Page 325 - Small Animal Clinical Nutrition 5th Edition

332 Small Animal Clinical Nutrition

also be assessed (i.e., Does the dog have a normal appetite and
Table 18-6. Caloric cost of running 1 km for dogs of varying size. is it actually consuming a reasonable amount?). In some cases,
VetBooks.ir Cost of running Cost of running the composition of the overall diet (food plus supplements)
(kcal) 1 km/kg
Body weight (kg) body weight* 1 km (kcal)** may be complex and individual meals may vary in composition.
5 1.77 9 It is also important to ascertain the duration of a particular
10 1.41 14 feeding plan. Abrupt or frequent changes in food or feeding
15 1.23 19 method may affect performance.
20 1.13 23
25 1.05 26
30 0.99 30 Exercise Type
35 0.94 33 Functionally, exercise can be divided into three types (Table 18-
40 0.90 36
45 0.87 39 1) based on intensity and duration: 1) sprint-high-intensity
50 0.84 42 physical activity that can be sustained less than two minutes, 2)
70 0.76 53 intermediate-physical activity lasting a few minutes to a few
*Formula: Energy (kcal) /BW (kg) = 1.77 x distance (km) x BW (kg) -0.4 +
1.25 x BW (kg) -0.25 . hours and 3) endurance-physical activity that lasts many hours.
**To convert to kJ, multiply kcal x 4.184. These definitions are arbitrary and vague, but are useful for
assessing and developing feeding plans.
Most canine sprinters are sight hounds, racing greyhounds
bic metabolism and accumulation of lactate in the blood. being the most notable example. Metabolically, weight-pull
The important points from the above discussion are: 1) dogs might also fit into this category. Some racing sled dogs
exercise increases metabolism and therefore increases the need that participate in shorter, high-speed events are referred to as
for energy, 2) cardiovascular function increases and fluid “sprinters.” However, they fit better in the intermediate or
shifts/losses occur during exercise-adequate water intake is endurance categories from a metabolic and nutritional stand-
important to support these needs and 3) transient changes point because their events may last several hours. Other breeds
also occur in the composition of blood that can influence the that engage in activities such as agility, fly ball and lure cours-
interpretation of results from blood samples drawn soon after ing also do considerable sprinting. However, because they com-
exercise. pete multiple times per day, they too fit better in the interme-
diate category.
Energy Cost of Running Based on energy needs, most canine athletes participate in
The energy cost of running depends on body size and distance intermediate exercise activities. Most of these activities are of
traveled.Table 18-6 shows the caloric cost of running 1 km for low to moderate intensity and last only a few hours. Intensity
dogs of various sizes. This table also illustrates an important and duration of exercise vary widely within this category. For
principle about the mass-specific caloric cost of running as size example, most guide dogs work at a low level of physical exer-
changes. As body size increases, the efficiency of running tion for variable lengths of time throughout the day, whereas
increases (i.e., larger animals use fewer kcal/kg to run the same a search and rescue dog may work at a much higher level for
distance). By using the data in Table 18-6, it is possible to esti- many consecutive hours. Other dogs at the upper end of the
mate the energy requirement for a dog of a known size to run intermediate exercise range can include foxhounds, coon-
a given distance (Box 18-5). hounds and other hunting dogs in the field. At times, they
work at levels that are near the lower end of the energy
requirement range for endurance dogs. Dogs that work at a
PATIENT ASSESSMENT relatively high intensity level for many hours, such as racing
sled dogs, have much greater energy requirements and are true
History endurance athletes.
In addition to the normal historical information that is usual- Exercise amount can be quantified as hours per day or week.
ly obtained about a patient, the following information should Frequency is how often the animal exercises: daily, weekly,
be gathered from owners: environmental/housing data, med- weekends only or seasonally. Many hunting dogs only work
ications, dietary history and exercise type, amount, frequency hard on weekends during hunting season, whereas some live-
and performance. Detailed information should be gathered stock dogs may work several hours daily.Canine athletes should
about how the dog is housed, including: indoors or outdoors, be categorized as either “full-time” or “part-time” athletes.
size and type of housing, opportunity for spontaneous exer-
cise, type of surfaces, number of dogs housed together and Environmental Influences on Exercise
access to food and water. All medications used should be Ambient temperature and humidity, psychological stress and
recorded, including drugs used to suppress estrus and drugs geography are environmental factors that may influence per-
used to enhance performance. formance and nutritional needs of working and sporting dogs.
The dietary history should include all foods and supplements Of these, ambient temperature and humidity exert the greatest
used.The amount fed, nutrient profile and timing of feeding in effect. Hot temperatures result in increased work and water loss
relation to exercise should be noted. The amount eaten should (i.e., to excrete metabolic heat and maintain body temperature