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Diet & Nutrition

  • Obesity, defined as an excess of body weight of 20% or more, is the most common nutritional disease of domestic cats. Although the frequency varies from one country to the next, we know in some countries that up to 40% of adult cats are obese!

  • We are all very much aware of the problems that obesity causes in people. What is not so commonly known is the fact that the same problems can affect our pets if they are overweight, therefore it is always prudent to ensure that weight is lost if necessary.

  • Raising an orphaned litter is a time consuming although rewarding experience. Neonates are very fragile and despite all the care and attention, losses can be inevitable.

  • Ferrets can make good pets. A commercial ferret food is normally recommended, and they easily learn to use a litterbox.

  • A pharyngostomy tube is a small flexible tube that passes via an incision in the skin at the side of the neck, just behind the jaw bone, to enter the pharynx. These tubes are useful in cases when the dog temporarily is unable to eat but still retains the ability to swallow. The liquid food is syringed through the tube three to five times a day depending on the individual circumstances.

  • Probiotics contain normal naturally occurring bacteria and yeast, and are used to re-colonise the gastrointestinal tract when the normal balance of microflora (bacteria) has become disturbed.

  • Owning a dog can be an extremely rewarding experience, but it also carries with it some responsibility. We hope these notes will give you some help.

  • There are many benefits from feeding a raw food diet. Skin and bowel problems in particular can be helped.

  • Soy proteins are the proteins found in the soybean and its products such as tofu. Isoflavones are a particularly important class of soy protein, and include the water-soluble compounds genistein and daidzein.

  • Thiamine deficiency used to be a common condition due to the fact that in days gone by, raw fish was a common component of a cat's diet. However, commercial manufacturers realized this problem and foods were fortified with thiamine and the disease was rarely seen.