A formerly porky Labrador has been crowned the United Kingdom’s (UK) best slimming pet by a veterinary charity after shedding 22 pounds, according to an article on BBC News.

Keano, from Plymouth, England, UK, was so overweight at 101.4 pounds, he could not roll over on his back before joining the People’s Dispensary for Sick Animals (PDSA) scheme.

Five obese dogs and one cat completed PDSA’s 100-day diet and fitness program, devised by vets.

The charity said canine obesity rose by 9% in the last year, which can cause potentially fatal conditions.

Veterinary Pet Insurance (VPI), USA’s oldest and largest provider of pet health insurance, recently analyzed medical claims received in 2008 to find the year’s most common pet maladies, according to a VPI press release.

The results indicate that pets visit the veterinarian for many of the same reasons humans visit the doctor, with ear infections the No. 1 condition for dogs and lower urinary tract disease No. 1 for cats. The top 10 conditions accounted for nearly 340,000, or close to 25%, of all canine and feline medical claims received in 2008.

“The large number of claims received for these medical conditions attests to their often repetitive or chronic nature,” said Dr. Carol McConnell, vice president and chief veterinary medical officer for VPI. “A dog with allergies, for example, will most likely require continuing care and a cat with diabetes will be no stranger to the veterinarian’s office.”

With PetAg’s new CatSlim, cat owners can help their pets slim down with the first all-natural, low-calorie liquid meal replacement designed especially for the species, according to a PetAg news release. 

CatSlim, which will be on shelves sometime this spring, is designed to offer a nutrition-packed alternative to regular feedings in a highly concentrated formula that naturally helps curb appetites while helping to metabolize fat.

“CatSlim joins a long line of trusted, effective health and wellness products introduced by PetAg,” said Darlene Frudakis, president and COO for PetAg.

The first veterinary case of a dog sickened from tainted peanut products has been reported on the US West Coast, according to DVM Newsmagazine.

The dog, a 3-year-old mixed breed from Oakland, Oregon, USA, developed diarrhea after its owners fed it Happy Tails Multi-Flavored Dog Biscuits, a treat containing peanuts from the Peanut Corp. of America (PCA) that was included on the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) recall list and sold at Albertson’s grocery stores.

The sickened dog was treated with fluids and antibiotics and is expected to make a full recovery, according to the state veterinarian.

PCA shut down the Blakely, Georgia, USA, plant, and the FDA is conducting a criminal investigation after discovering that the company shipped products even after receiving positive Salmonella tests on the lot. PCA announced Feb. 10 that is also was shutting down operations at one of its subsidiary plants in Plainview, Texas, USA.

Formulating the right nutritional balance for your cat necessitates care, research and tremendous forethought, according to an article appearing in The Daily Cat.

"Cats are true carnivores and balanced nutrition for them means twice the amount of protein as dogs," explains Sally Perea, DVM and certified veterinary nutritionist in Davis, California.

Perea recommends feeding felines a commercially-prepared cat food that meets the standards established by the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) for kittens or adult cats. Look for AAFCO statements on the food’s packaging to guarantee the appropriate nutritional content.

Perea explains in the article the six important nutritional needs cats require: animal protein, fat, fiber, taurine, vitamin A and niacin.

"If you think of the nutrient makeup of a mouse, you have a pretty good idea of what your cat needs," she said.

Pets may be a new motivator for people to kick the habit, as a study now shows that more than a quarter of all pet owners who smoke would try to quit if they knew smoking harmed their cat, bird or dog, according to an article on www.LiveScience.com.

In all, 3,293 adults responded to the online survey sponsored by Pet Supplies Plus, a national pet product retail chain, as well as the Michigan Humane Society and a grant from the Flight Attendant Medical Research Institute. About 20% were smokers and more than one in four lived with at least one smoker.

Some 28% said that knowing that smoking was bad for their pets’ health would spur them to give it up. And almost one in 10 (8.7%) said this would prompt them to ask their partners to quit, while around one in seven (14%) said they would tell their partner to smoke outdoors.

These figures were even higher among non-smokers, more than 16% of whom said they would ask their partner to quit, while 24% said they would tell their partner to smoke outdoors.

Dr. Sally Perea, veterinary nutritionist and professor at the University of California-Davis, weighs in on nutritional choices that can help prevent common complaints from cat owners

1. The issue: Immune System Function

“Proper nutrition is important for proper immune function, so nearly all of the essential nutrients for cats are important for maintaining it,” says Dr. Perea. “That means protein, amino acids, essential fatty acids and essential vitamins and minerals. Copper, zinc and iron are three essential minerals in the diet that are known to be important for proper antibody and enzymatic defense mechanisms.” To ensure that cats are getting all they need, Dr. Perea recommends a commercial cat food that has “complete and balanced” somewhere on the packaging. A seal of approval from the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) will verify the food’s claim.

2. The issue: Skin and Coat Health

To combat the underlying problems of flakiness and dryness in cat skin and hair, make sure the cat’s diet contains essential fatty acids, according to Dr. Perea. These are the omega-3 and omega-6 fats found in sources like chicken, fish oil and eggs. They work to maintain the water barrier function of the skin, similar to how moisturizer can create a protective barrier on human skin. According to Dr. Perea, foods that are good for skin and hair are the ones that contain the mineral zinc, as well as A, E and B vitamins. “Zinc is integral to rapidly dividing cells, like skin cells, while vitamin E takes on an antioxidant role in the body’s cell membranes,” she explains. “Vitamin A and B prevent hair loss and scaling skin.”

3. The issue: Joints and Mobility

To maintain its overall health, a cat needs exercise, and to maintain an active lifestyle, it needs to be pain-free. To prevent joint and mobility issues, Dr. Perea recommends a food containing glucosamine, chondroitin sulfate and  fish oil. “There hasn’t been a lot of research on any of these in cats, but chondroitin sulfate and glucosamine, as well as long chain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, such as those found in fish oils, have been shown to help improve signs associated with osteoarthritis in dogs,” says Dr. Perea. “These have become popular and are possibly beneficial for cats as well.”

4. The issue: Overall Body Condition

“Lean body condition is important to overall health, so consumers need to make sure to feed appropriate portions,” says Dr. Perea. “Obesity is a growing problem in cats, and it can be very difficult to implement weight loss once they become obese. Prevention is very important.” Measuring the cat’s food on a daily basis using the guidelines on the packaging is what Dr. Perea recommends to pet owners. Considering feeding a diet that contains L-carnitine is something else the veterinanrian recommends to pet owners struggling to help their furry friends shed those extra pounds.

5. The issue: Digestive Disorders

Cats often suffer constipation, which can be relieved by foods containing carbohydrates, like corn, as well as fiber. “Fiber helps with the health of the large intestine,” says Dr. Perea. She emphatically adds, “They also need enough water!”

6. The issue: Oral Health

A dry food diet with a relatively larger kibble size forces pets to really bite down on each individual piece. “This achieves a mechanical brushing action against the surface of the tooth,” explains Dr. Perea. “Other foods on the market may incorporate a calcium-chelating agent on the surface of the kibble. This binds calcium and helps prevent tartar formation.” In order to provide cats with such a food, Dr. Perea recommends that consumers look for a diet that claims to promote oral health. The claims should again be verified by an AAFCO seal.

Dog-Wa, a liquid concentrate that provides dogs with essential vitamins and nutrients from leafy greens, debuted a monthly online pet health column by veterinarian Dr. Jane Leon, a graduate of Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine.

The monthly column will focus on dog health, nutrition, digestion, wellness, supplements, herbs, and diet.