Feeding Animals with Disease

Transcription

1 Feeding Animals with Disease There are many instances where inappapropriate diets will actually cause disease. Some of these have been discussed already and relate to vitamin and mineral inbalance in the diet. Deficiency and excess may cause severe disease and even death in some instances. In pets, some diseases are seen commonly associated with poor diet. A few examples are given below. Diarrhoea A sudden change in diet (such as lots of oats for a horse), or a diet that is rich in poorly digestable ingredients (such as lactose in dogs) may lead to diarrhoea. Milk in the diet is a common culprit for dogs and cats that may not be able to process the lactose found in cows milk. Obesity Many pets are being fed in excess of their dietary energy requirements. Obesity can lead to skin fold dermatitis in wrinkly areas such as the tail base and around the vulva. The extra stress put on joints and spine by being overweight can lead to lameness and back pain. Animals can contract diabetes. Hypervitaminosis A Is when there is too much Vitamin A in the diet. Liver is high in Vitamin A. If cats are fed a liver-only diet, they can develop serious changes to their bones (eg:fusion of the spine) that may result in them being euthanased. Secondary Nutritional Hyperparathyroidism: In this disease there is an imbalance in the levels of calcium and phosphorus in the diet. Ideally for dogs there should be a ratio of 1.2 Calcium to 1 Phosphorus. That means there should be more calcium that phosphorus in the diet.(remove) Some fast growing pups fed a meat- only diet will develop bone thinning, distortion and even folding fractures.severe multiple bone fractures. This occurs because (remove) Meat contains only 1 part Calcium to 20 parts Phosphorus. The parathyroid gland in the animal s body deals with this inbalance by removing Calcium from the dogs bones, making them fragile.

2 Horses fed diets high in bran may suffer similar problems and have bone problems. Some diseases that may respond to dietary modification: Animals that are ill may require special feeding. For instance they may not be eating properly, and require smaller meals of good quality food. Certain conditions may be improved or managed by feeding an appropriate diet, a few examples are shown in the table below. CONDITION Gastro - intestinal disease (vomiting, diarrhoea) Cardiac disease Kidney disease Diabetes mellitus Obesity DIET Food may need to be withheld, bland food may need to be used. Reduced sodium in the food Small regular meals Adjusted protein intake Unlimited water supply Standardised energy intake Good quality food Reduced energy Exercise Pet food manufactures produce processed diets that may assist in improving the health of animals with certain disease conditions. The following table shows a selection of prepared diets manufactured by Hills Pet Nutrition. The information is taken from their Australian web site. Canine h/d For the Nutritional Management of Dogs with Heart Disease Canine b/d For the Nutritional Management of Dogs with Behavioral Changes Associated Heart disease and heart failure are conditions frequently found in aging dogs. Typically, heart disease can cause the heart to become enlarged, leading to fluid retention and discomfort for your dog. Fluid retention is in response to a less efficient heart muscle and can be made a bigger problem with foods that are high in sodium. Prescription Diet h/d Canine dog food is formulated to help manage dogs with the symptoms of heart disease and related fluid retention. The nutritional formulation of Prescription Diet h/d may also be useful for pets with a variety of conditions. Prescription Diet b/d Canine dog food is formulated to help fight agerelated behavior changes in older dogs. An older dog's brain is more vulnerable to free radicals that are naturally produced by the body. The damage free radicals inflict on the brain is often the cause of age-related behavioral changes in older dogs. Prescription Diet b/d Canine is specifically formulated with an exclusive blend of antioxidants and other nutrients to help fight the signs of brain aging and age-related behavioral

3 with Brain Aging changes and even help improve the learning ability of older dogs.the nutritional formulation of Prescription Diet b/d may also be useful for pets with a variety of conditions.

