Andrea J. Fascetti

Pet feeding practices of dog and cat owners in the United States and Australia

Most pet dogs and cats in developed countries are fed commercial foods, but there is growing interest in the use of noncommercial foods for pets, including homemade and raw food diets. A survey of dog and cat owners in the United States and Australia revealed that > 90% of pets were fed commercial foods, but that noncommercial foods comprised at east 25% of the diet for 17.3% of dogs and 6.3% of cats.

Effects of dietary lysine supplementation on upper respiratory and ocular disease and detection of infectious organisms in cats within an animal shelter.

OBJECTIVE To determine within a cat shelter effects of dietary lysine supplementation on nasal and ocular disease and detection of nucleic acids of Chlamydophila felis, feline calicivirus (FCV), and feline herpesvirus (FHV-1). ANIMALS 261 adult cats. PROCEDURES Cats were fed a diet containing 1.7% (basal diet; control cats) or 5.7% (supplemented diet; treated cats) lysine for 4 weeks. Plasma concentrations of lysine and arginine were assessed at the beginning (baseline) and end of the study. Three times a week, cats were assigned a clinical score based on evidence of nasal and ocular disease. Conjunctival and oropharyngeal swab specimens were tested for FHV-1, FCV, and C felis nucleic acids once a week. RESULTS Data were collected from 123, 74, 59, and 47 cats during study weeks 1, 2, 3, and 4, respectively. By study end, plasma lysine concentration in treated cats was greater than that in control cats and had increased from baseline. There was no difference between dietary groups in the proportion of cats developing mild disease. However, more treated cats than control cats developed moderate to severe disease during week 4. During week 2, FHV-1 DNA was detected more commonly in swab specimens from treated versus control cats. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE Dietary lysine supplementation in the amount used in our study was not a successful means of controlling infectious upper respiratory disease within a cat shelter. Rather, it led to increases in disease severity and the incidence of detection of FHV-1 DNA in oropharyngeal or conjunctival mucosal swab specimens at certain time points.

Biochemistry: is pyrroloquinoline quinone a vitamin?

Arising from: T. Kasahara & T. Kato 422, 832 (2003); see also communication from Felton and Anthony; Kasahara et al. reply The announcement by Kasahara and Kato of pyrroloquinoline quinone (PQQ) as a ‘new’ vitamin has received considerable attention. We have since attempted to reproduce the findings on which their conclusion is based, namely that defects in lysine metabolism occur in PQQ-deprived rodents. However, we find that the activity of α-aminoadipic acid-δ-semialdehyde (AAS) dehydrogenase in liver and plasma levels of α-aminoadipic acid (AAA), both of which act as indicators of lysine degradation in mammals, are not affected by changes in PQQ dietary status. Our results call into question the identification of PQQ as a new vitamin.

Effect of water content in a canned food on voluntary food intake and body weight in cats

OBJECTIVE To determine whether water content in a canned food diet induces decreases in voluntary energy intake (EI) or body weight (BW) in cats fed ad libitum. ANIMALS 16 sexually intact male domestic shorthair cats. PROCEDURES Maintenance EI was determined for 2 months in 10 weight-stable cats consuming a control diet (typical colony diet). Cats were allocated into 2 groups of equal BW and fed a canned diet (with-water [WW] diet) or a freeze-dried version of the canned diet (low-water [LW] diet) twice daily. Diets were identical in nutrient profile on a dry-matter basis. Each dietary treatment period of the crossover experiment lasted 3 weeks, with a 3-week washout period between diets. Body composition measurements were determined by use of deuterium oxide at the end of each dietary treatment. Daily food intake was measured for determination of dry-matter intake and EI. Six other cats were used in preference tests for the 3 diets. RESULTS EI was significantly decreased for the WW diet (mean ± SD, 1,053.0 ± 274.9 kJ/d), compared with EI for the LW diet (1,413.8 ± 345.8 kJ/d). Cats had a significant decrease in BW during consumption of the WW diet. Body composition was unaltered by diet. In short-term preference tests, cats ate significantly more of the WW than the LW diet. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE Bulk water in the WW diet stimulated decreases in EI and BW in cats. The impact of water content on energy density and food consumption may help promote weight loss in cats.

