A
- As-fed basis
- Nutrient percentages exactly as printed on the label, including the water in the food.
B
- Body Condition Score (BCS)
- A 1–9 scale (WSAVA) that describes body fat by sight and touch; 4–5 is ideal.
- Brachycephalic
- Short-nosed breeds such as Pugs and French Bulldogs; they overheat more easily.
C
- Core vaccine
- A vaccine recommended for every dog or cat regardless of lifestyle, such as canine parvovirus or feline panleukopenia.
D
- Dry matter basis
- Nutrient percentages recalculated without water so wet and dry foods can be compared.
E
- Estrus
- The part of a female dog's heat cycle when she accepts mating and can conceive.
G
- Gestation
- The length of pregnancy — about 63 days in dogs and 63–65 days in cats.
- Guaranteed analysis
- The label panel listing minimum protein and fat and maximum fibre and moisture.
I
- Ideal body weight
- The weight at which a pet would have a body condition score of 4–5.
K
- kcal
- Kilocalorie — the unit pet food energy is labelled in (the same as a dietary 'Calorie').
L
- Life stage
- Growth, adult, senior, pregnancy or lactation; each changes energy needs.
M
- MER
- Maintenance Energy Requirement: daily calories for a normal day, calculated as RER × a life-stage factor.
- Modified Atwater factors
- 3.5 kcal/g for protein and carbohydrate and 8.5 kcal/g for fat, used to estimate pet food energy (NRC 2006).
N
- NFE (nitrogen-free extract)
- An estimate of carbohydrate: 100 minus protein, fat, fibre, moisture and ash.
- Non-core vaccine
- A vaccine given only when lifestyle or location puts a pet at risk.
P
- Polydipsia
- Drinking much more than normal — in dogs, more than about 100 mL per kg per day.
- Proestrus
- The first stage of a dog's heat, about 9 days, with swelling and bloody discharge.
R
- RER
- Resting Energy Requirement: 70 × body weight (kg)^0.75 kcal per day.
S
- Size class
- Small (≤ 9 kg), medium (9–23 kg), large (23–41 kg) or giant (> 41 kg) adult weight, as used in our dog-age calculator.
W
- Whelping / queening
- Giving birth in dogs (whelping) and cats (queening).