Himalayan sets up website to help Nepal quake victims

Himalayan Corp., makers of Himalayan Dog Chew, has set up a website to help the victims of the recent devastating earthquake in Nepal.
The website collects donations and tracks the company’s CEO, Sujan Shrestha, and the Himalayan team as they provide supplies to those displaced by the earthquake.
“We’ve stopped production in Nepal for two weeks while we pay our workers their regular rate to deliver food, water and masks to the Kathmandu valley,” said Brando Barney, digital marketing and trade show specialist at Himalayan. “Our production facility is still standing, and we won’t have any supply issues.”
The website says all donations go directly to those in need.
“Nepal needs your support more than ever, today,” the website says. “Including providing tents, mask and tickets for victims to go to villages to their families and friends, we, Himalayan Dog Chew family, are trying our best to provide a meal and a bottle of water per person per day in local tent cities in small scale. $2 buys a meal and a bottle of water. Hence, every dollar you donate to help really does count.”

Royal Canin survey finds pet owners lack knowledge on cat health

Royal Canin recently released the results of its nationwide US survey of cat owners to dispel myths and better understand the relationship between cats and their owners. The survey found that many pet owners lack knowledge on their cat's health, as nearly 50 percent said they think about their cat's health daily.
In fact, nearly three-quarters of cat owners (72 percent) don't consider their cat's health when selecting food for their pet. The survey also found others don't factor their cat's breed (93 percent), weight (65 percent) or age (52 percent) into their petfood decision-making process.
"Many cat owners don't consider about key health factors when selecting their cat's food, because they aren't sure which factors they should be considering," said Dr. Brent Mayabb, veterinarian and director of corporate affairs at Royal Canin. "Feeding cats a food suited to their age, lifestyle, specific sensitivities and breed contributes to the overall health and well-being of the cat."
Tastes were found to play a big role in cat food selection. Nearly two in five cat owners believe that cats have a strong sense of taste (38 percent). Royal Canin says this is likely why so many consider flavor (42 percent) when choosing a cat food, and 15 percent of owners admit to taste testing their cat's food.
"In truth, a cat's ability to taste isn't nearly as powerful as a human's ability, and aroma and texture play a much bigger role in how cats choose their food," said Dr. Mayabb. "It's important to consider the kibble texture, shape and size and especially food aromas when trying to pick a food your cat will like."
Although nearly all cat owners (95 percent) said they are confident that they are doing the best they can for their pet, nearly half (49 percent) did not gather any information or research before they brought their cat home.
"We understand the strong bond pet owners have with their cats, and one of the best ways to enhance that relationship is to learn more about them," said Dr. Mayabb. "Understanding a cat's physical and physiological traits is critical to not only finding the right fit for your family, but also in doing what's best for the cat's well-being once they are brought home."
Nearly 61 percent of cat owners selected a cat because it easily adapts to the owner's lifestyle, 60 percent chose a cat because they don't have to be walked or taken outside to go the bathroom, and 55 percent because cats can be left alone for longer periods of time.
However, the survey found many cat owners are uninformed of the typical cat lifestyle. A majority of cat owners were unaware that cats spend time each day marking their territory (73 percent), hunting (68 percent) and hiding (62 percent).
"By understanding how cats spend their day, we can enrich our cat's environment," said Steve Dale, certified animal behavior consultant and host of Steve Dale's Pet World radio show. "Simple things like creating lots of places for your cat to climb and scratch, or hiding food in toys throughout the house, allow your cat to 'hunt'-all improving the overall health and happiness of your pet."

British Veterinary Association speaks out against new pet obesity research

New research recently reported in the Telegraph claims that many cats and dogs are becoming obese because of "comfort eating" to cope with "emotional distress." However, the British Veterinary Association is speaking out against the research, claiming it reinforces the "mistaken view" that "giving extra food to your pets is a way of showing that you love them."
The study by Dr. Franklin McMillan, a veterinarian and former clinical professor of medicine at the Western University of Health Sciences College of Veterinary Medicine, in California, USA, suggested that owners should try to understand the causes of the emotional distress, rather than simply cutting down on the amount of food pets' eat, which could make them even more unhappy and hungrier, the research said. McMillian's research suggested a number of factors that could trigger "emotional eating" in pets, including boredom, anxiety and depression. 
But, Robin Hargreaves, president-elect of the British Veterinary Association, disagreed, saying: "The research may have merit, but the concluding advice makes me worry.
"Animals do have emotional needs. You can't get away from that. But the biggest problem relating to pet obesity, is human behavior, rather than animal behavior. This advice gives an excuse to people who do not want to stop feeding their pets. My fear is that owners will latch onto this and say 'my animal needs this amount of food because of his emotional needs.' People clutch at straws because they would rather do anything than stop feeding their pet and this advice is manna to them.
"It can be hard to resist that hungry look from your dog and too easy to substitute real attention and interaction for treats, but it's in the pet's best interests to get it right," Hargreaves said. 

