Explore the vast range of titles available.

Grain-free pet food options abound in the pet food market today, representing more than 40% of available dry dog foods in the United States. There is currently a dearth of information about the factors that contribute to a dog owner’s choice of a grain-free dry dog food and if those factors are similar among countries. Therefore, the primary objective of the current survey was to identify the variables that are predictive of a dog owner’s choice of a grain-free dry food across North America (Canada and the United States) and Europe (France, the United Kingdom and Germany). The survey consisted of 69 questions, took less than 15 minutes to complete and was distributed virtually via Qualtrics (Qualtrics XM, Utah, USA). A total of 3,298 responses were collected, equally distributed between countries. Multinomial logistic regression was performed in SPSS Statistics (Version 26, IBM Corp, North Castle, New York, USA). Male respondents, people from France, people who ranked the importance of ingredients in a pet food in the lower quartiles and people who do not rotate their dog’s diet to provide variety were less likely to select ‘no grain’ when choosing a pet food. In contrast, people who believe that their dog has a food allergy, follow more than 5 specific dietary routines in their own diet, do not try to include grains in their own diet, get their information about pet food from online resources or pet store staff and look for specific claims on pet food (such as ‘no fillers’), were all more likely to select ‘no grain’ when choosing a pet food. This survey provides insight into the similarities and differences in decision making among dog owners in North America and Europe and should be considered when exploring the effects of grain-free dog foods on canine health and well-being.

Canine obesity is becoming an increasingly prevalent concern among companion animal veterinarians and professionals alike. A number of sociodemographic, dietary, and exercise related variables have been shown to be predictive of a dog’s bodyweight, however, all previous surveys designed to address these variables have been focussed on only one area of the world at a time. The objective of this survey was to investigate how an owner’s exercise routine influences their dog’s exercise routine and which of the owner’s dietary and exercise habits influence their perception of their dog’s body weight. The survey included respondents across France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Canada and the United States. The survey was distributed online via Qualtrics (Qualtrics XM, Utah, USA) and a total of 3,298 responses were collected, equally distributed across country and between sexes. Comparison of column proportions and multinomial logistic regression were performed in SPSS Statistics (Version 26, IBM Corp, North Castle, New York, USA). Respondents from Germany were more likely to exercise their dog for a longer amount of time, rank the importance of exercise as extremely important, report that their dog is an ideal body weight, and were less likely to report that someone (including a veterinarian) had told them their dog was overweight. Results from linear regression revealed that those who had been told their dog was overweight, those who restrict their dog’s food intake to control weight, those who select a weight control diet and those who give their dog more other foods (treats, table scraps, fruits/vegetables) on a daily basis were all less likely to believe that their dog is an ideal body weight. In contrast, only those who reported doing more vigorous exercise themselves or those who reported that their dog performs vigorous exercise were more likely to believe that their dog is an ideal body weight. The results highlight owner’s perceptions of healthy weight and the role of nutrition and exercise. Owner’s intentions and attitudes towards the value of exercise and promoting an ideal body weight in their dog should be explored, but may require a One Health approach to ensure successful weight management among both dogs and their owners.

Creatine is a nitrogenous compound essential for cellular energy homeostasis found in animal protein; however, when heat-processed for pet food, creatine is degraded to creatinine, which is not metabolically active and excreted in urine. The objective of the present investigation was to define the postprandial plasma creatine and creatinine response in dogs fed a commercial diet (CON) formulated for adult dogs, top-dressed with a combination of creatine (9.6 g/kg dry matter, DM), carnitine (2.13 g/kg DM) and choline (0.24 g/kg DM; CCC), methionine (2.6 g/kg DM; MET), or taurine (0.7 g/kg DM; TAU). Eight adult Beagles were fed one of the four diets for 7 days in a Latin Square design with no washout period. On day 7, cephalic catheters were placed and blood samples were collected before being fed (fasted) and up to 6 h post-meal. Creatine and creatinine were analyzed using HPLC and data analyzed using PROC GLIMMIX in SAS. Plasma creatine concentrations were higher in dogs fed CCC (103 ± 10 μmol/L) compared to MET (72 ± 7 μmol/L) at fasted ( P < 0.05) and higher compared to all other treatments from 15 to 360 min post-meal ( P < 0.05). Plasma creatinine concentrations were higher in dogs fed CCC from 60 to 180 min compared to all other treatments. These data suggest that when creatine, carnitine and choline are top-dressed for 7 days, plasma creatine is rapidly absorbed and remains elevated up to 6 h post-meal. This may have implications for energy metabolism and should be considered when using creatinine as a diagnostic tool in dogs.

