ACVN Veterinary Nutrition flashcards
ACVN Veterinary Nutrition · Build recall with a focused review session.
32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.
- Resting energy requirement
- The energy needed by a resting, fasted animal in a thermoneutral environment; calculated as 70 × body weight in kg raised to the 0.75 power.
- Daily energy requirement
- Total daily calories needed, derived by multiplying the resting energy requirement by a life-stage or condition factor such as 1.6 for a neutered adult.
- Body condition score
- A 1–9 or 1–5 semiquantitative scale of body fat; 4–5 out of 9 is ideal, and each unit above ideal approximates 10% excess body weight.
- Muscle condition score
- A separate assessment of muscle mass at the spine, skull, scapulae, and hindlimbs; muscle loss can occur even when body condition score is normal.
- Taurine requirement in cats
- Cats cannot synthesize sufficient taurine and require it in the diet; deficiency causes dilated cardiomyopathy and retinal degeneration.
- Arachidonic acid requirement
- An essential fatty acid required in the diet of cats but not dogs, because cats lack sufficient delta-6 desaturase activity to synthesize it from linoleic acid.
- Refeeding syndrome
- A potentially fatal electrolyte shift, especially hypophosphatemia, hypokalemia, and hypomagnesemia, occurring when nutrition is reintroduced too rapidly after prolonged anorexia.
- Enteral feeding priority
- The principle that enteral nutrition is preferred over parenteral whenever the gastrointestinal tract is functional, because it preserves mucosal integrity and reduces sepsis risk.
- Nasoesophageal tube feeding
- A short-term enteral route suited to feeding for less than one to two weeks; it is easily placed but requires liquid or blenderized diets.
- Parenteral nutrition osmolarity limit
- Total parenteral nutrition solutions often exceed 900 mOsm/L and require a central venous catheter; peripheral parenteral nutrition is limited by osmolarity and volume.
- Gastric residual volume
- The volume aspirated from a feeding tube before the next feeding; values above 2–4 mL/kg or 20–50% of the delivered volume suggest intolerance.
- Highly digestible diet
- A diet with nutrient digestibility above roughly 85–90%, used first-line in acute and chronic enteropathies to reduce fermentable substrate and stool volume.
- Hydrolyzed protein diet
- A diet in which proteins are broken into small peptides to reduce immunogenic epitopes, used for adverse food reactions when multiple proteins have been tried.
- Soluble versus insoluble fiber
- Soluble fermentable fiber supports colonic health and short-chain fatty acid production; insoluble fiber adds bulk and speeds transit. Selection depends on the clinical goal.
- Exocrine pancreatic insufficiency
- A condition requiring pancreatic enzyme replacement with every meal, a highly digestible low-fiber diet, and often cobalamin supplementation.
- Feline pancreatitis diet
- A low-fat diet, typically under 10–15% fat on a dry-matter basis, fed in small frequent meals during recovery from pancreatitis.
- Feline diabetes diet
- A high-protein, low-carbohydrate diet, often under 10% of metabolizable energy from carbohydrate, which can improve glycemic control and increase remission rates in some cats.
- Canine diabetes feeding
- Consistent meal timing matched to insulin dosing matters more than macronutrient composition; high-fiber diets may improve glycemic control in some dogs.
- Hyperthyroid cat nutrition
- Hyperthyroidism raises energy requirement; after treatment, monitor for weight gain and adjust intake to prevent obesity.
- Hypothyroid dog nutrition
- Levothyroxine is the treatment; avoid dietary iodine excess and address the reduced metabolic rate with weight management.
- Chronic kidney disease diet
- A diet restricting phosphorus and moderately restricting protein while providing adequate non-protein calories and omega-3 fatty acids such as EPA and DHA.
- Phosphate binders
- Agents given with meals to reduce intestinal phosphorus absorption when dietary phosphorus restriction alone fails to control hyperphosphatemia in chronic kidney disease.
- Cardiac cachexia
- Muscle and weight loss in heart failure; management ensures adequate calories and protein while restricting sodium, with close monitoring of body and muscle condition.
- Hepatic encephalopathy diet
- A diet using high-biological-value protein, sometimes restricted in quantity, plus soluble fiber to reduce ammonia absorption from the colon.
- Copper-associated hepatopathy
- A liver disorder in breeds such as Bedlington Terriers, managed with low-copper diets and copper-chelating agents.
- Safe weight loss rate
- About 1–2% of body weight per week in dogs and 0.5–1% per week in cats; faster feline loss predisposes to hepatic lipidosis.
- Weight-loss energy calculation
- Energy for weight loss is the resting energy requirement of the target weight multiplied by 0.8–1.0, reassessed and adjusted every two to four weeks.
- Feline hepatic lipidosis risk
- Obese cats that stop eating or lose weight rapidly mobilize fat to the liver, causing hepatic lipidosis; gradual weight loss and prompt intake are protective.
- AAFCO nutrient profiles
- Standards for growth, maintenance, and all life stages used by states; an all-life-stages diet must meet the more stringent growth profile.
- Guaranteed analysis
- A label panel listing minimum crude protein and fat and maximum crude fiber and moisture; it does not measure digestibility or ingredient quality.
- Xylitol toxicity in dogs
- Xylitol causes insulin release and hypoglycemia in dogs at roughly 0.1 g/kg, and higher doses can cause hepatotoxicity; cats are less sensitive.
- FDA CVM role
- The Center for Veterinary Medicine regulates pet food under the FD&C Act and receives reports of adverse events and product recalls.