Fundamentals of Small Animal Nutrition

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Fundamentals of Small Animal Nutrition

• Dr. Randy Ackman
• Vitamins and Mineral Metabolism

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Vitamins

• Vitamin A
• Required
• Fat soluble
• Convert beta carotene and caretenoids are cleaved
  by dioxygenase in the intestinal mucosa to form
• Retinal
• Retinal further reduced to retinol (active
  Vitamin A)
• Dioxygenase activity absent in cat
• Require pre-formed vitamin A
• Fish liver oils and animal livers

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Vitamins

• Vitamin A
• Expressed in IU
• Deficiency
• Rare
• Young
• Abnormal bone growth
• Thickening of short bones
• Neurological disorders

• Adult
• Deficiency
• Decreased reproduction function
• Decreased vision
• Disorders of epithelium
• Conjunctivitis
• Corneal opacity and ulceration
• Skin lesions
• Toxicity
• Beta carotene is non-toxic to dog- regulated

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Vitamin

• Vitamin A
• Toxicity
• Cats
• Absorption of pre-formed vitamin A is not
  regulated
• More likely to be fed more vitamin A. Why?
• Liver, kidney, and fish oils
• Causes deforming cervical spondylosis

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Vitamins

• Vitamin D
• Normal calcium and phosphorus metabolism and
  homeostasis
• Normal mineralization of bone
• Remodeling of bone
• Maintain normal Calcium blood levels

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Vitamins

• Vitamin D
• Functions
• Enhance intestinal absorption of calcium
• Stimulates calcium binding protein
• Net activity
• Increase blood calcium and phosphorous

Calcitrol
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Vitamins

• Vitamin D
• Growth
• Essential for normal skeletal development
• Normal bone mineralization
• Deficiency
• Rickets
• Adult
• Osteomalacia
• Posterior paralysis

• Vitamin D
• Toxicity
• Calcification of soft tissue
• Abnormalities in teeth of growing animals
• Usually due to over supplementation

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Vitamins

• Vitamin E
• Antioxidant
• Dependent on level of PUFAs and selenium

• Vitamin E
• Deficiency
• Skeletal muscle degeneration
• Impaired immunity
• Retinal degeneration
• Dermatological disorders
• Cats
• Pansteatitis
• Low vitamin E
• High PUFA

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Vitamin

• Vitamin K
• Involved with clotting factors
• Synthesis from intestinal bacteria
• Deficiency
• Rare
• Cats
• Commercial diets with salmon or tuna
• Gastric ulcers, increased coagulation time
• Interference from component in canned food