New pet nutrition research shows overweight dogs have shorter lives

Being overweight shortens a dog's life expectancy, according to new research by Mars Petcare and Banfield Pet Hospital's Waltham Centre for Pet Nutrition. The new research shows the consequences for dogs being overweight and highlights the importance of pet owners maintaining their dog at a healthy weight. 
Data on a range of popular dog breeds from across the US showed that dogs that are overweight in middle age have a shorter life expectancy than ideal-weight dogs. Specifically, overweight dogs were found to suffer a reduction in life expectancy of up to 10 months compared to ideal-weight dogs. 
"We examined a broad range of popular breeds of all shapes and sizes and found that overweight dogs tend to have a shorter life expectancy. This was particularly pronounced in five breeds - Labrador, Shih Tzu, American Cocker Spaniel, Golden Retriever and Beagle," said lead scientist at the Waltham Centre, Carina Salt. "In order to ensure the findings were representative of dogs in the family home, we used data from a large number of pet dogs collected during visits to their veterinarian. The research highlights the very real consequences of being overweight for dogs in the family home. Key tips for combating excess weight and keeping your dog fit and healthy include carefully controlling food portions in line with the pack feeding guidelines, regular exercise appropriate for your dog's needs and regular weighing sessions. Owners concerned about their dog's weight should speak to a veterinarian."
Data were collected on normal and overweight dogs from 10 popular breeds, ranging in age from 6.5 to 8.5 year. The data were collected by veterinarians during consultations across the network of more than 830 Banfield Pet Hospital locations in the US.

Research funded by Mars, Waltham Center for Pet Nutrition looks at benefits of animal interactions

New research studies, supported by funding from Mars and Waltham Center for Pet Nutrition, focus on how interactions with animals positively affect people's physical, mental and social well-being.
The studies focus on three areas: the impact of equine-based programs on early teens' social skills, how structured interactions with dogs impacts people with dementia, and the effect of pet ownership on social relationships and community connectedness. 
The new research will be presented at the triennial meeting of the international Association of Human Animal Interaction Organizations, in partnership with the annual American Veterinary Medical Association meeting, taking place July 19-23 in Chicago, Illinois, USA.

Petfood bowl, scooper may be contributors to pet obesity epidemic

The size of a pet's food bowl and the tools used to scoop out the petfood are likely contributing to the epidemic of pet obesity, according to a study published in the April 2012 issue of the Journal of Animal Physiology and Animal Nutrition.
The four-treatment trial study, conducted by researchers at the University of Tennessee's College of Veterinary Medicine, included 54 dogs that consumed kibbled dog food in the following serving combinations:
• Small bowl and small scoop
• Small bowl and large scoop
• Large bowl and small scoop
• Large bowl and large scoop
The food portions offered to the dogs using the small bowl with the small scoop were significantly less than all other bowl and scoop combinations, the study showed. The small/small combination averaged about 151 grams, compared to 172, 173 and 185 grams for the other combinations. The small bowl/large scoop and the large bowl/small scoop amounts were almost the same (172 grams versus 173 grams), while the large bowl with the large scoop resulted in a 185-gram serving.
Study authors say these results emphasize the need for pet owners to use standard measuring cups when measuring out their pet's food, and for owners of overweight pets to use smaller bowls and serving scoops. Researchers say it is also important that pet owners calculate their pet's ideal daily caloric intake.

