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Homemade cat food recipes ‘could be harmful’
Many recipes had less than 50 per cent of the recommended allowances of several essential nutrients.
US study finds majority lack essential nutrients 

A new study suggests the majority of homemade cat food recipes found online are unlikely to provide cats with all essential nutrients.

Some recipes even contained potentially toxic ingredients, according to researchers at the University of California, Davis, who examined 114 recipes from online sources and books. Recipes were written by a mixture of vets and non-vets.

Findings show 40 per cent of the recipes did not provide any feeding instructions, while the remainder lacked detail or were unclear. Just 94 per cent supplied enough information for computer nutritional analysis, and of these, none provided all the essential nutrients to meet national guidelines.

Recipes were found to lack nutrients regardless of whether they were written by vets or non-vets, but those authored by vets had fewer deficiencies. Most recipes lacked concentrations of three or more nutrients, with some lacking adequate amounts of up to 19 essential nutrients.

Many recipes had less than 50 per cent of the recommended allowances of several essential nutrients, including choline, iron, zinc, thiamin, vitamin E and manganese. According to researchers, whether or not these diets would be harmful to cats would depend on feeding instructions, how long the cat has been fed the diet, the cat’s health and the level of nutritional deficiency.

Worringly, seven per cent of recipes contained ingredients that are potentially toxic to cats, such as garlic or garlic powder, onions and leeks. Some also called for raw animal products, but did not mention the potential risk of bacterial contamination, while recipes that included bones did not state the importance of grinding them to prevent gastrointestinal tears.

Only five recipes, all written by vets, met all but one of the essential ingredients.

Lead author Jennifer Larson said there was a surge in US cat owners switching to homemade diets after toxic substances were found in commercial pet food imported from China over a decade ago. However, this is thought to be the first time researchers have examined homemade recipes for healthy adult cats.

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Vets to run marathon for World Animal Protection

News Story 1
 Two recently graduated veterinary surgeons will be running the London Marathon in April to raise money for the charity World Animal Protection.

Alex Bartlett and Maeve O'Neill plan to run the race together if they are given the same start times.

Dr O'Neill said: "You're always limited in what you can do to help animals, so it is nice to raise money for a charity that helps animals around the world."

Dr Bartlett added: "I have never run a marathon before and am excited to run my first one for such a good cause!"

Both Dr Bartlett and Dr O'Neill have fundraising pages online. 

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News Shorts
BSAVA releases new Guide to Procedures

The British Small Animal Veterinary Association (BSAVA) has published a new edition of its Guide to Procedures for Small Animal Practice.

It has added four new procedures; cystostomy tube placement, endotracheal intubation, point-of-care ultrasound and wet-to-dry dressings.

BSAVA says that it is an essential step-by-step guide to diagnostic and therapeutic procedures performed in practice. The textbook includes new images and illustrations, as well as high-definition videos for use prior to procedures.

Nick Bexfield and Julia Riggs, editors of the new edition, said: "We have built upon the success of the previous editions by responding to the feedback received from the BSAVA readership, and hope this new guide helps to further increase the confidence and accuracy with which these procedures are performed."

Print copies are available in the BSAVA store, with a digital version in the BSAVA library.