Pet Nutrition Small Animal Management Ms. Boyt

What is Nutrition? Refers to the animal receiving a proper & balanced food and water ration so that it can grow, maintain its body, reproduce, and supply or produce the things we expect from it

Essential Nutrients  Water  Protein  Carbohydrates  Fats  Vitamins  Minerals

Water  In EVERY cell of the body  Support the body’s biochemical reactions  Transport other nutrients  Aid in body temperature maintenance  Help give the body its form  Carry waste from the body

Importance of Water  Most important nutrient  Loss impedes circulation, results in dehydration, slows body functions  Carries medications for disease control  Makes up about 55 to 65 percent of an animal’s body

Protein  Develop and repair body organs and tissues  Produce milk, wool, and eggs  Develop the fetus  Serve as building material for enzymes and hormones  Develop antibodies  Transmit DNA

Importance of Proteins  Broken into amino acids during digestion  Animals must consume essential amino acids  Ruminants can create all amino acids  Amino acids contribute to animals’ health  25 amino acids are found in animals feeds  Of these, 10 or 11 are considered essential and the others are nonessential  Essential are those that can’t be produced by the animal’s body & must be supplied in ration (feed)  Function and growth determine animals’ amino acid needs

Carbohydrates  Support bodily functions  Produce heat to warm the body  Store fat

Importance of Carbohydrates  Converted by animals into energy  Made of sugars, starches, and crude fiber  Completely digested sugars and starches are nitrogen-free extracts  Crude fiber is mostly non-digestible bulk or roughage  Large amounts of crude fiber better handled by some animals (ruminants)

Fats  Provide energy  Aid in absorption of fat-soluble vitamins  Provide fatty acids

Importance of Fats  Contain 2.25 times as much energy as equivalent amount of carbohydrates and proteins  Essential in the diet, though at less than 3 percent

Vitamins  Regulate digestion, absorption, and metabolism  Develop normal vision, bone, and external body coverings  Regulate body glands  Form new cells  Fight disease and strengthens immune system  Develop and maintain nervous system

Importance of Vitamins  Classified on the basis of their solubility  Fat or Water Soluble  Fat Soluble  Vitamins A, D, E, and K  Water Soluble  Vitamin C and B-complex

Minerals  Inorganic elements that are essential to life’s processes  Most agree 7 minerals are required in the largest amounts— Macrominerals  Calcium, Phosphorus, Potassium, Sodium, Sulfur, Chlorine, & Magnesium  8 are needed in lesser or trace amounts— Microminerals  Iron, Iodine, Copper, Cobalt, Manganese, Zinc, Molybdenum, & Selenium