Surgical neutering is one of the most common procedures performed on pets in the USA among other countries. There are known effects of neutering on the physiology and behavior of the cat that predispose to obesity, which is the most significant sequela from a nutritional perspective. Increased food intake is the most likely factor influencing weight gain in the neutered cat. Proactively addressing these changes with nutritional management strategies can help prevent weight gain and associated negative consequences.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to analyze iron, copper and zinc concentrations in commercial foods and compare among food formats (dry, canned, raw), foods marketed by age category (adult 1+ years and senior 7+ years) and foods intended for adult maintenance vs all life stages. METHODS: In total, 112 commercial non-therapeutic food products marketed for healthy adult and senior cats were purchased in the USA. Foods were analyzed for their proximate composition. Trace mineral concentrations were measured using inductively coupled argon plasma-optical emission spectroscopy and described on a calculated metabolizable energy basis using standard modified Atwater values. RESULTS: Measured iron (median 58.4 mg/1000 kcal [range 15.7-379.0]), copper (median 5.6 mg/1000 kcal [range 0.8-13.3]) and zinc (median 47.6 mg/1000 kcal [range 7.6-128.1]) concentrations were highly variable among cat foods. When all food products - regardless of their nutritional adequacy substantiation method - were compared with the Association of American Feed Control Officials regulatory minimums, 13/112 food products had a mineral deficiency, of which a majority (n = 11/13) were raw food products. Raw foods had significantly lower trace mineral concentrations compared with dry food products and, except for copper, canned food products. Cat foods marketed for senior cats had higher iron (P = 0.019) and zinc (P <0.0001) concentrations than foods marketed for adult cats. Foods intended for adult maintenance had higher iron (P = 0.003) and zinc concentrations than foods intended for all life stages (P <0.0001). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Iron, copper and zinc concentrations in commercial non-therapeutic foods for adult and senior cats are highly variable. A minority of foods - mainly raw food products - were deficient in these minerals. It is unknown if some foods with high trace mineral concentrations could have adverse effects as studies are needed to establish safe upper limits for dietary intake of trace minerals in healthy cats.

Obesity in cats is associated with metabolic abnormalities and increased susceptibility to diseases such as diabetes mellitus. Studies in mouse models and human beings have shown that probiotics can reduce food intake, promote weight loss and improve metabolic profile. Studies assessing the effects of probiotics on these same parameters are absent in cats. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine if probiotic Enterococcus faecium strain SF68 dietary supplementation reduces food intake, promotes weight loss and improves metabolic profile in overweight and obese cats without comorbidities. Twenty overweight and obese specific pathogen-free cats without comorbidities were acclimatised to a dry diet for four weeks. After exclusion of four cats for unrelated reasons, eight cats received a daily oral probiotic for eight weeks and eight control cats received no probiotic. All cats were fed ad libitum with food intake measured daily and bodyweight weekly. Blood was collected at three time points: after four weeks of acclimatisation to the diet, after eight weeks of intervention and after six weeks of washout for measurement of glucose, triglyceride, cholesterol, fructosamine, insulin, leptin, total adiponectin and deuterium oxide for body composition. There were no differences in food intake, metabolic parameters and body composition between the probiotic and control groups after eight weeks of intervention and six weeks of washout (P≥0.050). Short-term use of E faecium SF68 dietary supplementation had no significant effect on food intake, bodyweight, body composition or metabolic parameters in overweight and obese specific pathogen-free cats without comorbidities.

Over-the-counter (OTC) limited ingredient canine diets could be reliable alternatives to veterinary therapeutic formulations for the diagnosis and management of adverse food reaction (AFR). However, the possibility of undeclared ingredients jeopardizes the efficacious use of OTC options for medical purposes. The objective was to determine the presence of undeclared ingredients in OTC canine dry diets marketed as limited or single protein source diets. Twenty-one OTC adult canine diets marketed as limited or single protein source diets were purchased. Multiplex PCR was used to screen for DNA of 10 mammalian species with species-specific primers that anneal to regions of the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene. The presence of DNA from one or more species not declared on the label was identified in all 21 diets: cow (Bos taurus), pig (Sus scrofa), sheep (Ovis sp.), goat (Capra hircus) and bison (Bison bison). Twenty diets were positive for the declared protein source and one diet was negative for the declared species. Cat (Felis catus), dog (Canis sp.), horse (Equus sp.), mouse (Mus musculus) and rat (Rattus norvegicus) DNA was not identified in any samples. The presence of undeclared mammal species in OTC canine dry diets marketed as having limited or single protein source ingredients may complicate AFR diagnosis and treatment. However, PCR can detect a miniscule amount of DNA which might not be clinically significant, because the amount needed to elicit a response is unknown. Quantification of the contamination was not determined in this study, precluding discrimination of intentional adulteration from unavoidable cross-contamination.