4 Canine t/d For the Nutritional Management of Dogs with Dental Disease Canine z/d Low Allergen For the Nutritional Management of Dogs with Food Allergy and Intolerance This painful and potentially serious problem is most usually a result of plaque and tartar buildup at and under the gum line. Prescription Diet t/d Canine dog food is formulated specifically for the nutritional management of dogs with dental disease. It's special fiber matrix scrubs the exposed tooth surface like an edible toothbrush, reducing bacteria-laden plaque. If left unchecked, this buildup can lead to gingivitis, a dental condition that can weaken the gums and tissues that support the teeth. The nutritional formulation of Prescription Diet t/d may also be useful for pets with a variety of conditions. Food allergy and intolerance are potentially serious problems that can result in sensitive or irritated skin, coat and ear conditions or even digestive problems. Dogs that have food allergy or intolerance, also called adverse reactions to food, typically are having an abnormal response to the protein in the food. Only Prescription Diet z/d Canine dog food is formulated with Hill s Hydrolyzed Protein System, a process that breaks down intact animal proteins and significantly reduces the possibility of an adverse reaction to food. Reactions usually occur as a result of beef, dairy products and wheat. z/d Low Allergen Canine contains none of these allergens. The nutritional formulation of Prescription Diet z/d Low Allergen may also be useful for pets with a variety of conditions. j/d Canine Limping or mobility problems c/d Multicare Feline For the Nutritional Management of Cats with Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease (FLUTD) caused by struvite uroliths or urethral plugs, calcium oxalate uroliths, or feline idiopathic cystitis (FIC). Feline k/d For the Nutritional Management of Cats with Kidney Disease Hill's Prescription Diet j/d Canine is an innovative dog food that helps maintain healthy joints and improves mobility in dogs. Its unique formula contains high levels of EPA (Eicosapentanoic Acid), an omega-3 fatty acid found in high concentrations in fish oil. Research has shown that EPA can help maintain joint function. Enhanced levels of glucosamine and chondroitin provide the building blocks of healthy cartilage, and L- carnitine, which helps maintain optimum body weight. j/d Canine improves the quality of life by helping dogs run better, play better, and rise more easily. FLUTD is often associated with inflammation of the urinary bladder and urethra. It is characterized by clinical signs such as urinating outside the litter box, frequent attempts to urinate, and/or straining to urinate. Prescription Diet c/d Multicare Feline is formulated to provide nutritional management of cats with the 3 most common causes of FLUTD including FIC, struvite uroliths or urethral plugs, and calcium oxalate uroliths. Prescription Diet c/d Multicare Feline pet food contains controlled levels of magnesium, calcium, phosphorus, and oxalate to reduce building blocks of crystals and uroliths, as well as enhanced vitamin B6 to help decrease oxalate formation and excretion in the urine. c/d Multicare Feline also generates an environment that is unfavorable for the development of uroliths due to the addition of antioxidants, Vitamin E and beta-carotene. c/d Multicare Feline is formulated to avoid excess sodium and has high levels of omega-3 fatty acids from fish oil that help break the inflammatory cycle associated with the most common causes of FLUTD. There are many causes for kidney disease resulting in an variety of uncomfortable and life threatening symptoms for your cat. Kidney disease can be either sudden (acute) or occur gradually (chronic). Prescription Diet k/d Feline cat food has been uniquely formulated to help manage cats with kidney disease. Kidney disease can result from other illness or changes in your cat s health, breed/hereditary tendencies and even nutritional factors. The signs of kidney disease remain difficult to detect until more than two-thirds of kidney function are lost. The nutritional formulation of Prescription Diet k/d Feline may also be useful for pets with a variety of conditions.

5 Hills, Eukanuba and Royal Canin are all reputable pet food companies that manufacture life stage nutrition (growth, maintenance and senior) diets as well as prescription diets designed to support animals suffering from a particular illness. In some instances a sick animals condition may clinically improve on these diets, (eg: elimination diets for bowel and skin irritations), whilst others are designed to help the animal to cope with its disease state (eg: kidney and liver support diets) and hopefully prolong its life. Some owners when using these diets claim that their animal s condition will improve. Other owners report that no improvement occurred when using these diets. Scientific opinion is inconclusive. Certainly the companies will claim their diets are proven to be effective, and with some diets this will be the case. Others may still be the subject of debate. For example the diet aimed at helping dogs with joint disease carries the claim that glucosamine will improve joint function. Recent studies in humans have found that glucosamine is not effective for this purpose. It would be unrealistic to expect that these specialised diets are going to cure an animal with chronic disease. For example a cat with kidney disease is not likely to have the kidneys repair with diet, but a good diet may prolong the animal s life. Food Allergy Some animals can be allergic to components of the food that they eat. Most commonly it is the protein source, but as with people, wheat and dairy are sometimes implicated. Affected animals may show signs of gastrointestinal problems, such as vomiting and diarrhoea. If food allergy is the problem, a change of diet will quickly improve the condition of the animal. Other animals may show signs of allergic skin disease, ie. excessive itching and hair loss due to scratching and biting. Exclusively food allergic animals are rare, but food can be implicated in other allergic skin disease states (eg: hayfever/atopy). For these animals, diet modification MAY improve the animals health. Considering that most commercial food is chicken based, elimination diets for food allergic animals usually use a non-chicken protein source or hydrolysed chicken that has been altered to be of such small molecular size that it is unrecognisable as chicken.

