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Modern dog breeds show a trend towards shorter muzzles in the Western world. Using an international online questionnaire ( N  = 780), we examined how muzzle length, as the sole varying feature, influenced visual preference for dogs, using digitally morphed images of the same individuals. We investigated how preferences for shorter muzzles were influenced by demographics, personality, pre-existing attitudes towards brachycephalic dogs, awareness of health issues, and desired dog traits. Shorter muzzles were generally preferred. Associating more health problems with brachycephaly was negatively associated with preference for shorter muzzles, except among those with positive attitudes towards brachycephalic dogs. Preference was positively associated with positive attitudes towards brachycephalic dogs, older age, conscientiousness, extraversion, and appreciation of aesthetics; and negatively associated with dog-related professional expertise, openness, and a liking for control in dog keeping. Among respondents without prior attitudes, preference was positively linked to viewing the ideal dog as childlike, and negatively to valuing a humorous personality in the ideal dog. Our results show how age, dog-related profession, personality, health awareness, and attitudes towards brachycephalic dogs and the ideal dog intersect to shape preferences for shorter muzzle length. Our findings support the notion that individuals preferring shorter muzzles may prioritise aesthetic traits over health concerns.

Defining the ideal characteristics of canine companions is imperative to those seeking to improve human–dog relationships. Previous investigations into the preferred traits of companion dogs were conducted before substantial recent events, such as the rise of social media and the COVID-19 pandemic, which altered human lifestyles and potentially affected canine preferences and owner satisfaction. This study surveyed Australian adults (n = 337) online to assess these shifts. The ideal dog was characterised as medium-sized, with a short- low- or non-shedding coat, and acquired as a puppy from a shelter/rescue. Desired traits included being affectionate, healthy, non-aggressive, safe with children, housetrained, non-destructive when alone, and not prone to escaping. Principal Component Analysis identified five factors: ‘calm and obedient’, ‘inhibitory control’, ‘energy and drive’, ‘non-aggressive and safe’, and ‘affectionate and healthy’. Demographic variables of age, gender, perceived income, and household children influenced preferences. No significant differences in owner satisfaction with behaviour were observed between dogs acquired during versus outside the pandemic. The findings align with prior Australian research, suggesting enduring stability in preferences for the ideal companion dog. These insights offer valuable guidance for breeders, prospective owners, and policymakers to reduce dog relinquishment and improve human–dog relationships.

Approximately a third of all Aotearoa New Zealand (NZ) households include a dog, with 28% of these dogs being overweight or obese, conditions that are associated with many serious health issues. Therefore, healthy weight interventions that focus on the owner’s role are of great importance to companion animal welfare in NZ. Accordingly, the present study explores the feeding practices associated with NZ dogs and identifies potential owner-related risk factors contributing to these animals being overweight or obese. The current study used data collected from a survey conducted online in 2019 between January and March of NZ residents over 18. Along with demographic questions, the respondents were asked questions regarding their dog’s body condition and diet questions related to the body. Nearly a quarter (26%, n = 609) of the survey participants (n = 2358) owned at least one dog. The current study reported that increasing age range, household income and the number of children increased the likelihood of having a dog while increasing qualification level and living in a town/city decreased the likelihood. The majority of the respondents fed their dog(s) treats (59%) and 85% fed them specialised food bought from a pet shop, veterinary clinic and/or different online sources. Just over a third of the participant (39%) reported that they fed their dog(s) biscuits from the supermarket, 36% fed their dog(s) raw meat, and 34% of respondents fee their dog(s) table scraps/human food. These results suggest that many dog owners feed their dog(s) various food types, making it a challenging task to determine the exact amount required from each type in order not to exceed caloric intake. Disagreement regarding the correct body condition were reported among twenty per cent of the respondents. This finding indicates a knowledge gap among the NZ dog-owning population that may negatively affect their dogs’ welfare and wellbeing. Future research into pro-equity approaches to address these issues is needed so that dogs in NZ can live not only a good life but also their best life.

