Obesity is a common nutrition-related disorder leading to reduced life expectancy in both humans and dogs. With the aim of identifying new prevention and control options, the study objectives were (1) to investigate dog-owner perceptions about obesity in terms of themselves and their dogs, and (2) to identify factors associated with obesity and possible social, environmental and economic drivers for its development in dog owners and their pets. A cross-sectional questionnaire-based study was performed across multiple countries. The questionnaire focused on human and canine obesity, associated factors and potential drivers, and was distributed online and in the form of hard copies among dog owners in 11 European countries. In total, 3,185 responses from ten countries were included in multivariable analyses. Between 19.1% and 48.8% of the dog owners reported to be overweight/obese. Owner-reported overweight/obesity in dogs ranged from 6.0% to 31.3% based on body condition score charts, and 31.8% to 69.4% based on body fat index charts. Common factors associated with obesity in owners and their dogs were age, gender and owners’ attitudes to diet and physical activity. Dog owners who did not consider obesity to be a disease were more likely to have obese dogs.

Mastitis is a complex and well-defined mammary gland pathology, and an emergency in bitches. In dogs, its prevalence is about 1% of all reported diseases and about 5.3% of all reproductive pathologies. Lactating bitches are naturally prone to developing mastitis since puppies can easily overstimulate the epidermal layer of nipples during feeding, facilitating bacterial colonization of the glands. This study aimed to describe the aerobic bacterial flora isolated from milk samples derived from a cohort of patients (n = 87) diagnosed with clinical mastitis (n = 29), subclinical mastitis (n = 17) and healthy mammary glands (n = 46). All of the patients underwent a gynecology consultation to diagnose mammary gland afflictions; physical examination results were coupled with traditional hematological findings. The milk samples were plated on specific microbiological media for bacterial isolation. Among the 162 milk samples analyzed, 93.2% (151/162) had a positive microbiological result, while 6.8% (11/162) were sterile. The bacteriological profile of the milk samples showed 47 different species. The most common bacterial families detected in healthy bitches and bitches with subclinical and clinical mastitis were the Staphylococcaceae, Enterobacteriaceae and Enterococcaceae families. The results indicated that half of the isolated bacteria are novel findings in dogs and that some of them are normal components of human milk.

The vaginal tract comprises commensal microorganisms, which play an essential role in the health of the reproductive tract. Any dysbiosis in the vaginal microenvironment may lead to severe urinary tract infections or even infertility. This study aimed to evaluate the aerobic bacterial flora isolated from vaginal samples from 100 lactating bitches in the antepartum period (n = 3), postpartum period (n = 80), and with Lactatio sine graviditate (n = 17). Before vaginal swabs, all the bitches went through a gynecology consult, along with milk and blood sampling. Standard microbiological techniques were used for bacterial isolation. Among the 100 vaginal samples analyzed, 82% had a positive microbiological outcome, while 18% were negative. The microbiologic profile listed 17 different genera. The main isolated bacterial families were Micrococcaceae, Staphylococcaceae, Morganellaceae, Bacillaceae, and Rhizobiaceae. At the same time, strains like Agrobacterium radiobacter, Ochrobactrum anthropi, Chromobacterium violaceum, Burkholderia mallei, Bacillus pumllus, or Staphylococcus xylosus were isolated for the first time from the vaginal secretion of lactating bitches. The microbiological data demonstrates that lactating bitches’ vaginal discharge is heterogeneous and may be affected by coitus, sampling season, age, and reproductive status.