6 Dermatologists often recommend using novel protein sources-eg: kangaroo, camel or tuna and novel carbohydrate sources such as sweet potato, instead of wheat or rice. Commercial prescription diets include Eukanuba FP response (fish and potato), Hills Z/D (hydrolysed chicken and beet pulp). and Royal Canin Hypoallergenic, Sensitivity, Skin support and Gastrointestinal which use either soy, hydrolysed chicken or blue whiting as protein source, and rice, beet pulp or fructo-oligosaccharides as the carbohydrate source, Obesity Obesity is a common problem in pets in western countries. This will be discussed further in the following case studies.

7 Nutritional Case Studies Three case studies that consider specific nutritional situations will now be considered, they are: Managing Obesity in the Dog Feeding a Starved Horse Feeding a pond of Cultured Trout Managing Obesity in the Dog Obesity is a common and serious problem in captive (pet) dogs. Some dogs become so large that they are unable to even walk. Many other problems can be associated with obesity including: Skin fold irritation Rupture of cruciate ligaments Lameness due to arthritis/spinal disease. Diabetes and other hormonal problems The following outlines a procedure for managing or treating an obese dog, Veterinary Examination There are some medical conditions that can cause obesity. An examination to rule out other disease states is recommended before embarking on a weight loss program. For example hypothyroidism can cause weight gain. A blood test can confirm or rule out this disease. Set a Goal Weight for the Pet Tables can be readily found that suggest the ideal weight for a pet. For example: Toy poodle 5 kg, Labrador 30 kg. A record of the current weight of the dog should be kept. Determine the energy requirements for the dogs ideal weight This important step identifies the energy in the diet that would maintain the animal at its ideal weight. If the dog weighs 50 kg and its ideal weight is 30 kg you would identify the energy needed for a 30 kg animal. To achieve WEIGHT LOSS you should feed 75% of the requirements for the dogs IDEAL WEIGHT, until it reaches its target weight.

8 Aim for weight loss of 1or 2 % per week. Depending on their weight, it may take a considerable time to reach their ideal weight. For example the 50kg dog described above will be losing ½ to 1 kg per week initially. To lose 20kg will take at least 20 weeks! Monitor and record weight loss Every 2 weeks is recommended. Create a chart or graph to monitor energy needs and losses. Feed a good quality food. Ideally high in protein, low in fat and carbohydrates. Commercial weight loss diets have a reduced energy content food and are popular as the ration size is larger. Feed once per day and no snacks (unless they are carrots or similar). Pick up uneaten food. Exercise is important Educating clients on the benefits of regular, low impact exercise is important. Also education about snacks and not eating around pets is a good idea. Once weight loss achieved, return to feeding the full amount of determined energy requirement It is ideal to check the animal each month for a few months to ensure weight is not being gained again. If it is, the determined energy value may need to be reduced. Week Kgs Energy (kj) The table on the left plots the progress of a dog that has an ideal weight of 36 kg, but weighs 57 kg. The energy needs for a 36 kg dog are determined to be 6500 kj. The dog is initially fed 75% of these energy needs, but with no weight loss. A further reduction of another 10% energy results in a good weight loss. When the goal weight is reached after 20 weeks, the normal energy requirement is fed. The two charts on the next page plot the weight loss and energy intake for the period. Weeks are shown at the bottom of the graph.