Some enzyme supplement products claim benefits for healthy dogs to compensate for alleged suboptimal production of endogenous enzymes and the loss of enzymes in commercial pet foods secondary to processing. The objective of the current study was to determine macronutrient and energy digestibility by healthy adult dogs fed a commercial maintenance diet with or without supplementation with plant- and animal-origin enzyme products at the dosage recommended by their respective manufacturers. A group of fourteen healthy neutered adult Beagle dogs (average age 8 years) was divided into two equal groups and fed the basal diet alone and then with either the plant- or animal-origin enzyme supplement in three consecutive 10-d periods; the treatment groups received the opposite enzyme supplement in the third period. Digestibility in each period was performed by the total faecal collection method. Serum trypsin-like immunoreactivity (TLI) was measured at the end of each trial. Data were analysed by repeated measures and the α level of significance was set at 0·05. There were no differences in energy and nutrient digestibility between enzyme treatments. When comparing basal with enzyme supplementation, fat digestibility was higher for the basal diet compared with the animal-origin enzyme treatment, which could be a period effect and was not biologically significant (94·7 v. 93·5 %). Serum TLI was not affected by supplementation with either enzyme product. Exogenous enzyme supplementation did not significantly increase digestibility of a typical commercial dry diet in healthy adult dogs and routine use of such products is not recommended.

Background

Many dog owners alter their dog's nutritional regimen after a diagnosis of cancer. There are limited data as to specific changes made and reasons behind these changes.

Hypothesis/objectives

To collect updated and detailed data on changes made by owners to their dog's diet and supplements after a cancer diagnosis.

Animals

Responses were collected from a survey of dog owners who brought their dogs to the UC Davis Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital's Oncology Service for the first time after a cancer diagnosis. Dogs with recurrence or presenting for a second type of cancer were excluded.

Methods

Eligible owners were surveyed between December 2020 and March 2022. The survey contained 62 questions regarding diet, supplement use, and treats, and how these were altered after a cancer diagnosis. Responses were matched to medical record data.

Results

One hundred twenty-eight surveys were retained for analysis, including 120 respondents that completed the survey. In response to a cancer diagnosis, 54.8% (95% CI; 45.7%-63.8%) of owners altered diets or supplements or both. The most common informational resource for dog diets was veterinarians (53.9%). Usage of home-prepared foods significantly increased after a cancer diagnosis (P = .03). There was no significant difference in commercial diet usage before or after a diagnosis (P = .25). Joint support products were the most common supplements given both before (37.4%) and after (35.0%) diagnosis.

Conclusions and clinical importance

Many dog owners alter their dog's nutritional intake after a cancer diagnosis. These owners should be provided information relating to commonly observed alterations, including home-prepared foods and supplements.

Background

Urolithiasis is an important upper and lower urinary tract disease in cats that results in morbidity and mortality.

Objective

To describe trends in composition of uroliths in cats and evaluate risk factors related to age, breed, sex, urolith location, and bacterial urolith cultures.

Sample population

A total of 3940 uroliths and the cats from which they were obtained.

Methods

The database of the UC Davis Gerald V. Ling Urinary Stone Analysis Laboratory was searched for all urolith submissions from cats between January 2005 and December 2018. Mineral type, age, breed, sex, and urolith location and culture results were recorded. Trends were evaluated and variables compared to evaluate risk factors.

Results

A significant decrease in the proportion of calcium oxalate (CaOx)-containing uroliths occurred over time (P = .02), from 50.1% (204/407) of all submissions in 2005 to 37.7% (58/154) in 2018. In contrast, the proportion of struvite-containing uroliths increased significantly (P = .002), from 41.8% (170/407) in 2005 to 54.5% (84/154) in 2018. The proportion of CaOx-containing uroliths in the upper urinary tract was significantly higher compared to the proportion of other urolith types in the upper urinary tract. Urate-containing uroliths were the third most common type (361/3940, 9.2%). Overall, sex and age predispositions were similar to those reported previously.

Conclusions and clinical importance

The decrease in the proportion of CaOx-containing uroliths and increase in the proportion of struvite-containing uroliths warrants investigation. Further education regarding the efficacy of medical dissolution of struvite-containing uroliths is recommended.

