Prevalence and risk factors for the development of diabetes mellitus in Swedish cats.

Background: The prevalence and risk factors for the development of feline diabetes mellitus (FDM) in Swedish cats have not previously been reported. The objective of the present pilot study was to indicate prevalence and possible risk factors for FDM in Swedish cats. Twenty diabetic cats from the database at the University Animal Hospital in Uppsala participated in the study, and these were matched with 20 healthy controls on sex and age.

Feeding patterns and dietary intake in a random sample of a Swedish population of insured-dogs.

We used a validated mail and telephone questionnaire to investigate baseline data on feeding patterns and dietary intake in a random sample of 460 Swedish dogs. In 1999, purebred individuals 1-3 years old in the largest insurance database of Sweden completed the study. Most dogs were fed restricted amounts twice a day, and the feeding patterns seldom were changed after the age of 6 months.

Energy-intake and activity risk factors for owner-perceived obesity in a defined population of Swedish dogs.

Our main objective was to obtain baseline data on daily metabolisable energy (ME) intake, activity, and risk factors for obesity in a population of 460 privately owned Swedish dogs in 1999. A previously validated mail-and-telephone questionnaire was used (Sallander et al., 2001a).

Peripheral administration of pancreatic polypeptide inhibits components of food-intake behavior in dogs.

Pancreatic polypeptide (PP) belongs to the neuropeptide Y (NPY) family of peptides and is released from pancreatic F cells postprandially. PP functions as a peptide hormone and has been associated with decreased food intake in humans and rodents. Our study describes the effects of PP on feeding behavior in dogs, whose mammalian order (Carnivora) is more distantly related to primates and rodents than these are to each other.

A case-control study of risk factors for canine atopic dermatitis among boxer, bullterrier and West Highland white terrier dogs in Sweden.

Environmental and dietary risk factors for the development of canine atopic dermatitis (CAD) in the high-risk breeds of boxer, bullterrier and West Highland white terrier were assessed in a case-control study. A logistic regression model was developed to evaluate their relative importance in 58 cases from 12 practices in Sweden and 61 unaffected controls, matched to cases by breed and year of birth. The final model included a random error term for 'examining veterinarian', as dogs from the same practice were not considered independent.