A starch-rich horse diet impacts hormone levels used to diagnose equine disease
It’s an unfamiliar look for a horse: a long coat all year, abnormal sweat patches, and unusual body fat distribution. Yet a proportion of aged horses may be exhibiting these signs as part of the chang...
Do the microbes in a dog’s gut change with their waist line?
Ghent University early career researcher wins ESVCN-WALTHAM research grant in 2017As with people, obesity in pets is an increasing problem. The challenge is multi-faceted, but the more we can understa...
Grass length can affect muzzled grazing behaviour in ponies
Grazing muzzles can be an effective tool to help with equine weight management, according to new research, but longer grass can be more difficult for muzzled ponies to graze. This can cause frustratio...
Cat foods need the perfect combination of great flavour and nutrition
A study has revealed that while flavour is important initially cats learn to choose their food based on nutrition rather than flavour. The study published in Royal Society Open Science confirms that o...
Are you feeding your horse enough hay?
Horses have evolved to graze frequently on small amounts for up to 15 hours a day. But today, horses and ponies are frequently stabled for part or all of the day and fed a limited supply of preserved ...
Shelf life: our carefully designed cat units
A visitor to the WALTHAM Centre for Pet Nutrition may be forgiven for thinking the smart new shelving in the cat housing is a handy storage solution for toys or equipment. On closer inspection, howeve...
Weight loss significantly improves overweight dogs' quality of life
February 2012Owners of obese dogs that are successful in losing weight notice significant improvement in their dogs’ health-related quality of life, a collaborative team of researchers has shown. The ...
Researchers set safe maximum levels of vitamin A in puppies' diet
A collaborative team of researchers, working on behalf of the European Pet Food Industry Federation (FEDIAF), has identified a safe upper level for vitamin A consumption for puppies. The research mark...