Stoner news: Struvite diets for cats and dogsMarch 28, 2019While struvite uroliths may in some cases require surgical intervention, the recommended standard of care by the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (ACVIM) is medical dissolution with a therapeutic diet formulated to alter urine acidity and encourage water consumption. Dietary dissolution of struvite stones is both effective and inexpensive. Therapeutic diets limit calculogenic compounds (e.g. phosphorus and magnesium) and acidify urine. That makes the urine a less welcoming environment for stone formation and dissolves stones that are present. Concerns medical dissolution places pets at risk of urethral obstruction are not borne out by the literature, according to the ACVIM consensus statement, published in the Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine (JVIM) in 2016. Dietary management itself has changed as well. The shift from struvite-only dissolution or prevention diets to combination struvite dissolution/prevention and calcium oxalate prevention diets is the biggest change in management of these uroliths, says Cailin Heinze, VMD, Dipl. ACVN, assistant professor of nutrition at Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University. Causes differ Struvite uroliths occur in both dogs and cats, but have different causes. In dogs, struvite stones—the most common type seen—develop almost exclusively as a result of urinary tract infections (UTIs) caused by …
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Talking the talk—What to say when clients prefer raw dietsMarch 21, 2019One only needs to pay attention to the news or trending items on Facebook to see the spate of pet food recalls happening in our country. And with an uptick of pet parents feeding their dogs raw or freeze-dried raw food, it is important veterinarians have honest and open conversations with their clients about concerns surrounding these diets. The following is American Veterinary Medical Association's (AVMA's) position statement on raw diets: "AVMA discourages the feeding to cats and dogs of any animal-source protein that has not first been subjected to a process to eliminate pathogens because of the risk of illness to cats and dogs, as well as humans." Katy Nelson, DVM, medical director of Pet Health for Stop Aging Now, agrees. "Cooking or pasteurization through the application of heat until the protein reaches an internal temperature adequate to destroy pathogenic organisms has been the traditional method used to eliminate pathogens in animal-source protein, although the AVMA recognizes that newer technologies and other methods, such as irradiation, are constantly being developed and implemented," Dr. Nelson says. "Most veterinarians are going to listen to the governing body of our profession, as well as the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and …
How therapeutic home-delivery programs can benefit your practiceMarch 11, 2019This is an exciting, but challenging time for small-animal veterinarians, as we help clients manage their pets' health in ways that were unavailable when I started practicing more than 30 years ago. Take nutrition, for example. New therapeutic diets are enabling us to manage a much broader spectrum of disorders than ever before. But advances don't stop there. Our multiple-location dermatology practice has found success using e-commerce to deliver therapeutic diets directly to pet owners' homes. This convenient and efficient system benefits our clinic, our clients, and the patients in our care. Why sign up for a home-delivery program? While I'm not an expert regarding such programs, I will share my experience with home delivery of therapeutic pet diets in the hope other veterinarians can benefit. It's no secret online pet food sales have grown dramatically in the last few years, especially as more people use e-tailers for their shopping needs. According to a 2017 article, e-commerce accounted for more than 18 percent of dog food sales and close to 13 percent of cat food sales. Further, Amazon's pet food sales increased 34 percent in the first half of 2018 compared to the first half of 2017, and retail …
Is banning "artificial" ingredients based on fear or science?March 1, 2019Since the late 1980s, individuals and organizations have been trying to warn the public about a deadly chemical known as dihydrogen monoxide (DHMO). Though widely used in the home and in commercial settings, including the health-care industry, this substance has been shown to cause severe lung damage and even death when inhaled in small quantities. Hundreds of thousands of people die annually from this cause.1 DHMO also can produce electrolyte disturbances and potentially fatal neurologic symptoms when taken orally, and it can cause severe burns and even explosions when heated.2 A number of surveys have found high levels of support for banning DHMO, and elected officials in several countries have explored taking such action, although DHMO remains ubiquitous.3,4 Given the obvious dangers of this chemical, why do public health agencies not take action to restrict it? It is possible that funding and political influence from industry impede regulatory action. However, it is more likely that governments have chosen not to ban DHMO because it is essential for life. Most people are surprised to learn this until they recognize the nontechnical name for this chemical—water. Is "chemical" a dirty word? The campaign against DHMO has been used as a humorous …
FDA finds potential link between diet and canine DCMFebruary 20, 2019According to reports investigated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA’s) Center for Veterinary Medicine (CVM), a large proportion of diets in canine DCM cases—both grain-free and grain-containing—include peas and/or lentils in various forms as a main ingredient.
Is there a gold-standard test for adverse food reactions?February 14, 2019Some of the most common conditions seen in small-animal practice are gastrointestinal complaints, such as vomiting and diarrhea, and skin problems, including pruritis.1 Among the many differential diagnoses for these symptoms are adverse food reactions (AFRs).
Before you change the diet…February 7, 2019Naughty Girl is a healthy six-month old terrier puppy who is being fed a complete and balanced commercial growth food. She lives with Bad Boy, a four-year old beagle-spaniel cross who is fed an adult maintenance dog food. Bad Boy is brought to your clinic for a two-day history of vomiting and acting sluggish (or punky). Your physical exam reveals some pain on abdominal palpation and a lab test for canine pancreas-specific lipase is "abnormal," suggesting an elevated lipase level. Your suspicion of pancreatitis is high and, after rehydrating the dog with fluids, you send him home on a fat-restricted therapeutic diet. Is a diet change warranted in this situation? Nutrition textbooks and veterinary nutritionists refer to dietary fat as a "nutrient of concern" or "key nutritional factor" when talking about nutritional management for patients with pancreatitis. However, before automatically switching a patient's diet, conduct a thorough nutritional assessment to get the whole picture of what's happening in the home environment. Performing a nutritional assessment involves collecting information about the patient, the diet, and feeding management (Baldwin, et. al. 2010). This is not a process that involves extra time or work—a nutritional assessment begins with routine information collected about …
Vitamin E: Necessary to horses, but there's a lot to learnFebruary 5, 2019Vitamin E seems to be at the forefront of many discussions about horse nutrition these days. Contrary to appearances, vitamin E is not a vitamin in and of itself. Rather, it's a group of eight compounds—four tocopherols and four tocotrienols—that are fat soluble. This vitamin is important for myriad functions in the horse's body, including but not limited to, and in no particular order, the eyes, the reproductive tract, and the neuromuscular system. The most important function of vitamin E seems to be as a biological antioxidant. In this way, and probably by other ways that haven't been determined yet, vitamin E serves to maintain many normal body functions of the horse. Vitamin E-related problems generally manifest in the horse's neuromuscular system. In young horses, these include nutritional myodegeneration, neuroaxonal dystrophy, and equine degenerative myeloencephalopathy; in older horses, a lack of vitamin E is associated with vitamin E-deficient muscle problems or equine motor neuron disease. The grass is greener and packed with vitamin E Happily, for most horses, there is ample vitamin E provided in the diet. Green grass is a great source of vitamin E—most things that are green have a good bit of it. Those horses lucky …
Mars Petcare named WSAVA diamond partnerJanuary 24, 2019Mars Petcare has entered into a partnership with the World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA).
Lystn fires back at FDA's Salmonella warning against its dog foodJanuary 18, 2019Lystn has issued a response to the U.S. Food Drug and Administration’s (FDA’s) warning notice against its dog food products.
