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Cat and dog nutritionWhat you really need to knowDr. Jo Gale BVetMed CertLAS MRCVS
WALTHAM Centre for Pet Nutrition
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The WALTHAM Centre for Pet Nutrition
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WALTHAM is the global fundamental science centre providingscientific support, credibility and knowledge to Mars Petcare
Fundamental science behind our brands
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WALTHAM™ Caring Science
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How do owners choose what to feed?
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So much advice available
• Vets• Breeders• Magazines• Websites• Blogs• TV programmes…..but how can you tell the good advice from the bad?
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The truth, the whole truth and….evidence
Veterinary or animal nutritionists employed- Nutrition PhD or “board certified” in veterinary
nutritionPublications in scientific journals
Evidence based nutrition Well designed scientific studies
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What’s the best diet for a pet?
…..it depends!As long as nutritionally complete and balanced, then the “best” diet is based on
– individual health needs and preferences of pet
– preferences and budget of their owner
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Complete and balanced nutrition
What does “complete” mean?• There are approximately 40 essential nutrients for dogs
and cats
Complete and balanced nutrition
What does “balanced” mean?
Minimum requirement
Maximum requirement
Intake
Toxicity
SAFERANGE
Deficiency
OPTIMUM
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Depends on species and lifestage
Essential nutrient requirements
`Cats
• Arginine and taurine – amino acids from protein
• Vitamin D• Vitamin A• Vitamin B3• Arachadonic
acid – fromfat
`Dogs
• Arginine – an aminoacid from protein
• Vitamin D
`Humans
• Vitamin C
Food for dogs will not necessarily
meet the needs of cats because the
cat must have meat/fish in the diet (obligate carnivore) and
requires additional essential nutrients
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Formulating a complete and balanced diet – easy?
• Studies have found problems with nutritional adequacy of home-prepared diets
Freeman LM, Michel KE.(2001) Streiff E.L., Zwischenberger B., Butterwick R.F., et al. (2002) Larsen J.A., Parks E.M., Heinze C.R., et al. (2012) Heinze, C. R., Gomez, F. C., & Freeman, L. M. (2012)
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2013 study
Evaluation of recipes of home-prepared maintenance diets for dogsStockman J1, Fascetti AJ, Kass PH, Larsen JA.
Hypotheses• Most recipes would not be balanced• Recipes by non-veterinarians would have a higher number of (and
more severe) deficiencies• Most recipes would require assumptions to be made about nutrient
levels
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What was analysed?
• 200 recipes for canine maintenance diets– 2 veterinary textbooks– 9 pet care books for owners or veterinarians – 22 websites – 64% by veterinarians, 36% by laypersons
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Results
• 184/200 (92%) necessitated one or more assumptions• 169/200 (84.5%) did not provide specific feeding
instructions• 13/200 (6.5%) included garlic or onion • 190/200 (95%) had at least one deficiency• 167/200 (83.5%) had multiple deficiencies
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Results
Common deficiencies– Zinc (69%)– Vitamin D (65%) – Choline (64.5%)– Copper (54%)– EPA plus DHA (53%) – Vitamin E (45%)– Calcium (35%)
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What about raw diets?
• Commercial or home-prepared• Fresh, chilled, frozen, freeze dried• Many are not balanced• Bones – foreign body, GI perforation• Benefits - digestibility??• Recent studies have shown - salmonella in 20-48% of commercial
raw diets tested, E. coli in 60%, clostridium in 20%
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Recent study on raw dietsRaw red meat diets decrease faecal microbial diversity in the dogNick Cave, DipACVN, PhD, MVSc, BVSc
Massey University, New Zealand
Introduction
Several intestinal diseases of dogs are associated with reduced microbial diversity. It is hypothesised that strategies promoting diversity in healthy dogs might reduce disease risk.
ConclusionA dietary change from conventional commercial diets to a raw meat-based diet rapidly and persistently reduced microbial diversity in healthy dogs. The implications of this reduced diversity for health remains to be determined.
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What about grains?
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What about food allergies?
• True food allergies result in an immune system response – rare
• Food intolerances more common, most common culprits– Beef – Dairy– Wheat
• However, this does NOT make these ingredients unsuitable for all pets! Most pets are unaffected, therefore no need to avoid them
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Pet food myths!
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How to give advice on pet nutrition
• Open minded • Evidence based not trend-led• Consider essential needs of ALL pets• Then consider specific needs of individual pets
e.g. increased moisture, lower calorie density, free from certain ingredients
• Then consider specific desires of individual ownerse.g. organic, grain free
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Follow us @waltham_scienceMore info at www.waltham.com
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Which of these should be avoided in a cat food?
A. OrganicB. VegetarianC. Grain freeD. With added vegetablesE. Sugar free
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Why is it important to feed puppy food until adulthood?
A. Smaller kibblesB. Correct balance of nutrients for growth phaseC. Lower proteinD. More digestibleE. Cheaper
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Which of these factors is most important in a dog food?
A. OrganicB. NaturalC. Grain-freeD. Nutritionally complete and balancedE. Available in a variety of flavours
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