How to Address Common Misconceptions About Nutrition

Today's Vet Pract. Jul-Aug 2024;14(4):34-37. 6 Refs

Angela Witzel Rollins¹, Cailin Heinze

¹ University of Tennessee, College of Veterinary Medicine, Knoxville, TN 37996, USA.

Author Abstract

Unfortunately, the pet food industry is mired in opinions and misinformation, making it difficult for pet owners to discern truth from marketing propaganda. Ultimately, the cornerstones of feeding pets are safety and nutritional balance.

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Chiari-like Malformation and Syringomyelia in Pomeranians: A Longitudinal Study.
At the time of the second MRI, 39.6% of dogs either developed syringomyelia (SM) or showed substantial progression, whereas 12.5% demonstrated partial recovery. Of the dogs initially classified as free from SM, 20.7% had developed the condition. A significant increase was observed in both maximum syrinx diameter (MSD) and maximum syrinx-to-spinal cord diameter ratio between MRI1 and MRI2. Notably, the change in MSD between MRI1 and MRI2 was statistically significantly smaller in dogs treated with furosemide compared to untreated dogs.

'It's only a flesh wound' - Understanding the safety culture in equine, production animal and mixed veterinary practices.
Over 90% of clinicians experienced injury during their careers. Injuries to equine veterinarians were predominately kicks to the leg or head, and usually involved the examination of a horse's distal limb, with most not wearing hard hats. Production animal veterinarians' injuries included crushed hands and feet, and kicks to legs. Injuries often lead to hospital attendance (>25% equine, >40% production animal), yet few took time off work. Veterinarians avoided taking time off work after injuries. Reasons included; minimisation of injury severity, not wanting to 'let the team down', and feelings of guilt.

Safety and efficacy assessment of a chewable tablet containing sarolaner, moxidectin, and pyrantel in the treatment of Angiostrongylus vasorum in dogs.
In the experimental study, the percentage reduction in geometric mean adult worm counts compared to the placebo-treated group was 98.3% after a single dose and 99.6% after two doses. In the field study, faecal larvae counts were reduced by 90% or more in 90.9% of the dogs in the treated group at Day 30 and in 98.5% of dogs at Day 60.

Omeprazole as a Novel Treatment Option for Giardiasis in Cats.
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Prevalence of hip and elbow dysplasia in young adult dogs in Sweden.
This study included 114,568 dogs from 72 breeds screened for HD and 78,504 dogs from 46 breeds screened for ED. The prevalence of HD was highest in the Dogue de Bordeaux (75.4%), Bullmastiff (65.1%), and American Staffordshire Terrier (64.2%), while the prevalence of ED was highest in the Chow Chow (65.2%), Dogue de Bordeaux (40.0%), and American Staffordshire Terrier (34.9%).