Understanding Feeding Requirements
In this report I am going
to be calculating the rations for a range of animal’s diets including a
pregnant cat’s, a working dog and a geriatric rabbit. I am also going to be
choosing a suitable daily diet for each animal and explaining the dietary
requirements for animals at different life stages.
Pregnant cat one week away
from giving birth, weighs 4.6kg -
RER= 30x4.6+70= 208 Kcal
MER= 208x1.4= 291.2 Kcal
Gestation= 291.2x1.3=
378.56 Kcal = the required amount.
The diet I would
recommend for this animal would be a nourishing kitten food which can be either
dry or pouches or a combination of both. For example Purina One Kitten/Junior
food; this should be given once a day and a minimum of 95g, it contains 41%
protein and 18% fat and it can be combined with one pouch of Purina wet kitten
food a day but this is not essential. You should also be sure that the cat has
access to water at all times and due to her being in the last week of her
pregnancy it would be good to give her some kitten milk replacement.
Reasons why I chose this
diet is because it is completely balanced and will be provide the cat with
everything she needs which means that the cat will not need as much of it which
is good because a cat does not have lots of abdominal space and this food would
provide the cat with everything it needs and it wouldn’t have to eat a large
amount of it to remain healthy. Another reason is because it is so high in
protein and fat which shows it is highly concentrated which also means the cat
won’t need to eat a lot of it. It can also be carried on after pregnancy while
the mother cat is nursing so therefore this is good because the cat doesn’t
have to keep changing diets.
RER= 30x24.2+70= 796 Kcal
MER= 796x2= 1592 Kcal
Working= 1592x2.4= 3820.8 Kcal = the required amount.
The diet I would recommend
for this animal would be CSJ Original Dog Food which is 27% protein, 23% fat
and completely balanced. It is dry food so it could be fed mixed with water or
even CSJ gravy and it is advised that the dog is fed 310-480g of the dry food
in total but that it is given 2 half meals a day so that it has readily
available energy. The dog must also always have access to clean drinking water.
The reasons that I have
chosen this diet is because it has a good amount of fat as well as protein,
which is good because fat provides slow releasing energy which will means that
the dog will be able to do a good days’ worth of work every single day. It is
also completely balanced which means that the owners won’t need to provide any
supplements and this will make it easier to feed and mean that you would be
able to ensure that your dog was getting everything it needs. It is also a
brand that specially produces dog food for working dogs so therefore you know
that it is what your dog requires and it is an affordable price. Another big
advantage of this food is that it can be fed how your dog likes it; dry or
moist.
Geriatric rabbit, 9 years
of age, suffering from arthritis, weighs 2.8kg –
MER= 2.8^0.75x100= 216.5
Kcal
Age factor=
216.5x0.6=129.9 Kcal
The diet I would recommend for this animal
would be Burgess Excel Tasty Nuggets Mature Rabbit
Food with Cranberry & Ginseng combined with hay and redigrass. And also for
the rabbit to have access to water at all times. The reason for it being
combined with hay and redigrass is because it is only a complementary food; it
contains 39% beneficial fibre, 19% crude fibre and 13% protein. I would
recommend the rabbit be fed 70-90g daily. The rabbit can also be provided with
things to chew but this isn’t essential because the Excel food naturally will
wear down the rabbit’s teeth.
The
reasons I have chosen this diet is because it is specially designed for older
rabbits and it is a trusted and popular brand and contains everything a rabbit
would need, and not too much of it so the rabbit can’t become obese (which is a
very big problem in older rabbits). This food is also in pellet form which
means that the rabbit can’t selectively feed so therefore you know for sure it
will always be getting everything it needs. I have also chosen this food
because it contains some ingredients which support things like joint stiffness
which is a symptom of arthritis. This food also ensures that the digestive
system remains healthy and working.
Why
is it important to choose food which suits the life stage of an animal?
It
is extremely important to think about the life stage of an animal when choosing
its food because no matter what animal, at different points in their lives they
have different needs and require different things. For example, the pregnant
cat requires many more calories that an adult cat that is not pregnant because
she has to provide not only for herself, but for her babies too. The reason I
chose kitten food for her was to help and support the babies which are growing
inside her and also to give her some extra energy to help her while she is
carrying the babies. Another example would be the dog, because he is an adult
he does not require anything fancy which is why he is given just normal dry
food and does not require anything else. I also made sure that the food I chose
could be given dry or wet because every dog is different and an adult dog has
usually decided what they like and what they don’t like. Another example would
be the geriatric rabbit, due to him being old he can’t move around as much and
so therefore can’t exercise so he doesn’t want a food that will be very
fattening or to be fed to much, I also ensured that I picked a food that would
give his body the extra support he needs because things like the digestive
system are probably not working as well as they used to because of his old age.
These are the sorts of things you must look out for when chosing a food for
your animals.
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