The study aimed to assess plasma Myeloperoxidase enzyme (MPO) and Ferric-reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) in obese dogs and compare them with ideal body weight dogs. Thirty-two dogs were distributed into two groups according to a 9-point body condition score (BCS), as follows: Control group (n = 16), dogs with a BCS of 4 or 5; Obese group (n = 16), dogs with a BCS of 8 or 9. Plasma MPO and FRAP assays, neutrophil count, lipid profile (cholesterol and triglycerides), and systolic blood pressure (SBP) were evaluated in both groups. The duration of obesity was defined based on history. The obese group showed higher values for body weight, BCS, SBP, neutrophil count, triglycerides, and MPO than the Control group. A positive correlation was observed between MPO concentrations and BCS and body weight. FRAP concentrations showed a positive correlation with the duration of obesity. The results suggested that an inflammatory state caused by obesity may promote increased neutrophil count and MPO concentrations, besides the positive correlation between MPO with BCS and body weight. The obesity in dogs promoted slight active MPO elevation, influenced by body weight, BCS, and neutrophil count. The FRAP assay did not show the expected reduction and, therefore, needs further investigation.

Background This study aimed to determine if obese cats undergoing energy restriction for weight loss would meet the National Research Council’s (NRC) indispensable amino acid and vitamin recommendations when fed a purpose-formulated diet. Thirty cats were placed into one of two groups; obese (BCS 8 to 9/9; n  = 16) and lean (BCS 4 to 5/9; n  = 14) and included in a non-randomized retrospective observational study. Cats were fed a veterinary weight loss food during a 4-week period of weight maintenance. Obese cats (O-MAINT) refers to obese cats during this period, L-MAINT to lean cats. After this initial 4-week period, the lean cats finished the study at this time and the 16 obese cats continued and were energy restricted for a 10-week period (O-RESTRICT). Analysis for dietary concentrations of indispensable amino acid and vitamin contents were performed. Daily food intakes were used to determine minimum, maximum and average daily intakes of individual nutrients for all three groups and compared against NRC 2006 minimum requirements (MR), adequate intakes (AI) and recommended allowances (RA) for adult cats. Results Over 10 weeks, O-RESTRICT cats lost 672 g ± 303 g, representing a weight loss rate of 0.94 ± 0.28% per week. Daily intake of the majority of indispensable amino acids and vitamins was greater than the NRC 2006 recommended allowance (RA per kg ideal body weight ^0.67), except for arginine, choline, crude protein, phenylalanine plus tyrosine and threonine. All O-RESTRICT cats had minimum, average, and maximum arginine intakes less than the NRC AI. Minimum daily intake of choline was below NRC RA for all O-RESTRICT cats and below NRC MR for two. All, except one, O-RESTRICT cats had a maximum and average choline intake below RA. Conclusions All cats remained clinically healthy and showed no clinical signs of deficiency. Dietary choline and arginine requirements of obese cats as well as health risks associated with low dietary intake during energy restriction warrant further investigation.

We describe the respiratory mechanics and lung aeration in anesthetized obese dogs ventilated with tidal volumes (VT) based on ideal (VTi) vs. current (VTc) body weight. Six dogs with body condition scores ≥ 8/9 were included. End-expiratory respiratory mechanics and end-expiratory CT-scan were obtained at baseline for each dog. Thereafter, dogs were ventilated with VT 15 ml kg −1 based on VTi and VTc, applied randomly. Respiratory mechanics and CT-scan were repeated at end-inspiration during VTi and VTc. Data analyzed with linear mixed models and reported as mean ± SD or median [range]. Statistical significance p < 0.05. The elastance of the lung, chest wall and respiratory system indexed by ideal body weight (IBW) were positively correlated with body fat percentage, whereas the functional residual capacity indexed by IBW was negatively correlated with body fat percentage. At end-expiration, aeration (%) was: hyperaeration 0.03 [0.00–3.35], normoaeration 69.7 [44.6–82.2], hypoaeration 29.3 [13.6–49.4] and nonaeration (1.06% [0.37–6.02]). Next to the diaphragm, normoaeration dropped to 12 ± 11% and hypoaeration increased to 90 ± 8%. No differences in aeration between groups were found at end-inspiration. Airway driving pressure (cm H 2 O) was higher ( p = 0.002) during VTc (9.8 ± 0.7) compared with VTi (7.6 ± 0.4). Lung strain was higher ( p = 0.014) during VTc (55 ± 21%) than VTi (38 ± 10%). The stress index was higher ( p = 0.012) during VTc (SI = 1.07 [0.14]) compared with VTi (SI = 0.93 [0.18]). This study indicates that body fat percentage influences the magnitude of lung, chest wall, and total respiratory system elastance and resistance, as well as functional residual capacity. Further, these results indicate that obese dogs have extensive areas of hypoaerated lungs, especially in caudodorsal regions. Finally, lung strain and airway driving pressure, surrogates of lung deformation, are higher during VTc than during VTi, suggesting that in obese anesthetized dogs, ventilation protocols based on IBW may be advantageous.

