Angela Witzel

2014 AAHA weight management guidelines for dogs and cats

Communicating and implementing a weight management program for dogs and cats can be a challenging endeavor for veterinarians, but a rewarding one. An effective individualized weight loss program provides a consistent and healthy rate of weight loss to reduce risk of disease, prevent malnutrition, and improve quality of life. Weight loss is achieved with appropriate caloric restriction, diet selection, exercise, and strategies to help modify behavior of both the pet and client. This document offers guidelines and tools for the management of weight loss and long-term maintenance of healthy weight.

Use of a morphometric method and body fat index system for estimation of body composition in overweight and obese cats

OBJECTIVE To develop morphometric equations for prediction of body composition and create a body fat index (BFI) to estimate body fat percentage in overweight and obese dogs. DESIGN Prospective evaluation study. ANIMALS 83 overweight or obese dogs ≥ 1 year of age. PROCEDURES Body condition score (BCS) was assessed on a 5-point scale, morphometric measurements were made, and visual and palpation-based assessments and dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) were performed. Equations for predicting lean body mass, fat mass, and body fat as a percentage of total body weight (ie, body fat percentage) on the basis of morphometric measurements were generated with best-fit statistical models. Visual and palpation-based descriptors were used to develop a BFI. Predicted values for body composition components were compared with DEXA-measured values. RESULTS For the study population, the developed morphometric equations accounted for 98% of the variation in lean body mass and fat mass and 82% of the variation in body fat percentage. The proportion of dogs with predicted values within 10% of the DEXA values was 66 of 83 (80%) for lean body mass, 56 of 83 (68%) for fat mass, and 56 of 83 (67%) for body fat percentage. The BFI accurately predicted body fat percentage in 25 of 47 (53%) dogs, whereas the value predicted with BCS was accurate in 6 of 47 (13%) dogs. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE Morphometric measurements and the BFI appeared to be more accurate than the 5-point BCS method for estimation of body fat percentage in overweight and obese dogs. Further research is needed to assess the applicability of these findings to other populations of dogs.

Maintenance energy requirements of odor detection, explosive detection and human detection working dogs

Despite their important role in security, little is known about the energy requirements of working dogs such as odor, explosive and human detection dogs. Previous researchers have evaluated the energy requirements of individual canine breeds as well as dogs in exercise roles such as sprint racing. This study is the first to evaluate the energy requirements of working dogs trained in odor, explosive and human detection. This retrospective study evaluated twenty adult dogs who maintained consistent body weights over a six month period. During this time, the average energy consumption was \documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{upgreek} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document} }{}

Relationship of adiponectin and its multimers to metabolic indices in cats during weight change

136\pm 38~\mathrm{kcal}\cdot {\mathrm{BW}}_{\mathrm{kg}}^{0.75}

Pilot study evaluating the effect of feeding method on overall activity of neutered indoor pet cats

\end{document}136±38kcal⋅BWkg0.75 or two times the calculated resting energy requirement (\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{upgreek} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document} }{}

Behavioural isolation between two closely related Hawaiian Drosophila species: the role of courtship

\mathrm{RER}=70~\mathrm{kcal}\cdot {\mathrm{BW}}_{\mathrm{kg}}^{0.75}

Comparison of high fiber and low carbohydrate diets on owner-perceived satiety of cats during weight loss

\end{document}RER=70kcal⋅BWkg0.75). No statistical differences were found between breeds, age or sex, but a statistically significant association (p = 0.0033, R-square = 0.0854) was seen between the number of searches a dog performs and their energy requirement. Based on this study’s population, it appears that working dogs have maintenance energy requirements similar to the 1974 National Research Council’s (NRC) maintenance energy requirement of \documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{upgreek} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document} }{}

Chapter 15 – The Unique Nutritional Requirements of the Cat: A Strict Carnivore

132~\mathrm{kcal}\cdot {\mathrm{BW}}_{\mathrm{kg}}^{0.75}

Body composition of lean outdoor intact cats vs lean indoor neutered cats using dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry

\end{document}132kcal⋅BWkg0.75 (National Research Council (NRC), 1974) and the \documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{upgreek} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document} }{}

Quantified water intake in laboratory cats from still, free-falling and circulating water bowls, and its effects on selected urinary parameters

139\pm 42~\mathrm{kcal}\cdot {\mathrm{BW}}_{\mathrm{kg}}^{0.75}