BACKGROUND: The impact of undernutrition in dogs with protein-losing enteropathy (PLE) caused by inflammatory enteritis, intestinal lymphangiectasia, or both and which variables are most predictive of outcome are unknown. OBJECTIVES: Develop an undernutrition screening score (USS) for use at the time of diagnosis of PLE in dogs, which is predictive of outcome. ANIMALS: Fifty-seven dogs with PLE prospectively recruited from 3 referral hospitals in the United Kingdom. METHODS: An USS based on the presence and severity of 5 variables: appetite, weight loss, and body, muscle, and coat condition and scored out of 15, with higher scores reflecting worse undernutrition, was calculated at the time of diagnosis. Follow-up information was obtained for at least 6 months. RESULTS: Dogs that failed to achieve clinical remission within 6 months had higher USS at diagnosis compared with dogs that achieved remission (median, 7.5; range, 2-14 and median, 5; range, 0-14, respectively). The USS at diagnosis gave an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) of 0.656 for predicting nonclinical remission within 6 months, whereas a score consisting of just epaxial muscle loss and coat condition resulted in a larger AUC of 0.728. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: Of the 5 variables assessed in the USS, a combination of epaxial muscle loss and coat condition was most predictive of not achieving clinical remission within 6 months in dogs with PLE. Additional studies will help determine the effect of changes in USS and the 5 associated variables after diagnosis on outcome variables in these dogs.

Limited studies are available on vitamin B6 status in domestic cats. To this end, we evaluated glutamate-oxaloacetate transaminase (GOT) activity in hemolysates with and without pyridoxal 5'-phosphate addition in two feline populations: a cohort of 60 healthy, domestic (sexually intact and specific pathogen-free) cats maintained under strictly controlled conditions with appropriate diets housed at the Feline Nutrition and Pet Care Center, and a cohort of 57 cats randomly selected between December 2022 to January 2023 that visited the Veterinary Medicine Teaching Hospital to seek care under different circumstances. The GOT activity expressed as the ratio with and without pyridoxal 5'-phosphate addition (primary activation ratio; PAR) decreased significantly with age in the healthy cohort. The PAR values normalized to age established a cut-off for vitamin B6 deficiency in both cohorts, identifying 17 of 101 animals as vitamin B6 deficient. Using machine learning, a partition-based model (decision tree) was built to identify the most important factors that predicted vitamin B6 deficiency while using the resulting tree to make predictions for new observations. This analysis, performed with all 101 cats, revealed that the diagnosis of an infectious, chronic or acute condition (0.55) was the main contributor, followed by age (0.26), and body condition score (optimal-overweight; 0.19). Thus, our study supports that vitamin B6 supplementation may be indicated in junior to adult animals diagnosed with an infectious, chronic, or acute conditions or healthy cats with body weight ranging from optimal to overweight. In older cats, even if healthy, underweight to optimal cats appear to be at risk of vitamin B6 deficiency.

Background

High dietary phosphorus (P) and low calcium-to-phosphorus ratio (Ca:P) are associated with kidney damage in cats. There are no established guidelines for dietary P maximum for cats.

Objectives

To quantify crude protein, P, Ca, and magnesium (Mg) concentrations in cat foods and compare among food formats (dry, canned, raw), primary protein ingredients, protein concentrations (low, moderate, high), grain-free versus grain-containing foods, foods intended for adult maintenance versus all life stages, and cost.

Samples

Eighty-two commercial nonprescription cat foods.

Methods

Descriptive study. Mineral concentrations were measured using inductively coupled argon plasma-optical emission spectroscopy. Crude protein was measured using the Dumas nitrogen combustion method. Mineral and crude protein concentrations were compared among food categories.

Results

Twenty-seven foods contained ≥3.6 g P/1000 kcal metabolizable energy (ME), of which 7 exceeded 4.8 g/1000 kcal ME. Thirteen foods had low Ca:P ratio (≤1.0). The low-protein diet group had no products ≥3.6 g P/1000 kcal ME, which was significantly different compared to the high-protein diet group (52% of products had ≥3.6 g P/1000 kcal ME; P = .01). No significant differences in P content and Ca:P ratio were found among other diet categories. Canned foods had significantly lower Mg compared to dry (P < .001) and raw (P = .007) foods. Declared minimum P and Ca were significantly lower than analyzed concentrations (P = .0005 and P = .003, respectively).

Conclusions and clinical importance

The high number of foods with high P and low Ca suggest that pet food regulatory reform should be considered.