No abstract

Removal of 25 or 75% of leaf or root tissue, and 25% of both, was used to simulate above— and belowground herbivory on Tragopogon dubius. Plants with 25% of their leaf tissue removed did not differ significantly from controls in total biomass; those with any root tissue trimmed produced significantly less biomass while the 75% leaf removal treatment was intermediate. A similar pattern was exhibited for plant mortality and flower production. Plants that had one or more flowers removed by herbivores grew significantly larger and produced significantly more flowers than plants that lost no flowers, regardless of treatment. The greatest differences between treatments in nutrients allocation patterns occurred 1 d after manipulations were applied. Subsequently, differences between treatments moderated, and values tended to converge by 98 d postmanipulation, when the plants were harvested. Seeds had significantly higher nitrogen concentration levels than leaf or root tissue.

Veterinarians and pet owners have limited ability to assess pruritic behaviors in dogs. This pilot study assessed the capacity of the Vetrax® triaxial accelerometer to measure these behaviors in six dogs with pruritus likely due to environmental allergens. Dogs wore the activity monitor for two weeks while consuming their usual pet food (baseline), then for eight weeks while consuming a veterinary-exclusive pet food for dogs with suspected non-food-related skin conditions (Hill’s Prescription Diet® Derm DefenseTM Canine dry food). Veterinarians and owners completed questionnaires during baseline, phase 1 (days 1–28) and phase 2 (days 29–56) without knowledge of the activity data. Continuous 3-axis accelerometer data was processed using proprietary behavior recognition algorithms and analyzed using general linear mixed models with false discovery rate-adjusted p values. Veterinarian-assessed overall clinical signs of pruritus were significantly predicted by scratching (β 0.176, p = 0.008), head shaking (β 0.197, p < 0.001) and sleep quality (β −0.154, p < 0.001), while owner-assessed quality of life was significantly predicted by scratching (β −0.103, p = 0.013) and head shaking (β −0.146, p < 0.001). Among dogs exhibiting pruritus signs eating the veterinary-exclusive food, the Vetrax® sensor provided an objective assessment of clinically relevant pruritic behaviors that agreed with owner and veterinarian reports.

Most pet foods utilize traditional ingredients like corn, wheat, and soy. These ingredients and other grains, such as distillers dried grains (DDG), have been used by the pet food industry. Corn fermented protein (CFP) is a nutrient dense enhancement on DDG but has not been evaluated in pet food. Therefore, it was the objective of this study to determine the effect of CFP in the production of extruded pet diets, and to determine the effect on nutrient utilization (digestibility) and stool consistency in dogs, and palatability in dogs and cats. Experimental diets with treatment protein sources [corn gluten meal (CGM), soybean meal (SBM) and CFP] were produced in triplicate using a single screw extruder. Processing parameters and kibble samples were collected at timed intervals during diet production. Kibbles were evaluated for physical dimension and texture. No differences (P&gt;0.05) were observed in any physical dimension or texture parameters evaluated, with exception of radial expansion, which was lower (P&lt;0.05) for CFP kibble compared to others. The CFP kibble required a smaller (P&lt;0.05) mass restriction-valve opening, to keep similar bulk density among dietary treatments. However, there was no difference (P&gt;0.05) in specific mechanical energy among treatments during diet production. Twelve beagles were fed the experimental diets in a 3×3 replicated Latin Square design in which 4 dogs were randomly assigned to each of 3 treatments for each period. Diets were formulated to be isonitrogenous and were supplemented with titanium dioxide to serve as an external marker in order to estimate apparent total tract digestibility. Dogs were housed individually and fed twice daily, and water was available ad libitum. Feces were collected after feedings. The diet produced with CGM was more digestible (P&lt;0.05) than CFP and SBM for dry matter, organic matter, crude protein, crude fat and gross energy. Further, the CFP diet was also less (P&lt;0.05) digestible than the SBM diet for dry matter and organic matter. Dogs fed the diet containing CFP had higher (P&lt;0.05) fecal mass than those fed SBM and CGM. The CFP diet also resulted in a higher fecal score (P&lt;0.05) than those fed diets with the CGM diet, but similar (P&gt;0.05) to the SBM diet. For palatability assessment, dogs had a preference (P&lt;0.05) for CGM over SBM or CFP, but cats showed a preference (P&lt;0.05) for SBM and CFP over CGM. Results indicate that CFP is acceptable for use in dog and cat diets. Further research should be conducted to evaluate the use of these ingredients at lower inclusion levels.

Relationships between humans and their pets have evolved to the point that pets are considered members of the family. Cats are one of the most popular pets worldwide, but many people suffer from allergies to pet dander. As a result, allergies are the second leading cause for cat relinquishment. Cat dander consists of a variety of immunoglobulin proteins, the most prominent of which is Fel d 1. This allergen accounts for 60-90% of total allergenicity. The majority of production of this protein occurs in the sebaceous glands of the animal. It is transferred to the skin through the sebum, where it accumulates in the fur and can then be released into the environment. When inhaled by humans, Fel d 1 can induce an allergic response in susceptible individuals. Due to the complexity of this allergen, a completely effective treatment has yet to be developed. Therefore, methods to reduce the production and release of Fel d 1 in the cat should be explored. Sebum production is under regulation of many hormones and mediators, and nutritional compounds may act as inhibitors in some pathways. By inhibiting certain points in these pathways with nutritional compounds such as polyphenols, carotenoids, fatty acids, and a decreased glycemic index diet, it may be possible to decrease production of Fel d 1 in cats. With a lower release of the allergen and adequate cleaning management, there is a high probability based on the current hypothesis to lower its concentration in the environment and consequently, decrease the symptoms in allergic people.