Dietary potassium citrate supplementation has limited effects on urinary variables in most healthy dogs, although supplementation results in maintenance of a higher urine pH later in the day. Consequently, if supplementation is introduced, dogs should be fed twice daily and potassium citrate should be given with both meals or with the evening meal only.

Obesity is regarded as the most common form of malnutrition seen by veterinarians. An estimated 25% of cats are described as overweight or obese and this condition is a known risk factor for other diseases. It is crucial to find effective and practical ways for veterinarians and pet owners to achieve safe weight loss in cats. The objective of this 4–week trial was to promote weight loss by increasing the activity levels of 18 cats through feeding enrichment, food motivated play, increased intensity play sessions, and the introduction of new enrichment structures. The body condition score (BCS) of the cats was determined by one veterinarian (normal, 4; slightly overweight, 5; overweight, 6; obese, 7). Group 1 was composed of eight cats, which were considered to be overweight or obese (median BCS: 6; range: 5–7), while the remaining 10 cats (Group 2) were normal or slightly overweight (median: BCS 5; range: 4–5). The cats were weighed weekly to monitor for safe weight loss in Group 1 and weight maintenance in Group 2. The change in weight from baseline was evaluated with a paired Student t test. Both groups of cats were fed individually to meet maintenance requirements; with Group 1 being fed a weight reduction dry formula and Group 2 fed a feline maintenance canned diet. The cats were exercised three times daily. Two of the exercise sessions (10 min each) used food as motivation and reward for physical activity. The third session (15 min) consisted of intense play using a variety of new toys and enrichment structures, such as tunnels, large paper bags, boxes, and a custom‐built play tower. The cats’ participation in all play sessions was voluntary. The cats were fed twice daily. Half of their ration offered was in an enriched feeding container that required effort and activity to access the food and the balance was offered in a standard dish. The relative amounts of food consumed from either the enrichment container or the dish was recorded. Group 1 cats lost an average of 62 ± 26 g from baseline (−1.1 ± 0.06% body weight) (p = 0.0003) through exercise and feeding enrichment alone. The Group 2 cats did not experience a significant change in weight from baseline, with an average loss of 64 ± 106 g (−0.9 ± 0.7% body weight) (p = 0.09). Despite the short duration of this trial, environmental and feeding enrichment resulted in a small but significant weight loss in Group 1.

Oligosaccharides are important components of milk, serving as substrates for the intestinal microbiota, acting as antimicrobials that prevent pathogen colonization, and supporting the developing gastrointestinal immune system of neonates. Nutrient composition of canine and feline milk samples has been described previously, but little is known about the oligosaccharide content. Therefore, the objective of this study was to characterize canine and feline milk samples using a high-throughput glycomics approach. 23 dogs (9 Labrador retriever and 14 Labrador retriever x golden retriever crossbreed) and 6 domestic shorthair cats were recruited to the study. Milk samples were collected by manual expression at time points after parturition. Samples were collected across 2 phases per species, differentiated by maternal diet. Following extraction, oligosaccharide content was determined by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS). In canine milk samples, 3 structures accounted for over 90% of all oligosaccharides detected across two diet groups. These were 3’-sialyllactose, 6’-sialyllactose, and 2’-fucosyllactose. In feline samples, a more diverse range of oligosaccharides was detected, with up to 16 structures present at relative abundance >1% of the total. Difucosyllactose-N-hexaose b, 3’-sialyllactose and lacto-N-neohexaose were all detected at abundances >10% in feline milk samples. Statistically significant differences (p<0.05) in oligosaccharide abundances were observed between collection time points and between diet groups within species. These data explore the oligosaccharide content of canine and feline maternal milk, representing an opportunity to generate a fundamental understanding of the nutritional needs of new-born puppies and kittens.

SummaryMaintenance energy requirements (MERs) were calculated for 17 German shepherd and 20 Labrador retriever adult dogs using an in-home prospective dietary trial. The dogs were fed the same dry pet food and body weight, food intake, body condition score and physical activity were monitored for 10 weeks. Labrador retrievers were significantly heavier and had higher body condition scores than German shepherd dogs, but there was no difference between males and females within each group. Body weights remained stable over the study period, with an average daily gain of . There were no significant differences in MER between the two breeds, or between males and females within and between the two breeds. There was a significant inverse relationship between MER and body condition score, reflecting the lower energy expenditure of adipose tissue. The lower MER of dogs in this study, relative to previous observations, may reflect climatic and environmental differences and highlight the necessity for accurate estimates of MER in relation to the production and feeding of pet foods. K E Y W O R D Smaintenance energy requirement, Labrador retriever, German shepherd

A limiting factor of radiographic contrast studies is the requirement for restraint of the animal in order to reduce movement artifacts. To demonstrate that gastrointestinal transit can be analyzed by a barium meal in nonsedated and unrestrained dogs, a pilot study of six adult Labrador retriever dogs was undertaken. Study subjects were selected by convenience sampling from an available population of Labrador dogs and were trained to stand motionless during radiographic fluoroscopy. Following a meal containing 7% w/w powdered barium sulfate, radiographic images were generated using a digital fluoroscope C-arm, at intervals of 5, 15, and 30 min, and at 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 h. A qualitative assessment of fill density using a 5-point scale was made for the stomach, small intestine, and ascending, transverse, and descending regions of the colon at each timepoint. Gastric emptying half-time occurred between 1 and 2 h postmeal. Mean fill density of the small intestine increased from 15 min postmeal and reached a peak at 3 h postmeal. Mean fill density of the proximal large intestine mirrored that of the small intestine. The distal large intestine remained empty for the first 2 h postmeal, then increased between hours 2 and 5 postmeal, and was subsequently at maximum fill density from hour 6 postmeal onwards. Fluoroscopic observation of a barium contrast meal provided an effective indication of the amount and progression of ingested food through the various regions of the gastrointestinal tract in habituated, fully conscious dogs.