Diminished appetite and poor eating behavior accompanied by weight loss or cachexia are often reported in dogs living with cancer. This study was conducted to determine the acceptance and eating enthusiasm in dogs with cancer for a new therapeutic, nutritionally balanced, and calorically dense food designed for dogs with cancer. Adult dogs with diagnosis of cancer were recruited from general and oncology practices and were fed the study food for 28 days. Evaluations included physical examination, body weight, food intake, caloric intake, hematology and serum biochemistry, and owner assessments, namely food evaluation, quality of life, and stool scores. The dogs transitioned smoothly and tolerated the food very well. The results showed high food acceptance within the first day, with continued eating enthusiasm over the 28 days. Significant increases in food and caloric intake were observed, with the study food having a positive impact on body weight in dogs that were losing weight and helping to maintain a high quality of life. Blood laboratory parameters remained within reference ranges. Thus, the therapeutic study food was well accepted and efficacious in supporting continued eating and required caloric intake, promoting a healthy weight gain and maintaining a high quality of life in dogs with cancer.

The health and well-being of pets became a significant matter of medical and scientific concern during the first decades of the twentieth century. Addressing the case of dogs, this article contends that this circumstance was not primarily a consequence of developments internal to veterinary practice but rather emerged from the broader-based domestic-science movement. The elaboration of scientifically oriented approaches to dog care signals the incorporation of pets within a maternal ideal that emphasized care and efficiency as domestic virtues. Via consideration of canine milk foods, women-led canine medical institutions, canine-concerned domestic workers, and rationalist approaches to kennel design, the article demonstrates that dogs should be placed alongside such established objects of domestic scientific reform as children, homes, and human bodies. Moreover, it shows that scientific reconceptualizations of dogs relied on an extensive network of (primarily women) laborers that included food producers, nursing staff, kennel attendants, and breeders. The article thereby contributes to a growing body of scholarship highlighting ways in which the domestic-science movement forged new scientific objects and practices around the turn of the twentieth century. By the 1930s, dogs were routinely being upheld as exemplars of the kinds of homely existence made possible by scientifically informed approaches to domestic living.

The current gold standard for measuring marrow cellularity is the bone marrow (BM) biopsy of the iliac crest. This measure is not predictive of total marrow cellularity, because the biopsy volume is typically small and fat fraction varies across the skeleton. MRI and localized MR spectroscopy have been demonstrated as noninvasive means for measuring BM cellularity in patients. The accuracy of these methods has been well established in phantom studies and in the determination of in vivo hepatic fat fractions but not for in vivo measurement of BM cellularity. Spoiled gradient-echo in vivo images of the femur, humerus, upper spine, and lower spine were acquired for 2 dogs using a clinical 3-T MRI scanner. Single-peak iterative decomposition of water and fat with echo asymmetry and least squares (SP-IDEAL) was used to derive BM fat fractions. Stimulated-echo acquisition mode spectra were acquired in order to perform multipeak IDEAL with precalibration (MP-IDEAL). In vivo accuracy was validated by comparison with histology measurements. Histologic fat fractions were derived from adipocyte segmentation. Bland-Altman plots demonstrated excellent agreement between SP-IDEAL and histology, with a mean difference of -0.52% cellularity and most differences within ±2% cellularity, but agreement between MP-IDEAL and histology was not as good (mean difference, -7% cellularity, and differences between 5% and -20%). Adipocyte segmentation of histology slides provides a measure of volumetric fat fraction (i.e., adipocyte volume fraction [AVF]) and not chemical fat fraction, because fat fraction measured from histology is invariant to the relative abundances of lipid chemical species. In contrast, MP-IDEAL provides a measure of chemical fat fraction, thus explaining the poor agreement of this method with histology. SP-IDEAL measures the relative abundance of methylene lipids, and this measure is shown to be equivalent to AVF. AVF provides the appropriate parameter to account for patient-specific cellularity in BM mass predictive equations and is consistent with current micro-CT-based models of skeletal dosimetry.