at Pets Unlimited Veterinary Hospital

Greater than 35% of cats in the United States are overweight. This is not only an “aesthetic” issue, but a serious health issue. We now know that overweight animals have serious disruptions in the healthy balance of hormones and chemical mediators that are produced in fat cells. This imbalance leads to a deranged metabolic state that makes overweight felines prone to developing various degenerative and inflammatory diseases such as asthma, inflammatory bowel disease, diabetes and pancreatitis.

Cats are prone to weight gain for a variety of reasons:

• Inactivity due to an indoor life style

• Overfeeding by their owners (especially “free-choice” feeding unlimited amounts of food)

• Decreased metabolism that occurs after neutering (their metabolic rate decreases 25 to 30% after neutering)

• The common tendency to feed dry kibble-type diets

The Feline Nutritional Dilemma:
High Protein, Low Carbohydrate

Cats are carnivores and require a diet high in animal protein. They also poorly utilize carbohydrates (grains, starches and sugars). If their diet contains a high amount of carbohydrates, those carbs will go directly into their fat stores since they will always preferentially utilize the protein in their diet for energy. Dry foods always have a much higher amount of carbohydrate because they are essentially “biscuits” and require high levels of grain in order to be manufactured. They are also are packed with calories, so it takes very little dry food in order to meet the calorie requirements of most cats. This very easily leads to the overfeeding of dry food, with those excess calories (especially in the form of carbohydrates) going directly into their fat stores.
 

Why canned diets are better than kibble.

High quality canned diets are much better for most cats. They always contain less carbohydrates and higher protein than dry kibble and it is much easier to feed an appropriate amount because of the natural portion control that occurs when feeding canned food. In addition, when cats are fed canned diets they will usually not be constantly hungry, which is a commonly seen when they are fed carbohydrate-rich dry kibble. Finally, canned diets increase a cat’s water consumption, which is critical in maintaining urinary tract and bladder health.

Keep your cat as healthy as possible. Feed them a high quality, canned diet.

We strongly urge all cat owners to consider switching their cats to an all canned diet if their cat will accept it. This is particularly important if your cat is overweight as part of an overall weight loss program. Because some cats fed a dry kibble develop a strong preference for this type of food, you must work with your veterinarian to ensure a successful transition to a canned diet.

September 14, 2007

from Dr. Tom Mason, Director, Veterinary Services

at Pets Unlimited Veterinary Hospital

Microchipping -- Is it dangerous for my cat or dog?

There have been recent news reports regarding concerns about microchips causing tumors in animals. These reports cite studies that have shown an increased risk of soft tissue tumors related to the microchips developing in mice and rats.

We do not feel there is any reason for pet owners to be concerned about microchips in their dogs and cats. Here are important points to remember:

• These studies specifically involved mice and rats, which have a much higher tendency of developing tumors in general.

• Despite the wide spread use of microchips in dogs and cats for over 15 years, there have been no studies linking the development of soft tissue tumors related to implanted microchips in dogs and cats.

• At Pets Unlimited, we have not seen one case of an animal developing a tumor that was associated with a microchip since we started implanting them in the mid 1990s.

• The benefits of microchips far outweigh any theoretical risk. Animals are lost all of the time, and any animal found with a registered microchip is much more likely to be quickly reunited with their owner than an animal that is not microchipped. We see stray animals regularly that are brought to Pets Unlimited, and we are much more able to locate their owner quickly when they are microchipped.

Pets Unlimited continues to recommend the routine microchipping of all dogs and cats.

Annual vaccinations for most dogs and cats have been standard practice for years. Recently, however, complications from vaccination of healthy animals have brought this practice under scrutiny. Several veterinary schools across the country, most notably Cornell University, have been conducting research to determine just how long immunity lasts after a pet has been vaccinated.

At the moment there is no widespread consensus on this issue, but many veterinary practices and institutions have begun decreasing the frequency of so-called annual vaccinations. There are important issues to consider when deciding what to do with your own pet.

In favor of vaccination we have the following points:

1. Most health professionals agree that routine vaccination has decreased the incidence of many deadly diseases, including parvoviral enteritis and feline panleukopenia.

2. Requiring vaccination is the best way for kennels and shelters to ensure protection of all animals housed in close quarters.

3. Risks associated with routine vaccination are generally thought to be quite low. Determination of what constitutes an adequate level of immunity is not an exact science.

Opposition to vaccination is based on the following considerations:

1. In cats, feline leukemia and certain rabies vaccines have been definitively linked to the development of a deadly cancer called fibrosarcoma, which arises at the injection site. Additives to the vaccines, called adjuvants, have been seen in the cancerous tissue under the microscope.

2. Certain researchers have proposed that auto-immune diseases may result from over-stimulation of the immune system by repeated vaccination.

3. Vaccine manufacturers have not been required to determine the duration of immunity afforded by their vaccines prior to marketing them. Thus, the recommendation to revaccinate on an annual basis is fairly arbitrary.

4. If humans do not continue to receive vaccinations throughout their lives, why is it necessary for a dog or cat to receive a collection of vaccines year after year?

Based on the information currently available, the veterinarians at Pets Unlimited are using the following broad guidelines. As with all medical issues, direct consultation with your veterinarian regarding these issues is recommended.

1. All puppies and kittens should receive the series of standard vaccines.

2. Certain researchers have proposed that auto-immune diseases may result from over-stimulation of the immune system by repeated vaccination.

3. Booster vaccination should occur one year following the last vaccine in this series.

4. If the two guidelines above are satisfied, a healthy pet probably will not need not to be re-vaccinated for 3 years, except as required by law (i.e. for Rabies).

5. Some cats or dogs may be at higher risk of exposure to certain infectious diseases and under these circumstances the veterinarian will recommend more frequent vaccination than outlined above in item.

6. We advocate use of a new non-adjuvanted Rabies vaccine for cats, which have been proven to confer proper immunity.

Pets Unlimited is part of a program called VAX-Testing, available through the Cornell University Veterinary School. Their diagnostic laboratory has been researching these issues for a few years and they have developed guidelines and standardized tests to help determine the need for boostering (repeating) of vaccinations. A blood sample from your dog or cat can be sent to the lab for determination of certain vaccine antibody titres.

Based on the results of this test, your veterinarian can counsel you as to whether it is time to re-vaccinate your pet or not. In this way, we are using a more scientific and individualized approach to the vaccine dilemma. Furthermore, as more and more data are compiled at this laboratory, cumulative research reports are sent to us to further assist in our understanding of this complex issue.