The effect of urine acidification on calcium oxalate relative supersaturation in cats.

There is an apparent reciprocal relationship between magnesium ammonium phosphate (MAP, struvite) and calcium oxalate (CaOx) urolithiasis incidence rate in cats. The number of struvite uroliths submitted for analysis over the past 35 years has been decreasing, with an increase in CaOx urolith submissions. Commercial diets aimed to dissolve struvite uroliths are typically acidified, and it has been suggested that dietary acidification increases urinary calcium excretion and the risk of CaOx crystallization.

An artificial neural network-based model to predict chronic kidney disease in aged cats.

Background: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) frequently causes death in older cats; its early detection is challenging.

Objectives: To build a sensitive and specific model for early prediction of CKD in cats using artificial neural network (ANN) techniques applied to routine health screening data.

Animals: Data from 218 healthy cats ≥7 years of age screened at the Royal Veterinary College (RVC) were used for model building.

Erratum to "Inter-observer variability for cardiac ultrasound measurements in cats repeated at different time points in early adult life" [5C (June 2018) 44-46].

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1016/j.vas.

Increasing dietary sodium chloride promotes urine dilution and decreases struvite and calcium oxalate relative supersaturation in healthy dogs and cats.

Urolithiasis is highly prevalent in dogs and cats, with struvite and calcium oxalate being most commonly diagnosed. Some commercial diets aimed at reducing the risk of urolithiasis are based on inclusion of sodium chloride (NaCl) in an attempt to dilute the urine and the risk of crystallization, but more information on the effect of differing levels of sodium inclusion is needed. The objective of this study was to compare the short-term effect of four diets differing only in NaCl content (base diet with 0.

Comparison of the effects of different kibble shape on voluntary food intake and palatability of weight loss diets in pet dogs.

Altering characteristics of a dry proprietary diet can increase chewing, slow ingestion speed and reduce voluntary food intake. Panels of healthy research dogs consumed kibbled weight loss diets with either a l round (pastille) or a cross shape. Two panels ('small-size' panel, dogs<10 kg 'all-size' panel, dogs with a range of sizes) were used to determine palatability (study 1), whilst a third panel ('consumption kinetics panel') was used to determine voluntary food intake [VFI] and meal duration (study 2).