Effects of dietary lysine supplementation in cats with enzootic upper respiratory disease

To determine the effectiveness of dietary lysine supplementation in cats with enzootic upper respiratory disease (URD), 50 cats were fed a ration containing 11 or 51 g lysine/kg diet for 52 days. Food intake, body weight, clinical signs, plasma amino acid concentrations and presence of Chlamydophila felis or feline herpesvirus (FHV)-1 DNA within the conjunctival fornix were assessed. Food and lysine intake of both dietary groups decreased between days 17 and 22, coinciding with peak disease and viral presence. Mean disease score for cats fed the supplemented ration (0.94) was higher than for those fed the basal diet (0.21); however, this could be attributed to a small subset of male cats which demonstrated fighting behavior that may have contributed to stress within that cage. FHV-1 DNA was detected on 12 occasions in six cats receiving the supplemented diet and on one occasion in one cat fed the basal diet. C felis DNA was never detected. Mean plasma arginine concentration was lower and plasma lysine concentration was higher in supplemented cats. Mean plasma arginine concentration declined throughout the study in both dietary groups. Data from the present study raise important questions but do not permit a definitive conclusion regarding the efficacy of dietary lysine supplementation in cats with enzootic URD.

Evaluation of recipes of home-prepared maintenance diets for dogs

JAVMA, Vol 242, No. 11, June 1, 2013 D the availability of complete and balanced commercial canine maintenance diets, many owners choose to prepare their pet’s diet at home for reasons such as having more control of the foods that their pet eats, distrust in pet food companies, and the desire to feed a more natural diet. Recipes published by veterinarians and lay writers are readily accessible to pet owners in the popular media (Internet, pet magazines, and books). However, current recommendations are that home-prepared diets are best evaluated and formulated by a veterinary nutritionist. In general, many homeprepared diets are more costly, more time-consuming, and less convenient than are commercial diets, and many home-prepared diets have major nutritional imbalances. Another concern is lack of clear instructions in many recipes, which necessitates assumptions or judgments by pet owners. The nutritional adequacy of recipes for 67 home-prepared diets for dogs and cats with chronic kidney disease has been evaluated, and assumptions were needed for the preparation of every recipe. Lack of clear instructions likely increases variability and potentially impacts the nutritional profile of the prepared diet. Combined with problems of nutritional adequacy, this may result in substantial harm to pets when homeprepared diets are used on a long-term basis. The information reported here is intended to provide an evaluation of recipes for home-prepared diets for adult dogs conducted via computer-based software and compared with recommendations for essential nutrient intake in adult dogs as provided by the NRC and AAFCO. A secondary objective was to compare recipes written by veterinarians with those written by nonveterinarians. We believed that most of the recipes would not meet requirements for essential nutrients and that recipes written by nonveterinarians would have a higher number of deficiencies than recipes written by veterinarians. We also expected all recipes to require that at least 1 assumption would be necessary for preparation of the diet and dietary analysis. Evaluation of recipes of home-prepared maintenance diets for dogs

Attitudes of pet owners toward pet foods and feeding management of cats and dogs.

Patient motion is an important consideration in modern PET image reconstruction. Advances in PET technology mean motion has an increasingly important influence on resulting image quality. Motion-induced artefacts can have adverse effect on clinical outcomes, including missed diagnoses and oversized radiotherapy treatment volumes. This review aims to summarise the wide variety of motion correction techniques available in PET and combined PET/CT and PET/MR, with a focus on the latter. A general framework for the motion correction of PET images is presented, consisting of acquisition, modelling and correction stages. Methods for measuring, modelling and correcting motion and associated artefacts, both in literature and commercially available, are presented, and their relative merits are contrasted. Identified limitations of current methods include modelling of aperiodic and/or unpredictable motion, attaining adequate temporal resolution for motion correction in dynamic kinetic modelling acquisitions, and maintaining availability of the MR in PET/MR scans for diagnostic acquisitions. Finally, avenues for future investigation are discussed, with a focus on improvements that could improve PET image quality, and that are practical in the clinical environment. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Evaluation of recipes for home-prepared diets for dogs and cats with chronic kidney disease