Rural pet owners, couples with no kids spend more on petfood, pet supplies

Pet owners ages 55 to 64 and couples without children are most likely to pamper their pets, compared to those pets owned by single pet owners and single parents, according to a new analysis by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
In general, American pet owners spend about US$500 on average, about 1 percent of their annual pet budget. But, pet owners from 55 to 64 years old and couples without children spend hundreds of dollars more than pet owners in their 20s and 30s. This equated to Americans’ overall spending on pets of US$61.4 billion in 2012. 
Spending on petfood in 2011 reached an average of US$182.75, compared to US$142.6 spent on veterinary care in 2011. Despite the higher overall spending on pets, one-quarter of pet owners said they didn’t visit the vet in 2011, according to the US Pet Ownership & Demographics Sourcebook. 
The analysis also found that rural pet owners spent more on their pets than urban pet owners, at US$716 per year, on average, about 48 percent more than pet owners in the city. 
One explanation is that city pet owners spend money on other activities, such as movies or concerts, which may not be as widely available in the country. Another is that pet owners in rural areas spend more on petfood because they own more dogs and cats. In rural Maryland, USA, Bureau of Labor Statistics economist and report author, Steven Henderson, said, “People drop off pets out here. We have a changing number of cats that we feed.”

Pet care sales report offered by Research and Markets

Research and Markets now offers the Pet Care 2012 Part 1: Continued Growth in an Age of Economic Gloom report, which found that despite continued economic uncertainty, pet humanization and premiumization have helped global pet care sales rebound relatively strongly in 2012 compared to 2011.
The report is the first in a two-part global briefing from Euromonitor International that provides an overview of pet care retail sales by region and highlights best and worst performing product categories. It also highlights emerging regions, identifies leading and emerging companies, provides pet ownership statistics and more. 

Canine Health Foundation seeks applicants for dog bloat grant

The American Kennel Club’s Canine Health Foundation is seeking applications from researchers interested in gastrointestinal physiology for US$250,000 grants to promote research into fatal bloat condition in dogs.
Researchers interested in seeking funding from the grant must submit a letter of intent by March 18. The Foundation will also provide continuing education for veterinarians showing surgical procedures used for prevention during spay and neuter.
“Bloat is devastating for dog owners when it occurs. Through this major funding effort, researchers, for the first time, will have the resources they need to work towards establishing the causes and pre-dispositions for bloat,” says Dr. Shila Nordone, chief scientific officer of Canine Health Foundation. “Once we understand why bloat occurs, we will have better treatment options and possibly be able to prevent the syndrome from occurring in the first place.”
In addition to addressing dog bloat with research grants, the Canine Health Foundation will host a free webinar in mid-2013 to educate dog owners about bloat, as well as its possible causes, susceptible breeds, symptoms, medical intervention and an explanation of research needed on the condition. 

Purina joins Human Animal Bond Research Initiative Foundation committee

Human Animal Bond Research Initiative Foundation president, Bob Vetere, named John Saguto, vice president, Pet Specialty Group at Nestlé Purina PetCare, as a member of the organization’s Steering Committee.
Purina joins 13 additional Steering Committee members all in support of achieving recognition of the human-animal bond and the positive roles animals have on human health. As a member of the Sterling Committee, Purina and Saguto will help to provide executive strategic leadership and support the organization in furthering its mission.
“At Purina, we understand the deep bond and important roles of pets in our lives, because we’re pet lovers and pet parents, too,” Saguto said. “We’ve been helping dogs and cats live happy, healthy lives for more than 80 years, and we are always looking to partner with others who also promote responsible pet care.”
The 13 other Steering Committee members include: American Humane Association; American Veterinary Medical Association; Bayer Animal Health; Central Garden and Pet; Hartz; Hill’s Pet Nutrition; Morris Animal Foundation; Natural Balance; PetSafe; PetSmart; Segrest Farms, funded by Allen Levey; Sergeants; and WellPet.

Pet owners, pets invited to participate in American Gut Project

Researchers from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign are looking for volunteers to participate in the American Gut Project. All Americans over the age of 3 months and their pets may submit a sample to the American Gut Project, which is a study of the microbiomes in the gut.
“Previous projects, including the five-year, US$173-million NIH-funded Human Microbiome Project, focused on highly selected groups of people, and there has been no way for the general public to participate, much less their children or pets,” said Kelly Swanson, an associate professor of Animal Sciences at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, who studies the effects of diet on the gastrointestinal microbiome of humans, dogs and cats. “The American Gut Project, led by the Human Food Project, will take the microbiome field a critical step forward, moving the research from a well-controlled lab environment to the real world and gets everyone involved.”
A small home kit will be sent to those who register on the website along with a confidential questionnaire about diet and general lifestyle. After sequencing the genetic material in the gut material, participants will be provided with a print out of the bacteria and their abundance so they can compare their own gut bugs to other populations around the world.
According to Swanson: “The research is led by world leaders in the microbiome field and targets free-living populations with more application to the average American. Moreover, the project will include all members of the family, including our furry companions. The majority of data we currently have on the dog and cat microbiomes has come from a handful of small studies in research labs or clinically ill animals. This project will apply the technology to free-living pets, where diet, genetics and living environment are quite different from household to household. This research may identify important trends not possible with lab-based studies and help guide us on how to feed our pets in the future.”

