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Sterilisation is often used as a means of controlling pet populations and can also confer some health and behavioural benefits. It is one of the main strategies for combating pet abandonment, as control over birth rates reduces the number of large litters and therefore the number of abandoned animals. Learn more about abandonment in the Affinity Foundation study on abandonment, loss and adoption of pets in Spain 2016.
It is important to start by highlighting that canine pseudocyesis, often incorrectly called phantom pregnancy, is not a psychological disease, but rather a physiological state in female dogs due to hormonal activity. Phantom pregnancy in dogs tends to occur 6–8 weeks after oestrus, even in females that have not been mounted by a male.
Leishmaniasis in dogs is a serious parasitic disease caused by parasitic protozoa of the genus Leishmania, especially Leishmania infantum. It is transmitted to dogs through mosquito bites. Mosquitoes become Leishmania carriers having previously bitten other dogs with leishmaniasis.
Megaoesophagus is a condition involving oesophageal dilation and hypomotility due to neuromuscular dysfunction. It causes regurgitation immediately after swallowing food or, sometimes, several hours later, in which case the contents of the vomit will be fermented and may contain both solids and liquids. It is usually accompanied by dysphagia, sialorrhoea and halitosis.
The sterilisation of cats is a routine surgical procedure in small animal clinics, while its advantages make it an important practice for pet health in general. On the other hand, the hormonal changes in sterilised patients come with organic changes that must be treated. The following article outlines the key features for preventing obesity, such as feeding sterilised cats with a dry food.
Being overweight is currently the most common nutritional problem for cats in developed countries. The latest studies report that 19–29% of cats are overweight and 6–8% are obese.1 Diet, the gut microbiota and various nutritional supplements play an important role in treatment, which is why Advance has developed Advance Weight Balance, a diet for weight management and maintenance in cats intended to treat overweight.