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Among dogs diagnosed with canine dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), veterinary medicine researchers at Tufts University identified a correlation between survival time and changing from a grain-free dog food diet.
Compared to a control group, cats killed fewer wild animals in the groups that ate high-protein diets and that played with their owners. Those two groups of cats also brought down less prey than before the experiment began.
For those cat owners who let their felines roam the neighborhood, high-protein cat food may be one means to reduce predatory pressure on birds and other small wildlife.
For dogs, the paleo diet can mean meat and other items encountered around human camps during domestication. Although “discarded loincloth” will never become a dog food variety, other ancient flavors may remain to be revived as dog foods.
Scientists at the Autonomous University of Aguascalientes (Universidad Autónoma de Aguascalientes) reviewed decades of research on aflatoxin contamination in dog food, including prevention methods.
As the recall of potentially aflatoxin-contaminated dog food goes international and a lawsuit over dozens of pet deaths goes to court, dog, cat and other pet food manufacturers can learn how to avoid their own tragic and costly recalls.
Researchers at Massey University observed distinct differences among cats’ preference for various raw organ meats and co-products from cows and lambs. Likewise, raw ingredients from lamb and beef had different palatability.
The event was a forum where scientists with research into DCM could share information, collaborate, and discuss many different – and even conflicting – theories on the condition.
Officials with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration Center for Veterinary Medicine released several documents and statements about the agency’s investigation into correlations between specific dog foods and cases of canine dilated cardiomyopathy.