ANSC 2120 Lecture Notes - Lecture 37: Essential Amino Acid, Carnivore, Canine Tooth

• School: Cornell University
• Department: Animal Science
• Course: ANSC 2120
• Professor: Debbie Cherney

Document Summary

Lecture 37: comparative nutrition dogs and cats (cid:1) (cid:1) (cid:1) (cid:1) Principles of determination of nutrient requirements and ration formulation are similar in dogs and cats, as in other species. Management of domestic dogs and cats, usually kept as pets, is generally similar in terms of needs for: housing, environmental enrichment, manufactured wet or dry diets. Dogs and cats have distinct different evolutionary origins, with important nutritional consequences: dogs and some related families (bears, raccoons) are omnivores (with varying degree of carnivore preference, cats and their related families are obligate carnivores. Unlike dogs, cats cannot obtain all required nutrients from plants or plant products. Examples include dietary requirements for: taurine (not an essential amino acid for other species, arachidonic acid (unable to synthesize from linoleic, preformed vitamin a (unable to synthesize from acid) carotenes. Other feline distinctions include: greater protein requirements, unusual energy and carbohydrate metabolism, inability to convert tryptophan to nicotinamids (niacin)