999 to December 2004

Dogs used in this study had a variety of cancers, including sarcomas, carcinomas, and round cell tumors

Obesity was defined as >7/9 BCS Overall higher prevalence of obese dogs in

this study (compared to previous studies) This has mirrored the increase in obese

humans Results: A lower prevalence of overweight

and obese dogs with sarcomas and carcinomas and no difference in BCS distribution in dogs with round cell tumors

So is obesity related to cancer?By causation?Or, correlation?

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