Madhusudhan H S, Chandrapal Singh K, Krishnamoorthy U, Umesh K G, Butterwick R, Wrigglesworth D
Department of Animal Nutrition, Veterinary College, Bangalore, India.
Mars India International, Hyderabad, India.
J Anim Physiol Anim Nutr (Berl). 2018 Feb;102(1):e106-e110. doi: 10.1111/jpn.12709. Epub 2017 Apr 26.
Maintenance energy requirements (MERs) were calculated for 17 German shepherd and 20 Labrador retriever adult dogs using an in-home prospective dietary trial. The dogs were fed the same dry pet food and body weight, food intake, body condition score and physical activity were monitored for 10 weeks. Labrador retrievers were significantly heavier and had higher body condition scores than German shepherd dogs, but there was no difference between males and females within each group. Body weights remained stable over the study period, with an average daily gain of 9.1 g. Mean (SD) MER was 103.4 (16.3) kcal/kg BW , which was some 20% lower than that currently suggested for moderately active young adult dogs. Individual MER ranged from 66.8 to 141 kcal/kg BW . There were no significant differences in MER between the two breeds, or between males and females within and between the two breeds. There was a significant inverse relationship between MER and body condition score, reflecting the lower energy expenditure of adipose tissue. The lower MER of dogs in this study, relative to previous observations, may reflect climatic and environmental differences and highlight the necessity for accurate estimates of MER in relation to the production and feeding of pet foods.
采用家庭前瞻性饮食试验，对17只成年德国牧羊犬和20只成年拉布拉多猎犬的维持能量需求（MERs）进行了计算。给这些狗喂食相同的干宠物食品，并对其体重、食物摄入量、身体状况评分和身体活动进行了为期10周的监测。拉布拉多猎犬比德国牧羊犬明显更重，身体状况评分更高，但每组内雄性和雌性之间没有差异。在研究期间，体重保持稳定，平均日增重9.1克。平均（标准差）MER为103.4（16.3）千卡/千克体重，比目前建议的中等活动水平的年轻成年犬低约20%。个体MER范围为66.8至141千卡/千克体重。两个品种之间、每个品种内的雄性和雌性之间的MER没有显著差异。MER与身体状况评分之间存在显著的负相关关系，反映了脂肪组织较低的能量消耗。与之前的观察结果相比，本研究中狗的MER较低，这可能反映了气候和环境差异，并突出了在宠物食品生产和喂养方面准确估计MER的必要性。
