The objective of this study was to evaluate the macronutrients composition, fatty acid and amino acid profiles, and essential minerals content of all vegan foods for dogs and cats available in the Brazilian market, and to compare results with FEDIAF (2019) and AAFCO (2019) recommendations. Four vegan pet foods were assessed (three for dogs and one for cats). The comparisons were made in a descriptive manner. All foods met the minimum recommendations for macronutrients. Arachidonic acid was not reported in any food label. Regarding the FEDIAF recommendations, one food for dogs had low calcium, another had low potassium and a third had low sodium. The cat food presented potassium content lower than recommended. The Ca:P ratio did not meet the minimum recommendation of FEDIAF (2019) and AAFCO (2019) in any of the dog’s foods analyzed, and the cat food also did not present the minimum recommendation based on FEDIAF (2019). Copper concentrations exceeded the legal limit in all foods. Zinc concentrations exceeded this limit in two foods (one for dogs and one for cats) and iron levels exceeded the legal limit in one dog food. One of the dog foods did not meet the minimum recommendation for methionine and the cat food did not meet the minimum recommendation for arginine. In addition, when the amount of nutrients consumed by animals with low energy requirements was simulated, in addition to the same non-conformities described above, it was observed that the cat food does not meet the minimum recommended of protein and taurine in unit/Kg^0.67. It was concluded that all foods analyzed had one or more nutrients below the recommended levels and some presented zinc and copper excess, therefore, these foods should not be recommended for dogs and cats, because dietary deficiencies found may lead to health risks for dogs and cats. Furthermore, manufacturers should review their formulations to ensure the nutritional adequacy of these foods.

Obesity is the most common nutritional disease in dogs, and its prevalence has increased in recent decades. Several countries have demonstrated a prevalence of obesity in dogs similar to that observed in humans. Chronic low-grade inflammation is a prominent basis used to explain how obesity results in numerous negative health consequences. This is well known and understood, and recent studies have pointed to the association between obesity and predisposition to specific types of cancers and their complications. Such elucidations are important because, like obesity, the prevalence of cancer in dogs has increased in recent decades, establishing cancer as a significant cause of death for these animals. In the same way, intensive advances in technology in the field of human and veterinary medicine (which even proposes the use of animal models) have optimized existing therapeutic methods, led to the development of innovative treatments, and shortened the time to diagnosis of cancer. Despite the great challenges, this review aims to highlight the evidence obtained to date on the association between obesity, inflammation, and cancer in dogs, and the possible pathophysiological mechanisms that link obesity and carcinogenesis. The potential to control cancer in animals using existing knowledge is also presented.

Canine obesity is associated with comorbidities, a shortened lifespan, and a poorer quality of life, but epidemiological studies characterizing canine obesity in Latin America are scarce. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the prevalence of canine obesity in the city of Sao Paulo, Brazil, and the possible associated causal factors. Randomly-selected households from different city regions were visited. Dogs in each household were evaluated and owners completed a questionnaire whilst their anthropometric measures were taken. Total of 285 dogs from 221 owners were included, and the combined prevalence of overweight and obesity was 40.5%. The prevalence of overweight and obesity was greater in female dogs (P = 0.003) and in dogs that were neutered (P = 0.001). There was also a positive association between BCS and frequency of visits to a veterinarian (P = 0.026), feeding frequency (P = 0.033), and higher snack intake (P = 0.011). Further, the BCS of dogs was greater when their owners reported consuming more snacks themselves (P = 0.005) and whose had a presence of elderly people in the household (P = 0.006). In conclusion, the prevalence of obesity found in a Brazilian metropolitan region was similar to that if other countries, and neutering and snack intake were associated with the development of this disease.

Food production is responsible for almost one-quarter of the environmental impact and, therefore, its importance regarding sustainability should not be overlooked. The companion animal population is increasing, and an important part of pet food is composed of ingredients that have a high environmental impact. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of dry, wet, and homemade pet diets on greenhouse gas emission, land use, acidifying emission, eutrophying emissions, freshwater withdrawals, and stress-weighted water use. The wet diets were responsible for the highest impact, and dry diets were the type of diet that least impacted the environment, with a positive correlation between the metabolizable energy provided by animal ingredients and the environmental impact. It is necessary to consider the environmental impact of pet food since it is significant, and the population of pets tends to increase.

Neutering or spaying is a commonly recommended veterinary procedure. However, veterinarians are often confronted with conflicting findings and differences in concepts regarding practice and proper nutritional management after the procedure. The objective of the present review was to bring to light the most recent literature, summarise it and discuss the findings focusing on the risks and benefits of neutering in dogs and cats, and to determine the appropriate nutritional management for these animals.

Pet owners often don’t acknowledge the need for home-prepared diet formulation by a trained professional and may use recipes from sources such as the internet. Macronutrient and mineral composition of home-prepared diets were analyzed and compared to NRC and FEDIAF recommendations, and heavy metal concentrations were analyzed and compared to FDA maximum tolerable levels (MTL) for dogs and cats. Recipes of home-prepared diets for adult dogs (n = 75) and cats (n = 25) were evaluated. Analyses of protein, fat, and fiber were performed according to AOAC, and mineral and heavy metal analyses were performed using inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES). None of the diets supplied recommended levels of all nutrients evaluated, and more than 84.0% of diets presented three or more nutrients below recommendations. Nutrients with most levels below recommendations were calcium and potassium in recipes for dogs and iron and zinc in recipes for cats. As for heavy metals, levels of lead, cobalt, mercury, uranium, and vanadium were above MTLs. Results suggest that home-prepared diets may be a health risk to dogs and cats if not properly formulated. Furthermore, the chronic heavy metal intake must be better elucidated in order to understand the full impact of results.