Researchers examine health of cats fed high-protein diets

Researchers at the University of Illinois looked into the common belief that cats, carnivorous by nature, are healthiest when fed high-protein diets.
A team of researchers examined the effect of dietary protein-to-carbohydrate ratio on the gut microbiomes of growing kittens. “There are a lot of diets now, all natural, that have high protein and fat and not much dietary fiber or carbohydrates,” said animal sciences researcher, Kelly Swanson.
One month before mating, eight domestic shorthair female cats were randomly assigned to one of two dry diets: high-protein, low-carbohydrate (HPLC) or moderate-protein, moderate-carbohydrate (MPMC). When the kittens were born, they were housed with their mothers until they were 8 weeks old, weaned and then fed the same diets as their mothers.
After weaning, the more than 30 kittens were twin- and triple-housed within the dietary-group cages. Twelve of the kittens became part of the study, from which researchers took fecal samples at weaning and four and eight weeks after weaning. They extracted bacterial DNA and used bioinformatics techniques to estimate total bacterial diversity.
The researchers found important differences between the two groups in microbiome composition. As they had expected, levels of proteolytic bacteria that break down protein were higher for kittens on the HPLC diet and levels of saccharolytic bacteria that break down carbohydrates were higher for kittens on the MPMC diet.
In addition, researchers looked at relationships between the diets and physiology. The kittens fed the MPMC diet had high levels of bifidobacteria, which was linked to higher blood ghrelin levels. Ghrelin is a hormone that stimulates appetite and thus, may be linked to weight gain, according to researchers. Meanwhile, the bifidobacteria may promote better gastrointestinal health, as low levels in humans have been linked to inflammatory bowel disease.
Other bacteria found at higher levels in the MPMC kittens, including lactobacilli, are also linked to gut health. The researchers found a positive relationship between lactobacilli, blood cholesterol, and blood leptin levels. Leptin is the signal that tells the body to stop eating. Hence, lactobacilli may be linked to cholesterol metabolism, appetite and body weight regulation.
Although kittens fed the HPLC diet had lower levels of some health-promoting bacteria, including Bifidobacterium, Lactobacillus and Megasphaera, all the animals were healthy throughout the study.
“The cat is fairly unique metabolically,” Swanson said. “But when it comes to gut microbes, there are a lot of similarities to other species. If you feed the bacteria in a cat, dog or human colon the same substrate, there are probably going to be similar outcomes.”
The complete research has been published online in British Journal of Nutrition.

'Cat Allergy' report now available from Research and Markets

Research and Markets has added Global Markets Direct's new report, "Cat Allergy - Pipeline Review, H2 2012," to its offerings.
The report provides an overview of the indication's therapeutic pipeline, with information on therapeutic developments for cat allergies, updates on late-stage and discontinued projects, and a review of key market players. The full report may be purchased online.

Dogs' cognitive performance may improve after breakfast, research finds

New research from the University of Kentucky has found that that dogs' cognitive performance may improve when they eat breakfast compared to when they do not eat a morning meal.
Researchers Dr. Holly Miller and Charlotte Bender tested the search performance of trained dogs after they consumed breakfast and when they fasted in the morning.
In their trials, Dr. Miller and Bender began by depleting the energy levels of all the dogs before the search began by requiring the dogs to "sit and stay" for 10 minutes. This exercise is in line with the results of a previous study by Dr. Miller that demonstrated that a dog's exertion of self-control lowers energy levels and the ability to perform certain tasks.
The dogs were shown a treat that was then hidden in one of six containers. The results, recently published in the Behavioural Processes journal, showed that the dogs that consumed breakfast searched more accurately 30 minutes after the meal than those who searched on an empty stomach.
"The key finding here is rather simple: breakfast can aid performance by dogs," Dr. Miller said.