Grain-free pet foods have been sold for over a decade and comprise more than 40% of dog and cat diets sold today. Grain-free diets replace grain ingredients with pulse ingredients, which are high in lysine but low in methionine and cysteine, the precursor amino acids to taurine synthesis in the dog. The objective of this study was to evaluate the postprandial response of plasma methionine and taurine and whole blood taurine concentrations of dogs fed a grain-free diet without supplementation (CON) or with methionine (MET), taurine (TAU) or creatine, carnitine and choline (CCC) supplementation. Eight Beagles were pair housed and fed one of the four experimental diets for seven days in a 4x4 Latin Square Design. On the morning of d 7, cephalic catheters were placed and one fasted sample (0 min) and nine post-meal blood samples (15, 30, 60, 90, 120, 180, 240, 300 and 360 min) were collected. Data were analyzed as repeated measures using the PROC GLIMMIX function in SAS (Version 9.4). Dogs supplemented with MET had significantly higher plasma methionine concentrations from 30 to 360 minutes post-meal compared to dogs on CON, TAU and CCC treatments (P < 0.05). However, no differences were observed in plasma methionine concentrations between CON, TAU and CCC treatments at any time point (P > 0.05). Plasma taurine concentrations were significantly higher across time points in all treatment groups compared to CON (P < 0.05). Whole blood taurine concentrations tended to be higher across time points in MET and TAU treatment groups compared to CCC (P = 0.0513). Overall, MET, TAU and CCC supplementation increased plasma taurine concentrations compared to CON, but only MET supplementation increased plasma methionine concentrations from 30 to 360 minutes post-meal.

Grain-free pet foods have been sold for over a decade and comprise more than 40% of dog and cat diets sold today. Grain-free diets replace grain ingredients with pulse ingredients, which are high in lysine but low in methionine and cysteine, the precursor amino acids to taurine synthesis in the dog. The objective of this study was to evaluate the postprandial response of plasma methionine and taurine and whole blood taurine concentrations of dogs fed a grain-free diet without supplementation (CON) or with methionine (MET), taurine (TAU) or creatine, carnitine and choline (CCC) supplementation. Eight Beagles were pair housed and fed one of the four experimental diets for seven days in a 4x4 Latin Square Design. On the morning of d 7, cephalic catheters were placed and one fasted sample (0 min) and nine post-meal blood samples (15, 30, 60, 90, 120, 180, 240, 300 and 360 min) were collected. Data were analyzed as repeated measures using the PROC GLIMMIX function in SAS (Version 9.4). Dogs supplemented with MET had significantly higher plasma methionine concentrations from 30 to 360 minutes post-meal compared to dogs on CON, TAU and CCC treatments (P < 0.05). However, no differences were observed in plasma methionine concentrations between CON, TAU and CCC treatments at any time point (P > 0.05). Plasma taurine concentrations were significantly higher across time points in all treatment groups compared to CON (P < 0.05). Whole blood taurine concentrations tended to be higher across time points in MET and TAU treatment groups compared to CCC (P = 0.0513). Overall, MET, TAU and CCC supplementation increased plasma taurine concentrations compared to CON, but only MET supplementation increased plasma methionine concentrations from 30 to 360 minutes post-meal.

Abstract As dog owners continue to seek to feed their dogs similarly to themselves, there is demand for high protein, low carbohydrate (HPLC) diets. The consumption of HPLC diets can improve glycemic control, similarly to high fiber diets. However, the effects of HPLC and high fiber diets on cardiac function have yet to be evaluated in healthy dogs. The objective of the present study was to investigate the glucose, insulin, glucagon and amino acid (AA) postprandial response and echocardiographic measurements in laboratory-housed, adult large breed dogs fed a commercially available HPLC, a moderate protein, moderate carbohydrate (MPMC), or a commercially available MPMC, high fiber, “metabolic” diet for 42 d. This study was conducted as a 3 × 3 Latin square where dogs received: 1) a commercial HPLC diet (48% of metabolizable energy (ME) from protein, 10% of ME from nitrogen-free extract; NFE), 2) a MPMC diet (28% of ME from protein, 39% of ME from NFE) formulated with the same ingredients as HPLC or 3) a MPMC, high fiber, “metabolic” (MET) diet (30% of ME from protein, 37% of ME from NFE) as a commercial control. An echocardiogram and a 12-h glucose, insulin and glucagon response and 6-h AA meal response were performed on day 42 of feeding. Data were analyzed using proc glimmix in SAS (version 9.4). All echocardiographic parameters remained within a healthy reference range for dogs of this size. Dogs fed HPLC had a larger net area under the curve (NetAUC) for plasma glucagon (P < 0.001) compared to dogs fed MPMC and MET, a smaller NetAUC for glucose: insulin (P = 0.039) compared to dogs fed MPMC but MET was similar to both. Glucose NetAUC tended to be different among treatments (P = 0.057), where dogs fed MPMC had a greater netAUC than dogs fed HPLC and dogs fed MET tended to have a greater netAUC than HPLC. Dogs fed HPLC had greater concentrations of Ile, Leu, Lys, Thr, Tyr and Val over time compared to dogs fed MPMC and MET, and dogs fed MET had greater concentrations of Gln and Met over time compared to dogs fed HPLC and MPMC (P < 0.05). Dogs fed a HPLC diet may have improved glucose uptake compared to dogs fed a MPMC diet. This research provides the first insight into the cardiometabolic health of dogs consuming three diets differing in their protein, carbohydrate and fiber content. This manuscript describes a metabolic shift in healthy, adult, large breed dogs fed a high protein, low carbohydrate diet towards greater post-meal glucagon and amino acid concentrations and lower blood glucose concentrations. This could have implications for obese or diabetic dogs with poor glucose uptake. Lay Summary The objective of this study was to investigate the cardiometabolic effects of feeding a high protein, low carbohydrate (HPLC) diet compared to two moderate protein, moderate carbohydrate (MPMC; one with high fiber: MET) diets to healthy, adult, large breed dogs. Plasma glucagon, insulin, amino acids and whole blood glucose were measured at different time points, up to 12 h after a meal on day 42 of feeding. In addition, an echocardiogram was performed and fasted cardiac troponin I was measured on day 40. In general, dogs fed HPLC had greater postprandial glucagon and amino acid concentrations and tended to have lower glucose concentrations. No dog had echocardiographic parameters that were outside of a normal reference range for this size of dog, suggesting that no diet led to any cardiac dysfunction. A HPLC diet may help improve glucose uptake compared to a MPMC diet and this effect would likely be more pronounced in an obese or diabetic dog.

