June 2019

Natural pet food: A review of natural diets and their impact on canine and feline physiology

Throughout history, humans have associated with dogs and cats in various ways, including protection, rodent control, hunting, and companionship. Diets of dogs and cats have shifted, as a result of domestication, from hunting and scavenging to diets formulated for their specific nutritional requirements. Changes in human diets through the development of agricultural practices have fostered this shift. In the United States, 63% of pet owners consider their pets to be family members (AVMA, 2012b). Anthropomorphism of dogs and cats has resulted in pet owner preference for pet foods containing ingredients that they find in their own diet and processed in a way to maintain the nutritional integrity of the ingredients and ensure food safety. Contemporary trends in human diets in developed regions of the world are including more fresh fruits and vegetables (Barnard, 2010) and whole grains (Griffiths, 2010). This paradigm has resulted in the emergence of the natural pet food segment. The natural pet food segment in the United States has grown steadily, from US$2.0 billion in 2008 to $3.9 billion in 2012 (Lummis, 2012).

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Source: academic.oup.com

June 2019

Research Review: A Simple Step for Extending Your Dog’s Life

If you do an internet search on “help my dog life longer”, you’ll be treated to quite a bit of dubious to dangerous advice ranging from avoiding “chemicals” to using various supplements to feeding a raw diet. While there is no evidence that any of these strategies are associated with health benefits, much less life extension (and there are potential concerns with each as well), scientific studies have shown us that one of the more effective strategies is also one of the simplest – keep (or get) your dog lean!

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Source: vetnutrition.tufts.edu

June 2019

High-fructose corn syrup boosts intestinal tumor growth in mice

Consuming a daily modest amount of high-fructose corn syrup -- the equivalent of people drinking about 12 ounces of a sugar-sweetened beverage daily -- accelerates the growth of intestinal tumors in mouse models of the disease, independently of obesity, according to new research.

Does sugar directly feed cancers, boosting their growth? The answer seems to be 'Yes' at least in mice according to a study led by researchers at Baylor College of Medicine and Weill Cornell Medicine. Their study, published in Science, showed that consuming a daily modest amount of high-fructose corn syrup -- the equivalent of people drinking about 12 ounces of a sugar-sweetened beverage daily -- accelerates the growth of intestinal tumors in mouse models of the disease, independently of obesity. The team also discovered the mechanism by which the consumption of sugary drinks can directly feed cancer growth, suggesting potential novel therapeutic strategies.

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Source: sciencedaily.com

June 2019

24 BAD DOG FOOD INGREDIENTS TO AVOID

You want the best pet food for your dog, but that's not easy when marketing and economics get in the way of what's healthful for your pet. You can't trust the brands themselves, as pet food companies can use tricks to make their food appear better than it actually is. The package and the commercials can be misleading, but the ingredient list offers a more truthful look at what's actually in your dog's food.

These bad dog food ingredients are some of the worst offenders in pet food. While all of these ingredients are legal to put in dog food in Canada, they've been outlawed in many countries, and are just not worth the risk. Check your dog food ingredient label to make sure it's not harbouring one of these common, but potentially harmful dog food ingredients. You might even want to check your food, as some of these ingredients can be found in people food as well. Instead, choose one of the healthy alternatives suggested.

Watch for these 24 Bad Ingredients in Your Dog's Food:

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Source: homesalive.ca

June 2019

Crop Cultivation and Wild Animals

Plant agriculture leaves one of humanity's biggest ecological footprints and hence has major implications for wild-animal suffering. Crop cultivation plausibly reduces populations of large animals, although the sign of impact is less clear for insects, and overall there's extremely high uncertainty in this analysis.

At the end of this piece, I begin an attempt to rank different crops according to how good vs. bad they seem for wild animals. While my method is very crude and imprecise, I come to the general conclusion that beans and nuts are better, while grasses/grains are worse. So try to eat less bread/pasta/rice/cereal and more beans/nuts and (maybe) potatoes.

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Source: reducing-suffering.org

June 2019

Plant-based (vegan) diets for pets: A survey of pet owner attitudes and feeding practices

People who avoid eating animals tend to share their homes with animal companions, and moral dilemma may arise when they are faced with feeding animal products to their omnivorous dogs and carnivorous cats. One option to alleviate this conflict is to feed pets a diet devoid of animal ingredients—a ‘plant-based’ or ‘vegan’ diet. The number of pet owners who avoid animal products, either in their own or in their pets’ diet, is not currently known. The objective of this study was to estimate the number of meat-avoiding pet owners, identify concerns regarding conventional animal- and plant-based pet food, and estimate the number of pets fed a plant-based diet. A questionnaire was disseminated online to English-speaking pet owners (n = 3,673) to collect data regarding pet owner demographics, diet, pet type, pet diet, and concerns regarding pet foods. Results found that pet owners were more likely to be vegetarian (6.2%; 229/3,673) or vegan (5.8%; 212/3,673) than previously reported for members of the general population. With the exception of one dog owned by a vegetarian, vegans were the only pet owners who fed plant-based diets to their pets (1.6%; 59/3,673). Of the pet owners who did not currently feed plant-based diets but expressed interest in doing so, a large proportion (45%; 269/599) desired more information demonstrating the nutritional adequacy of plant-based diets. 

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Source: journals.plos.org

June 2019

Overview of Nutrition: Exotic and Zoo Animals

The field of zoo and exotic animal nutrition continues to make advances that result in better diets. Exotic animal nutritionists in zoos and in the feed industry are studying problems and generating information on proper nutritional management for many species.

All animals require nutrients and energy in a metabolizable form. The nutrients and energy must be properly balanced and in the correct form to accommodate particular tastes, digestive systems, and feeding methods. For example, large psittacines typically use their feet to hold food, whereas other species obtain or position food using other appendages (or they do not manipulate food). If a commercial extruded food is fed, the pieces must be large enough for the bird to grasp easily. Diets for exotic and zoo animals have been developed by considering food habits in the wild, oral and GI tract morphology, nutrient requirements established for domestic and laboratory animals and people, nutritional research on exotic species, and practical experience. The ultimate criteria to evaluate the suitability of a diet for a given species are growth, reproductive success, and longevity.

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Source: merckvetmanual.com

June 2019

5 Ways to Help Your Horse Live Longer

Follow these five simple rules to increase your horse's chance of living to a ripe old age.

Experts estimate that the life expectancy of a horse in this country is somewhere between 18 and 22 years. Of course, that's just an average; illness or accidents will claim some horses in their prime; many more will thrive well into their 20s.

Just how long an individual horse lives depends on a combination of genes, luck and lifestyle. You can't change a horse's pedigree--or his luck for that matter--but you do have control over how he lives.

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Source: equusmagazine.com

June 2019

Suggested Vegetables and Fruits for a Rabbit Diet

Rabbits in the wild all over the world successfully consume a wide variety of plant material. Various types of dry and fresh grasses and plants with leaves comprise the largest portion of the wild rabbit diet. Rabbits will also eat bark on trees, tender twigs and sprouts, fruits, seeds and other nutritious foods in much small amounts. This is important to know when we decide what is a healthy diet for our house rabbits.

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Source: House Rabbit Society