ACVN Veterinary Nutrition key terms

The energy a resting, fasted animal needs for basic cellular and organ function, commonly estimated in dogs and cats with the formula 70 multiplied by body weight in kilograms raised to the 0.75 power.

The daily energy intake needed to keep a stable adult body weight and condition, derived from the resting energy requirement adjusted by factors for life stage, activity, neuter status, and environment.

The target weight for an individual animal judged from body condition, skeletal size, and historical weight, used to calculate energy needs and design weight-loss plans rather than using current weight.

A standardized, palpation-based rating of body fatness, usually on a 1-to-9 or 1-to-5 scale, that assesses rib, spine, and waist coverage and guides feeding and weight-management decisions.

A subjective rating of skeletal muscle mass, assessed over the spine, scapulae, and skull, that is scored separately from fat cover to detect cachexia or sarcopenia despite normal body condition.

A method that estimates energy expenditure from measured oxygen consumption and carbon dioxide production, providing a more individualized energy target than predictive equations when equipment and patient tolerance allow.

The minimum or maximum nutrient percentages that a pet food label must declare for crude protein, fat, fiber, and moisture, expressed on an as-fed basis and not a measure of digestibility or adequacy.

A required label statement indicating how a pet food was shown to be complete and balanced, such as by formulation, feeding trial, or a product-family comparison, and naming the intended life stage.

A food supplying all required nutrients in adequate amounts and proportions for a stated life stage, supported by an AAFCO-recognized method of substantiation rather than marketing language alone.

A label designation such as growth, maintenance, or all life stages that specifies which animals the diet is intended to feed and determines which nutrient profiles apply.

A diet formulated to support management of a specific disease, often with restricted or supplemented nutrients, and typically intended for use under veterinary supervision rather than as a general maintenance food.

The energy remaining after digestible energy is reduced by losses in urine and combustible gases, representing the energy actually available to the animal and the basis for calorie statements on labels.

A way to compare nutrient concentrations after mathematically removing water content, allowing fair comparison of canned and dry foods that differ greatly in moisture.

Animal- or plant-derived material other than muscle meat, such as organs or bone, that can be nutritionally valuable and is permitted in pet food when handled and labeled according to regulations.

A sulfur-containing amino acid that cats cannot synthesize in sufficient amounts and that dogs may also require, with deficiency linked to dilated cardiomyopathy and, in cats, retinal degeneration.

The minimum amounts of essential amino acids, including arginine and taurine for cats, that must be supplied preformed in the diet because the body cannot make them fast enough to meet demand.

The extent to which a protein source supplies essential amino acids in adequate amounts and proportions and is digestible, determining how well it supports growth, repair, and nitrogen balance.

A diet in which proteins are broken into small peptides or free amino acids to reduce recognition by the immune system, used in the management of adverse food reactions and some gastrointestinal diseases.

A structured feeding test using a novel-protein or hydrolyzed diet, with strict avoidance of other foods, for a set period to determine whether clinical signs are caused by an adverse food reaction.

Any clinically abnormal response to eating a food, including immunologic food allergy and non-immunologic intolerance, which may cause skin or gastrointestinal signs and is diagnosed by controlled dietary testing.

A potentially fatal shift of electrolytes, especially phosphate, potassium, and magnesium, into cells after reintroducing nutrition to a malnourished patient, requiring gradual feeding and electrolyte monitoring.

Delivery of nutrients into the gastrointestinal tract by voluntary eating, assisted syringe feeding, or a feeding tube, preferred over parenteral routes when the gut is functional.

Provision of nutrients intravenously, bypassing the gastrointestinal tract, and reserved for patients that cannot be fed enterally or whose gut cannot absorb enough to meet needs.

A small-bore feeding tube passed through the nose into the esophagus for short-term liquid or blended feeding in patients with a functioning gut that will not eat voluntarily.

A feeding tube placed surgically or percutaneously through the neck into the esophagus, allowing longer-term enteral feeding of blended diets in patients unable or unwilling to eat by mouth.

Loss of lean body mass driven by illness and inflammatory mediators, which cannot be fully reversed by simply increasing calories and requires treating the underlying disease alongside nutritional support.

Age- or inactivity-related loss of skeletal muscle mass and strength that occurs without underlying inflammatory disease and is assessed with muscle condition scoring.

Excess body fat accumulation, generally defined in pets as body condition score above the healthy range or body weight more than roughly 20 percent above ideal, and associated with many secondary diseases.

A structured plan combining a measured energy-restricted diet, controlled treat allowance, exercise, and scheduled rechecks to reach and maintain ideal body weight safely.

A diet modified for kidney disease, typically with restricted phosphorus and high-quality protein, increased omega-3 fatty acids, and adjusted potassium and B vitamins to slow progression and reduce clinical signs.

Limiting dietary phosphorus to reduce renal and extrarenal mineral burden in chronic kidney disease, a key nutritional intervention associated with slower progression and longer survival.

A primary myocardial disease causing ventricular dilation and reduced contractility, with nutritional associations including taurine or carnitine deficiency and, in some cases, certain grain-free or legume-heavy diets.

Limiting dietary salt to reduce fluid retention and cardiac workload in congestive heart failure, introduced cautiously because excessive restriction can impair appetite and activate counter-regulatory systems.

Neurologic dysfunction caused by accumulation of ammonia and other toxins when the liver fails to clear them, often managed with highly digestible protein, altered protein sources, and sometimes reduced protein.

Liver injury from excessive copper accumulation, seen in certain breeds, managed partly by feeding a diet restricted in copper and sometimes paired with chelating therapy.

Fiber that dissolves or gels in water and is fermented by gut bacteria, producing short-chain fatty acids that nourish colonocytes and can help manage some large bowel conditions.

Fiber that resists fermentation and adds bulk to stool, helping regulate intestinal transit and manage constipation or fiber-responsive large bowel disease.

A selectively fermented ingredient, such as certain oligosaccharides, that promotes growth or activity of beneficial gut bacteria and may improve intestinal health and stool quality.

A preparation of live microorganisms that, when given in adequate amounts, may benefit the host by supporting gut microbiota, though strain and product quality vary widely.