Hi, my name is Jingming, you can call me James. I am currently a Master of Biomedical Sciences (MBS) student studying animal nutrition, and my research focus is on metabolomic signatures of cats.
Over the summer, I had the exciting opportunity to intern at Petcurean Pet Nutrition through the Mitacs Accelerate program, and I would like to briefly share the invaluable experiences and insights I gained during this journey.
Read more about "My Summer Internship Experience at Petcurean Pet Nutrition"
Disclaimer: This activity was completed for educational purposes and does not endorse the use of AI search engines for the formulation of homemade pet food diets. If you would like to explore a home-made diet for your pet, please consult your veterinarian or a veterinary nutritionist.
Read more about "From Code to Cuisine: What Happens When AI Designs Home-made Dog Food Recipes?"
On July 9th, Coco (Kehan) Zhang successfully defended her MSc. thesis titled, The fecal microbiome and metabolome signature in adult lean and obese cats fed an isoenergetically reduced macronutrient diets.
Read more about "Congratulations to Coco on a Successful MSc. Defense!"
This blog post aims to help dog owners understand various types of bladder stones, their formations and common causes.
We are excited to announce a new publication! Brooklynn Liversidge and colleagues recently published their new article Comparison of the fecal microbiota of adult healthy dogs fed a plant-based (vegan) or an animal-based diet in Frontiers in Microbiology. Read on for a short summary of their research and findings below.
Kehan (Coco) Zhang, MSc student, had the incredible opportunity to participate in a Mitacs Accelerate internship placement at Champion Petfoods LTC in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada! Here is her story:
Read more about "A Journey of Learning and Growth: Internship at Champion Petfoods"
We are excited to announce a new publication! Hannah Godfrey, Shawna Morrow, and colleagues recently published their new article “Identifying the target population and preventative strategies to combat feline obesity” in the Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery.
We are excited to announce a new publication! Dr. Caitlin Grant and colleagues recently published their new article “Description of the fasted serum metabolomic signature of lean and obese cats at maintenance and of obese cats under energy restriction” in PLOS ONE. Read on for a short summary of their research and findings below.
In this post, we delve into a method that is used by researchers at the University of Guelph to study the impact of environmental factors, such as nutrition, on companion animal metabolism—Indirect Calorimetry.
Read more about "The Science of Pet Nutrition: Understanding Indirect Calorimetry"
We recently interviewed our newest team member, Dr. Manuela Fischer (MV, MSc, PhD, DVSc Student, ECVCN Resident) to learn more about her veterinary background and interests!
Learn about the pros and cons associated with giving your dogs bones! This blog post dives into some popular bone options available on the pet food market, as well as tips for giving your dog bones safety.
This summer, the OVC Pet Nutrition Team welcomed a new member, Alicia (RVT, CCRVN)! We sat down with Alicia to learn more about her veterinary background, interests and pets!
Carbohydrates are a major component within the diet for both humans and dogs. However, high-protein, low-carbohydrate diets have become popular for pet owners and their dogs. This has led some pet owners to believe that carbohydrates are not necessary, or potentially harmful to feed to their dogs.
Happy Easter! The carrot is a nutrient-dense root vegetable that is high in fibre and several vitamins, including Vitamin A and Vitamin K. Carrots are considered a healthy food for humans, but have you ever wondered if they are healthy for your pet too?
It’s National Puppy Day!!! To celebrate, we created a guide to help new puppy owners ensure they are ready for their puppy’s arrival. This guide includes information for: What you will need for your puppy Choosing a food for your puppy How to transition your puppy to a new diet
The gastrointestinal tract (GIT) of animals houses a wide range of microorganisms. It has been estimated that the total number within the intestine can reach up to 100 trillion microbial cells, representing most of the host’s microbial genome (Suchodolski, 2020).
Did you know? October is National Pet Obesity Awareness Month, so it seems fitting to explore a tool universally used by veterinary healthcare teams to assess the weight health of pets.
In humans, gastric emptying rates (GER) have been implicated with obesity, diabetes, and other gastrointestinal disorders. While there is extensive research investigating the impacts of dietary protein and fats on GER, there is a lack of research, specifically in dogs, that focuses on the impacts of carbohydrates. Congratulations to our research team for another publication! Taylor Richards and colleagues investigated the effects of starch sources on gastric emptying in dogs.
Read more about "The Effect of Starch Sources on Gastric Emptying in Dogs"
From June 2nd to June 3rd the 21st Annual AAVN Clinical Nutrition and Research Symposium virtually took place and hosted a diverse set of oral abstract, poster, and keynote presentations. The presenters touched upon relevant topics affecting animal nutrition today, ranging from obesity to protein supply to the evolution of a mammal’s first diet; milk. Along with an array of informative presentations, AAVN made adequate time for virtual networking between conference participants through events such as their virtual cocktails and trivia night.
Increased intake of dietary choline may improve the safety and efficacy of weight loss in the treatment and care of obese cats.
Even when a patient is willing to eat, they may not be eating enough. Ensuring that the needs of our patients are met nutritionally is vital to a good outcome. If you are a veterinary professional, follow these tips and tricks for stimulating appetite in your patients while they are in hospital.
The digestive physiology and diet of the bunny differs significantly from that of the dog or cat. Believe it or not, bunnies' gastrointestinal (GI) tracts most resemble the GI tracts of horses rather than cats, dogs or even rodents. This is important to recognize as an inappropriate diet can significantly contribute to the development of dental or GI disorders.
It’s the holiday season! This may be a time of year where you get to enjoy your favourite foods and treats, and start to decorate your homes, and maybe include your fur-babies in all the fun! However, it is important to remember that not all human foods are appropriate for our pets. We have a developed a short list of holiday-themed items to avoid giving to your pets over the holidays, and some resources to contact if you are worried that your pet may have consumed something they shouldn’t have.
Read more about "Check the List Twice – Find Out What’s Naughty or Nice"
It can be confusing to navigate pet food labels and determine whether a diet is appropriate for your pet or not. Often, the presence or absence of particular ingredients are prominently displayed, while the nutritional content of the diet may take second stage. It’s important to determine the difference between ingredients and nutrients in order to evaluate pet foods.
With National Pet Obesity Awareness day coming up on October 14, the OVC Pet Nutrition team thought it was a good time to bring some attention to the #banthecup movement.
Read more about "National Pet Obesity Awareness Day: #banthecup"
Last week was the European Society of Veterinary and Comparative Nutrition (ESVCN) Congress, presented remotely to maintain the safe delivery of data to the world of animal veterinary and comparative nutrition. Due to the need for the congress to proceed virtually, our team was unable to socialize and network with colleagues from around the world. The virtual format was well organized, featuring session times allowing for a breadth of international attendance.
Read more about "On the World Stage, From Home – ESVCN Congress 2020"
4. Omega 3 fatty acids may be beneficial for overweight cats, and algae oil is an environmentally sustainable alternative to marine fish oil for Omega 3s.
Read more about "8 Things I Learned From The Global Animal Nutrition Summit 2020, Part 2"
From August 12-15th, the University of Guelph was proud to be the first virtual host to the Global Animal Nutrition Summit (GANS). This event was very special to the OVC Pet Nutrition team, as Drs. Adronie Verbrugghe and Sarah Abood were two of the co-chairs of this summit. Additionally, all the members of the OVC Pet Nutrition team worked hard behind the scenes to make this event a success.
Read more about "Global Animal Nutrition Summit 2020 (GANS2020)"
In a study recently published in the Journal Of Veterinary…
