New insights found in pet nutrition and health

According to the PhD student from Utrecht University in the Netherlands, obesity can intensify osteoarthrosis in humans and in animals. It is therefore vital that obesity be prevented or treated in order to treat the disorder. Unfortunately, obesity in pets is often considered to be normal or even a sign of good health.

In addition to the role of obesity, the doctoral candidate also studied the effects of certain nutrients in the animal’s feed. Corbee found that omega-3 fattty acids can reduce the clinical symptoms of osteoarthrosis in dogs and cats. He also discovered that in cats, vitamin A can cause bone deformities and connective tissue in the liver. Vitamin D can protect the connective tissue in the liver, but extra vitamin D does not protect against the development of elbow dysplasia and is not necessary to treat dogs suffering from Cushing’s disease.

Corbee will defend this thesis on August 28, 2014 in Utrecht, the Netherlands.