OBJECTIVE To evaluate recipes of diets recommended for animals with chronic kidney disease (CKD), compare nutritional profiles for those recipes to requirements for adult dogs and cats, and assess their appropriateness for the management of CKD. DESIGN Evaluation study. SAMPLE Recipes of 67 home-prepared diets promoted for use in dogs (n = 39 recipes) and cats (28) with CKD. PROCEDURES Recipes were analyzed with computer software to determine calories, macronutrient calorie distribution, and micronutrient concentrations and were assessed for appropriateness for the management of CKD. RESULTS Assumptions were required for the analysis of every recipe, and no recipe met all National Research Council nutrient recommended allowances (RA) for adult animals. Compared with RAs, concentrations of crude protein or at least 1 amino acid were low in 30 of 39 (76.9%) canine recipes and 12 of 28 (42.9%) feline recipes. Choline was most commonly below the RA in both canine (37/39 [94.9%]) and feline (23/28 [82.1%]) recipes; selenium (34/39 [87.2%] canine and 9/28 [32.1 %] feline recipes), zinc (24/39 [61.5%] canine and 19/28 [67.9%] feline recipes), and calcium (22/39 [56.4%] canine and 7/28 [25.0%] feline recipes) concentrations were also frequently below recommendations. The median phosphorus concentration in canine and feline recipes was 0.58 and 0.69 g/1,000 kcal, respectively. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE Many problems with nutritional adequacy were detected, and use of the recipes could result in highly variable and often inappropriate diets. Many recipes would not meet nutritional and clinical needs of individual patients and should be used cautiously for long-term feeding.

Factors Associated with Adverse Outcomes during parenteral Nutrition Administration in Dogs and Cats

BACKGROUND Parenteral nutrition (PN) is increasingly used to support hospitalized dogs and cats. Published assessments of outcome are limited. OBJECTIVE Evaluate type and prevalence of complications and risk factors for death and complications in dogs and cats receiving PN. ANIMALS Three hundred and nineteen dogs and 112 cats that received PN at a teaching hospital between 2000 and 2008. METHODS Retrospective case review. Diagnosis, duration of PN administration, concurrent enteral feeding, death, and mechanical, septic, and metabolic complications were abstracted from medical records. Association of each parameter with complications and death was analyzed by binary logistic regression. RESULTS Pancreatitis was the most common diagnosis (109/319 dogs, 34/112 cats), and 137/319 dogs and 51/112 cats died. Dogs and cats received 113 ± 40% and 103 ± 32% of resting energy requirement, respectively. Mechanical (81/319 dogs, 16/112 cats) and septic (20/319 dogs, 6/112 cats) complications were not associated with death (P > .05). Hyperglycemia was the most common metabolic complication (96/158 dogs, 31/37 cats). Hypercreatininemia in dogs (8/79) was the only complication associated with death (P < .01). Chronic kidney disease in dogs, hepatic lipidosis in cats, and longer duration of inadequate caloric intake before PN in both species were negatively associated with survival (P < .05). Factors positively associated with survival included longer duration of PN administration in both species, enteral feeding in cats with any disease, and enteral feeding in dogs with respiratory disease (P < .05). CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE PN can be effectively used to provide the energy requirements of most critically ill dogs and cats. Most complications accompanying PN administration do not affect survival.

Correction of Hyperkalemia in Dogs with Chronic Kidney Disease Consuming Commercial Renal Therapeutic Diets by a Potassium‐Reduced Home‐Prepared Diet

BACKGROUND Hyperkalemia occurs in dogs with chronic kidney disease (CKD). OBJECTIVES (1) To determine the incidence of hyperkalemia in dogs with CKD, (2) to determine the proportion of hyperkalemic dogs that required modification of dietary potassium intake, (3) to evaluate the response to dietary modification. METHODS The hospital database was reviewed retrospectively to identify dogs with CKD and persistent (>5.3 mmol/L on at least 3 occasions) or severe (K > or = 6.5 mmol/L) hyperkalemia while consuming a therapeutic renal diet. Records of dogs with hyperkalemia that were prescribed a home-prepared, potassium-reduced diet were evaluated further. Response was evaluated by changes in body weight, BCS, and serum potassium concentration. RESULTS One hundred and fifty-two dogs were diagnosed with CKD, of which 47% had > or =1 documented episode of hyperkalemia, 25% had > or = 3 episodes of hyperkalemia, and 16% had > or =1 episodes of severe hyperkalemia (K > 6.5 mmol/L). Twenty-six dogs (17.2%) with CKD and hyperkalemia were prescribed a potassium-reduced, home-prepared diet. The potassium concentration of all hyperkalemic dogs on therapeutic diets (potassium content, 1.6 +/- 0.23 g/1,000 kcal of metabolizable energy [ME]) was 6.5 +/- 0.5 mmol/L but decreased significantly to 5.1 +/- 0.5 mmol/L in 18 dogs available for follow-up in response to the dietary modification (0.91 +/- 0.14 g/1,000 kcal of ME, P < .001). Potassium concentration normalized in all but 1 dog. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE Hyperkalemia is a potential complication of CKD. In a subset of CKD dogs, hyperkalemia can be associated with commercial renal diets and could restrict use of these diets. Appropriately formulated, potassium-reduced, diets are an effective alternative to correct hyperkalemia.