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Effectiveness of a honeycombshaped dog chew for dental hygiene

USER-ALT Susan Crowder and others , Companion Animal Dentistry , Kansas City , USA

Periodontal disease is the most commonly undertreated disease in dogs . Home care , including daily tooth brushing , should be the foundation of better oral health , but client compliance with veterinary advice in this area is generally very low . The authors describe a study looking at the efficacy of a honeycomb-shaped dental chew in reducing hardened calculus , plaque , gingivitis and malodour in client-owned dogs in their normal home environment . When the chews were given daily for 60 days , there was a statistically significant reduction in calculus ( 26 %), plaque ( 14.2 %) and malodour ( 46.7 %). The authors note that although daily brushing is the best way to maintain oral health in dogs , these chews are time efficient , cost effective and easy to administer .

Journal of Veterinary Dentistry https :// doi . org / 10.1177 / 08987564241255043

Use of a kaolin-based haemostatic dressing to control bleeding in dogs

USER-ALT Andrea Huther and others , BluePearl Veterinary Specialists , San Antonio , USA

A large proportion of dogs that present to emergency centres with severe injuries require a blood transfusion , suggesting they have experienced significant traumatic haemorrhage . A product consisting of a rayon and polyester gauze impregnated with kaolin , originally developed for use in controlling bleeding from battlefield injuries in people , was assessed by the authors for use in controlling blood loss in dogs . The product , QuikClot Combat Gauze , was tested on two canine trauma patients and two dogs experiencing severe bleeding during a surgical procedure . The findings suggest that this type of dressing could provide a valuable resource in veterinary emergency and critical care settings .

Journal of Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care https :// doi . org / 10.1111 / vec . 13361

Owners ' perceptions of their dogs ' health when fed a vegan diet

USER-ALT Richard Barrett-Jolley and Alex German , University of Liverpool , UK

An increasing proportion of dogs in the UK are fed a vegan diet . The authors of this study believe that previous research , suggesting that the owners of these dogs believe they are healthier than those fed more conventional pet foods , was flawed because confounding factors relating to other variables were not considered during the analysis . They subject the data provided from that earlier study to different analytical methods . Their findings suggest that the contribution of a vegan diet to the overall health of the animals concerned was negligible . The variables that were most strongly associated with owner perceptions of the health of their dog were the animal ' s age and factors associated with the quality of healthcare the dog was provided with , namely veterinary visits , receiving medication and being switched over to a therapeutic diet .

PLOS ONE https :// doi . org / 10.1371 / journal . pone . 0280173

18 Veterinary Nursing Journal