Functional foods provide health benefits if they are consumed on a regular basis as part of a varied diet. In this review, we discuss the availability and role of functional foods in pet nutrition with a focus on dogs and cats. Indeed, functional foods modify gastrointestinal physiology, promote changes in biochemical parameters, improve brain functions and may reduce or minimize the risk of developing specific pathologies. This evidence derives largely from clinical studies while only limited evidence is available from studies in dogs and cats. Therefore, functional food consumption should be further investigated in pet nutrition to understand how dietary interventions can be used for disease prevention and treatment.

Biological aging is characterized by a progressive accumulation of oxidative damage and decreased endogenous antioxidant defense mechanisms. The production of oxidants by normal metabolism damages proteins, lipids, and nucleotides, which may contribute to cognitive impairment. In this study 36 dogs were randomly divided into four groups and fed croquettes of different compositions for 6 months. We monitored derivatives of reactive oxygen metabolites (dROMs) and biological antioxidant potential (BAP) levels in dogs’ plasma samples as well as brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) serum levels at the beginning and at the end of the dietary regime. Our results showed that a dietary regime, enriched with antioxidants, induced a significant decrease of plasma levels of dROMs (p<0.005) and a significant increase in BDNF serum levels (p<0.005) after six months. Thus, we hypothesized a possible role of the diet in modulating pro- and antioxidant species as well as BDNF levels in plasma and serum, respectively. In conclusion the proposed diet enriched with antioxidants might be considered a valid alternative and a valuable strategy to counteract aging-related cognitive decline in elderly dogs.

Insecticides are widely employed in agriculture to control pests and as major factors for enhancing crop productivity. Thiacloprid (TH) is one of the most-used insecticides worldwide. In this study, the negative impact of TH on the brain tissue of developing chicken embryo models and the modulatory effect of chicoric (CA) and rosmarinic (RA) acids were investigated. The eggs were injected in ovo with different doses of TH (0.1, 1, 10, and 100 μg/egg). TH significantly increased the oxidative damage in the brain of exposed embryos in a dose-dependent manner (p < 0.05). TH significantly elevated the oxidative stress markers; protein carbonyl, malondialdehyde content, and DNA damage (p < 0.05). Myeloperoxidase activity and nitric oxide significantly increased with overexpression of the pro-inflammatory cytokines (interferon gamma, tumor necrosis factor alpha, and interleukin-1 beta) and stress-related and apoptotic genes (NF-KB, Caspase-3) in the brain tissue on both biochemical and molecular levels (p < 0.05), while downregulating the expression of antiapoptotic Bcl-2. Co-treatment of CA and RA with TH markedly decreased the insecticide-induced toxicity with a prominent synergistic effect (p < 0.05). In conclusion, TH is suggested to be a possible neurotoxic to embryos of vertebrates including human. The study also revealed the antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, genoprotective, and antiapoptotic property of CA and RA against TH toxicity.

Left Displacement of the Abomasum (LDA) is a condition that occurs in high-producing postpartum dairy cows and it causes economic losses. Studies performed in the last decade indicate that adult dairy cows experience oxidative stress. Increasing interest in the role of oxidative status in ruminant medicine has emphasized the need to develop reliable methods to assess it. A few studies have evaluated the relationship between LDA and oxidative status, mostly through the determination of single parameters of oxidation and the determination of antioxidant status separately, with contrasting results. The aim of this study was to assess the oxidative status by the measurement of Reactive Oxygen Metabolites with d-ROMs and Biological Antioxidant Potential BAP and the calculation of the Oxidative Status index in 74 multiparous dairy cows with LDA. Each case was matched with a control herdmate. The amount of free oxygen radicals in plasma samples was determined using the d-ROMs test, the concentration of antioxidants was measured using the BAP test and the Oxidative Status index was also calculated. The concentration of d-ROMs was significantly higher in the study group compared to the control group (179 ± 37.7 U CARR and 158 ± 23.0 U CARR, respectively), while the concentration of BAP was significantly lower in the study group than in the control group (2156 ± 98.1 µmol/L vs. 2558 ± 108.5 µmol/L). The Oxidative Status index value was significantly higher in cows with LDA than in healthy cows (8.3 ± 1.51 vs. 6.2 ± 0.76). The results of this study indicated that an inbalance between oxidants and antioxidants occurred in cattle with LDA.

Tick-borne protozoans of the genus Hepatozoon have been associated with infections of domestic and wild animals over the world. The occurrence of these apicomplexan agents in Sardinia has been poorly explored so far. In this study, the occurrence of Hepatozoon spp. has been investigated in domestic dogs from nine cities of Sardinia, Italy. Blood samples from each dog were collected and tested molecularly for the presence of Hepatozoon and Babesia/Theileria DNAs. Out of fifty-one dogs, nine were positive for Hepatozoon species based on the molecular detection of the parasite in blood samples. The phylogenetic relationships of strains detected here were also established. The PCR for amplification of the 18S rRNA fragment gene of Babesia/Theileria spp. did not give amplicons in any of the analyzed samples. Our results report the first molecular confirmation of Hepatozoon canis in Sardinian pet dogs and contribute to better understand the presence of these protozoans on the island. This study highlights the importance of recognizing and predicting the risk levels for the canine population, thus increasing the development of specific control measures. Also, since the distribution of hepatozoonosis is closely related to that of the definitive tick host, Rhipicephalus sanguineus, more accurate studies on Rhipicephalus ticks will be needed due to increasing the epidemiological knowledge of Hepatozoon species on the island.

The enrollment of working dogs in various fields is widespread throughout the world. Training adult working dogs could be stressful to dogs, which is why it is important to assess their response to these conditions. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether basic training in adult working dogs can be stressful. Cortisol and lactate concentrations were measured at three time points: T0, arrival at the training field; T1, immediately after training; and T2, 60 min after training. Stress-related behaviours were also recorded. None of the dogs showed behavioural signs of stress, such as yawning, barking, or stereotyped movements, although some displayed behaviours such as sniffing, licking their lips, keeping their ears back, or lifting their legs, which may also indicate stress. Cortisol concentrations were highest at T0, decreased at T1, and rose again at T2, while lactate concentrations increased at T1 and returned to baseline at T2. These findings suggest that the training itself was not a significant stressor, whereas the environment prior to training may have contributed to anticipatory stress.