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Royal Canin Nutritional Information
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Royal Canin Nutritional Information
Diet is an integral part of treatment during the period of hospitalization. Malnutrition hampers the dog’s recovery from critical illness. (© Lanceau).
Key Points to Remember: Critical Care Nutrition of Dogs
- Ideally, a dog should retain a stable body weight during hospitalization (or gain weight where appropriate). Daily weighing is imperative. Nutritional support will be needed for a patient with inadequate food intake (real or foreseen) of 3 days or more.
- Enteral feeding is by far the best method of nutritional support: it avoids atrophy of the intestinal villi and facilitates faster recovery. When enteral feeding is impossible, the length of time that food is withheld from the intestine must be minimized.
- The energy requirement of a hospitalized dog can be compared to that of a resting dog. Its value is estimated at no less than 70 kcal/kg (BW)0.75. It must be understood however that individual variations can increase this requirement by 30%.
- The diet's energy concentration must be maximized, in order to limit meal volumes. The higher the fat content the greater the energy density. Administration of 30 - 50% of the calories as fat should be the aim. The ideal solution is a diet that has a combination of high energy density and is easy to suspend in water.
- The protein content should be sufficient to maintain a positive nitrogen balance. Provision of 30 - 50% of total calories from protein helps combat loss of lean body mass.
- Be aware that a solution with a high glucose content may promote hyperinsulinemia and hyperglycemia. Do not exceed 10 - 25% of total calories as glucose.
- The fluid-electrolytic balance must be monitored very closely in critically ill dogs: blood potassium, phosphorus and magnesium concentrations are especially important. Rehydration solutions help correct some electrolyte deficiencies.
Pros and Cons of Different Types of Enteral or Parenteral Foods Type of Food Pros Cons Indication | |||
Type of Food | Pros | Cons | indication |
Hand feeding | - Simple - Not stressful for the dog | - Time consuming - Applicable only in some cases | Very short-term feeding |
Appetite stimulants | Few available | Hepatotoxicity possible | Short-term feeding (2 - 3 days) |
Nasoesophageal feeding | - Easy to place tube - Non-invasive - Minimal tranquillization - Few complications | - Tube not always tolerated - Elizabethan collar mandatory - Liquid diet | Short-term feeding (1 - 2 weeks) |
Esophageal feeding | - Easy and fast tube placement - Elizabethan collar not mandatory - No nasal irritation - Does not prevent the dog from eating | - Special equipment required - General anesthetic mandatory - Risk of infection of insertion site | Several weeks of supported feeding |
Gastrostomy feeding | - Easy to maintain tube in position - Few complications | Several months of supported feeding | |
Jejunostomy feeding | Bypass the pancreas | - General anesthetic mandatory - Delicate tube placement - Intensive care required - Elemental nutritional solutions | Pathology of stomach, duode-num or pancreas |
Parenteral feeding | Permits nutritional support during digestive surgery or serious digestive complaint | - Cost - Constant surveillance - Major risks: metabolic complaints, thrombophlebitis, septicemia, atrophy of the intestinal villi, Adynamic ileus | Any situation in which the digestive tract needs rest |
Focus on: Glutamine
Chemical Formula of Glutamine.
The increased rate of gluconeogenesis accelerates glutamine catabolism in an animal under stress. In the presence of this greater requirement, muscle synthesis of glutamine is often insufficient and the glutamine blood concentration falls. Although glutamine is not an essential amino acid, it may become conditionally essential in some situations.
Glutamine has multiples functions: it participates in maintaining the acid-base balance, it is a precursor of puric and pyrimidic bases, it regulates some hepatic syntheses and it participates in detoxification processes.
Glutamine is a particularly important substrate for rapidly dividing cells such as the cells of the digestive tract and the immune system.
Glutamine is used by immunoglobulin A-producing cells of the intestinal mucosa. A low dietary intake combined with a high requirement in critically ill animals may affect the integrity of the intestinal barrier, leading to a greater risk of bacterial translocation and systemic infection.
While glutamine (250 - 500 mg/kg/day) is recommended for the prevention of atrophy of the intestinal villi, it is not systematically incorporated in parenteral nutrition solutions as preparations for intravenous use are difficult to obtain (Elliott, 2004).
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1. Elliott D. Parenteral nutrition. Scientific Proceedings WSAVA - FECAVA 2004; HVMS World Congress, Rhodes (Greece).
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Affiliation of the authors at the time of publication
1School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, CA, USA.2Department of Molecular Biosciences, University of California, CA, USA. 3Royal Canin, St Charles, MO, USA.
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