Addressing the Problem of Pet Overpopulation

Effects of diet on body weight, body composition, metabolic status, and physical activity levels of adult female dogs after spay surgery

Neutering is a risk factor for pet obesity, which reduces the quality and length of life. Dietary interventions may serve as preventive and therapeutic options for pet obesity. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of specially formulated diets on body weight (BW), body composition, and blood hormones and metabolites of adult female dogs after spay surgery. All procedures were approved by the University of Illinois Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee prior to experimentation. Twenty-eight healthy adult intact female Beagles (3.02 ± 0.7 yr; 10.28 ± 0.8 kg; body condition score [BCS]: 4.98 ± 0.57) were used in a longitudinal study. Twenty-four dogs were spayed and randomly allotted to one of three experimental diets: 1) moderate-protein, moderate-fiber diet (control; COSP), 2) high-protein, high-fiber diet (HP-HF), or 3) high-protein, high-fiber diet plus omega-3 and medium-chain fatty acids (HP-HF-O). Four dogs were sham-operated and fed the control diet (COSH). Food intake, BW, BCS, blood hormones and metabolites, body composition (via dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry scans), and voluntary physical activity (via Actical devices) were measured over time. After spay, dogs were fed to maintain BW for 12 wk (restricted phase), then allowed to overeat for 12 wk (ad libitum phase). Change from baseline data was analyzed for treatment, time, and treatment × time effects as well as treatment, feeding regimen, and treatment × feeding regimen effects. During the first 12 wk, HP-HF and HP-HF-O had lower (P < 0.01) blood cholesterol than COSH and COSP. During the second 12 wk, HP-HF and HP-HF-O ate more (P < 0.01) food (g/d) than COSH. BCS change for COSP was greater (P < 0.01) than COSH from week 21 to 24, but HP-HF and HP-HF-O were not different. When comparing data by feeding regimen, HP-HF and HP-HF-O had a greater reduction in serum cholesterol (P < 0.001) than COSH and COSP. During the second 12 wk, all spayed dogs consumed more (P < 0.01) food than COSH. However, COSH, HP-HF, and HP-HF-O had a lower (P < 0.001) increase in BCS than COSP. HP-HF-O and COSH had similar serum leptin during weeks 12 to 24. COSP had higher (P ≤ 0.01) serum C-reactive protein than HP-HF-O. Overall, body fat increase in COSP was greater (P < 0.05) than for COSH at week 24, while HP-HF and HP-HF-O were intermediate. Our results indicate that an HP-HF diet can limit weight gain and body fat increase and attenuate serum cholesterol, triglycerides, and leptin concentrations in dogs after spay surgery.

Embryo biotechnology in the dog: a review

Canine embryos are a scarce biological material because of difficulties in collecting in vivo-produced embryos and the inability, to date, to produce canine embryos in vitro. The procedure for the transfer of in vivo-produced embryos has not been developed adequately, with only six attempts reported in the literature that have resulted in the birth of 45 puppies. In vitro, the fertilisation rate is particularly low (∼10%) and the incidence of polyspermy particularly high. So far, no puppy has been obtained from an in vitro-produced embryo. In contrast, cloning of somatic cells has been used successfully over the past 4 years, with the birth of 41 puppies reported in the literature, a yield that is comparable to that for other mammalian species. Over the same period, canine embryonic stem sells and transgenic cloned dogs have been obtained. Thus, the latest reproductive technologies are further advanced than in vitro embryo production. The lack of fundamental studies on the specific features of reproductive physiology and developmental biology in the canine is regrettable in view of the increasing role of dogs in our society and of the current demand for new biological models in biomedical technology.

Management academy for public health: creating entrepreneurial managers

The Management Academy for Public Health develops public health managers' management skills. Ultimately, the program aims to develop civic entrepreneurs who can improve the efficiency and the effectiveness of their organizations. With help from a coach, teams write public health business plans to meet needs in their communities. An external evaluation found that 119 teams trained during the first 3 years of the program generated more than $6 million in enhanced revenue-including grants, contracts, and fees through their business plans--from $2 million in program funding. Approximately 38% of the teams expected to generate revenue from an academy business plan or a spin-off plan. Action-learning methods can help midcareer managers transfer their training to the workplace and build entrepreneurial skills.

The Management Academy for Public Health: program design and critical success factors

The Management Academy for Public Health is a team-based training program jointly offered by the School of Public Health and the Kenan-Flagler Business School at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. This 9-month program teaches public health managers how to better manage people, information, and finances. Participants learn how to work in teams with community partners, and how to think and behave as social entrepreneurs. To practice and blend their new skills, teams develop a business plan that addresses a local public health issue. This article describes the program and explains the findings of the process evaluation, which has examined how best to structure and deploy a team-based method to create more effective, more entrepreneurial public health managers. Findings indicate that recruitment and retention are strong, program elements are relevant to learners' needs, and learners are satisfied with and value the program. Several specific benefits of the program model are identified, as well as several elements that support business plan success and skills' application on the job. On the basis of these findings, four success factors critical for developing similar programs are identified.