9 60 Kgs Kgs Feeding a Starved Horse Sadly, in some instances horses may become neglected and not receive proper feeding and nutrition. It requires a considerable effort to restore these animals to good health. One study found that around 20 % of starved horses will die, despite the best of care being provided for them. Described next is a process that could be followed to give this animal the best chance of returning to normal health. It will take several months for a horse to regain normal weight, even longer for severely malnourished animals.

10 Veterinary Examination The first part of the process is to have the animal assessed to establish that it is in a healthy state to recovery from starvation. If some disease process has led to the starvation, then that will need to be considered first. Even The age of the horse should be determined in order to assess the chances of recovery Animals in poor condition are often found to be carrying a heavy burden of intestinal worms. Treatment for worms is an important action that should be taken early in the recovery process. The teeth of a horse should also be examined carefully as dental disease will prevent it from properly chewing and digesting its food. Feeding for Weight Gain Overfeeding initially can cause significant problems for a starved horse, and may even cause their death. This is because the digestive processes and the millions of microorganisms involved in normal digestion will be depleted in a starved animal. Feeding a rich, full diet initially may overwhelm and even be toxic for the horse. Feeding at first should be with a good quality hay and supplemented with pasture for a few hours each day if possible. Concentrates (such as grains and pellets) should be avoided initially. Better quality food with more concentrates can be introduced over the next few weeks. Frequent feeding (3 or 4 times per day) is preferred to a large single feed. Allowing the horse to graze pasture or hay between feeds is ideal. The table overleaf outlines a typical feeding plan for a starved horse. In this case it assumes the animal does not have access to pasture (grassed areas) and is being fed prepared foods only.

11 Days 1-2 Days 3-7 Week 2 Weeks 3 and 4 From then on Energy Provided 50% of needs for current weight 100% of needs for current weight 100% of needs for current weight 100% of needs for ideal weight 100% of needs for ideal weight Food Provided Good quality hay Good quality hay Good quality hay Introduce concentrates Good quality hay Increase concentrates Good quality hay Concentrates Comments Do not allow unlimited quantity of hay, only enough to meet energy needs Divide feed into portions given 4 times per day Concentrates increased to about 10 % of energy needs over this period Gradually increase concentrates to about 20% of energy needs Concentrates to about 20% of energy needs. Rest in good quality hay. Gradually reduce feeds to twice daily If the animal were to become unwell as feeding increases, smaller amounts would be fed and concentrates reduced or removed. Veterinary advice should always be taken. Of course these guidelines represent only one approach to feeding a starved horse. Another simpler approach might be to use a very high quality hay (such as lucerne hay) as the sole feed source to restore normal weight. Feeding a Pond of Cultured Trout So far we have only considered feeding individual animals. A useful exercise in feeding a group of animals can be had by looking at feeding a pond of commercially grown fish. Trout are a carnivorous animal and require a high concentration of protein in their feed. As cold blooded animals, their energy needs will vary with the temperature. However, they require much less energy that the warm blooded animals. For this exercise we will consider the energy needs for a pond of fish that are getting no food other than that fed in pellets from the fish farmer.

12 With farmed animals, the concept of food conversion ratio is important. It would be great if for every kg of food that an animal is fed it puts on 1 kg of weight. Unfortunately, much energy is consumed in the life of the animal and the digestion of the food. For Trout, a typical food conversion ratio will be 2:1, that is for every 2 kg of food the animal will gain 1 kg body weight. The other kg of food is used for its normal energy needs in living and digesting food. Complete the following table: (the answers are found at the bottom of the page) to see if you have the concept clear in your mind. Food Conversion Ratio Amount of Food animal is fed Calculation Amount of Weight gain expected 2:1 1 kg 1000 g / g 3:1 2 kg 4:1 4 kg 1.5:1 3 kg There are many considerations in feeding trout. One example of a feeding program might recommend that growing trout will need to be fed around 10 kj for every 100 g of fish Consider feeding 100 fish, each weighing around 100 g The total energy needs will be 10 kj x 100 = 1000 kj 1000 fish will require 10 kj x 1000 = 10,000 kj (this is the same as 10 Mj)... A typical pelleted trout food will contain 10Mj / kg of pellets. (this is the same as 10,000 kj / kg) It is fairly easy to work out that 1000 fish of around 100g will need about 1 kg of pellets per day to supply their energy needs.