Abstract High protein, low carbohydrate (HPLC) diets are often sought out by dog owners. They are reported to have beneficial effects on energy expenditure (EE), fat oxidation, and may alter the serum fatty acid profile. However, there is little to no data to support the feeding of HPLC diets to healthy adult dogs. Thus, the objective of the present study was to interrogate the health claims related to the feeding of HPLC diets to healthy adult dogs using a commercially available HPLC diet (48% of metabolizable energy (ME) from protein, 10% of ME from nitrogen-free extract; NFE), a moderate protein, moderate carbohydrate (MPMC) diet (28% of ME from protein, 39% of ME from NFE) formulated with the same ingredients as HPLC, and a commercially available, MPMC, high fiber, “metabolic” (MET) diet (30% of ME from protein, 37% of ME from NFE) as a commercial control. Diets were fed to 9 healthy, large breed dogs for 42 d in a Latin square design. Fasted blood samples were collected on days −2 (baseline), 12, 26 and 40, and indirect calorimetry was performed on 8 dogs on days 20 and 39 to measure respiratory quotient (RQ) and EE. Statistics were performed in SAS Studio (version 9.4). Dogs fed HPLC had a lower RQ at fasted (0.76), 0 to 4 h (0.78) and 5 to 10 h (0.83) post-meal compared to dogs fed MET (0.80, 0.83, 0.90) and MPMC (0.80, 0.84, 0.91; P < 0.05). All dogs had a similar EE at fasted but dogs fed HPLC had a greater postprandial EE at 0 to 4 h (5.36 kcal/kg0.75) and 5 to 10 h (5.46 kcal/kg0.75) compared to dogs fed MPMC (4.79 and 4.84 kcal/kg0.75; P < 0.05). Dogs fed MET (4.98, 4.96 kcal/kg0.75) were similar to both (P > 0.05). Alpha-linolenic acid (ALA; 18:3n3), docosapentaenoic acid (DPA; 22:5n3) and total n3 were all greater in dogs fed MET at each week (P < 0.05). In contrast, total n6: n3 and arachidonic acid (ARA; 20:4n6): eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA; 20:5n3) were both greater (P < 0.05) in dogs fed HPLC and MPMC compared to dogs fed MET at each week. This study represents the first to assess EE and serum fatty acids in adult large breed dogs consuming a HPLC diet for 6 wk. Consuming a HPLC diet led to potential beneficial effects of increased EE and fat oxidation after a meal, which has the potential to be useful in managing obesity, a common health concern in dogs. This study suggests that dogs fed a high protein, low carbohydrate diet have increased energy expenditure and fat oxidation after a meal in comparison to dogs fed a moderate protein, moderate carbohydrate diet. This suggests the potential for high protein, low carbohydrate diets to aid in weight management if the diet were to be appropriately calorie-restricted. Lay Summary The objective of this study was to investigate the health claims related to feeding a high protein, low carbohydrate (HPLC) diet compared to two moderate protein, moderate carbohydrate (MPMC; one with high fiber: MET) diets to healthy, adult, large breed dogs. Energy expenditure (EE) was measured at 3 and 6 wk, fasted serum fatty acids were measured at 2, 4 and 6 wk and markers of gross health and β-hydroxybutyrate (BOHB) were measured at 6 wk of feeding. Dogs fed HPLC had a greater post-meal EE compared to MPMC and a greater fasted serum omega 6: omega 3 over week and fasted urea compared to MPMC and MET. However, BOHB concentrations were not different between treatments. The increased energy expenditure and fat oxidation after a meal suggests a potential role for HPLC diets in the management of obesity in dogs if the diet is appropriately calorie-restricted.