I have always been a dog lover, but it wasn’t until I met my partner, Melanie, and her chihuahua, Emma, during graduate school that a dog became permanently part of my life. Emma is the boss. She is known for being immensely loyal to her people and often skeptical of newcomers, especially men; it took Emma and me all of five minutes to become the best of friends, so much so that Emma is credited with completing one-quarter of my PhD thesis.

Upon moving back to Toronto to start work at SCIEX, a company that assists scientists with complex data, Melanie and I knew that we needed another set of paws in the house. With the help of Texas Chihuahua Rescue, we adopted Angela. Calm, submissive, and a little shy, Angela has become the perfect complement and partner to our excitable, passionate and assertive Emma.

As any dog lover, Melanie and I were distressed and concerned to read about the canine and other pet deaths that occurred at the end of last year because of food poisoned by mycotoxins. This hit particularly close to home because my work at SCIEX involves the development of new technologies and methods to screen foodstuffs for contaminants such as mycotoxins.

What are Mycotoxins?

Mycotoxins are naturally occurring poisonous chemicals produced by certain molds and fungi. They can grow on various crops and foodstuffs, including cereals, nuts, spices, dried fruits, apples, and coffee beans, especially when conditions are warm and humid. Contamination can happen at several points during food production because molds can grow on living crop plants, harvested fruits and grains, and stored processed food products. Most mycotoxins are chemically stable enough to survive food processing. They remain toxic even after breakdown into byproduct metabolites that can be found in the milk of animals that have been fed contaminated feed.

Eating mycotoxin-contaminated food can make humans and animals severely ill and even be lethal when certain mycotoxins, like aflatoxins, are ingested in large doses. Aflatoxins are relatively common mycotoxins, which can damage the liver.

Mycotoxins can also have long-term impacts on health, such as inducing cancers and immune deficiency. There are several hundreds of mycotoxins known, but many remain unidentified, sometimes because these mycotoxins are difficult to detect. These “masked mycotoxins” and other newly “emerging mycotoxins” are causing growing concern within the food safety and security industry.

How are foods screened for them?

Final food products and raw ingredients are routinely screened for mycotoxin contamination using advanced analytical chemistry methods involving liquid chromatography (LC) combined with mass spectrometry (MS). The LC technique is used to separate out the different component compounds in the food based on the other physical properties of each of the components. These compounds are then detected, identified, and quantified based on their chemical properties, namely their mass to charge ratio, using MS technologies. Spurred on by the emergence of masked and other newly discovered mycotoxins and the growing need of scientists to better detect these toxins, SCIEX developed detection methods using LC-MS, the latest of which can detect 530 mycotoxins at a time, quickly and precisely.

How do you protect yourself and your dog from mycotoxin threats?

Although a dog’s super-sense of smell is able to detect molds, that doesn’t necessarily mean they will steer clear of them. As any pupper’s person can attest, dogs will eat, sniff or lick (almost) anything resembling food – moldy or not. To try and minimize their risk of getting sick, stay vigilant.

• Deter them from rooting around compost heaps, piles of moldy leaves, wild mushrooms, or trash cans containing rotting food.
• You can also minimize the risks at home by ensuring food is properly dried and stored.
• Avoid keeping food in warm and humid conditions, which are perfect for mold growth.
• Check foods such as whole grains, dried fruits, and nuts regularly and discard any that look moldy, discolored, or shriveled.
• Buy grains and nuts as fresh as possible and store them properly in dry and cool conditions, away from insects.
• Avoid damaging grains before drying and storing, and minimize the amount of time that foods are stored before being eaten.
• Check out the FDA’s health notices for dog food recalls and advisories.

It is important to note that molds that produce mycotoxins can penetrate deep into food and do not just grow on the surface.

Watch out for symptoms that they may be sick, including confusion, vomiting, and loss of appetite. They may also have neurological symptoms such as tremors, seizures, or ataxia (which will look like they are drunk or having trouble walking). If your best friend displays any neurological symptoms or any of these symptoms in combination, take them to your vet for a check-up.

By taking these measures, we can do our best to keep our best friends and ourselves safe and protected while making the most of our de facto “colleagues” as we work from home.

The post Unmasking Mycotoxins in Dog Food appeared first on My Doggy Blog.

When a pet is begging for food, it is sometimes hard to resist giving them a little taste of your meal. Dogs aren’t known for being picky about their food, eating the same kibble day after day with relish. However, owners of spoiled pooches want their pets to have the best possible culinary experience, especially for those rare finicky canines. Though pets of all kinds are known to beg, dogs tend to do so most often. There are several human foods that can be given to dogs occasionally.

Now, researchers reporting results from a pilot study in ACS’ Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry have identified key aroma compounds in dog food that seem to be the most appealing to canines.

For dogs, palatability depends on a food’s appearance, odor, taste and texture — just as it does for people. Previous studies have suggested that odor is especially important for dogs. Some scientists have identified volatile compounds in dog food, but not much is known about how specific aroma compounds influence how readily the dog eats the food. Maoshen Chen and colleagues wanted to identify the key aroma compounds in six dog foods and correlate the compounds with dogs’ intake of the foods.

In this small study, the researchers began by feeding six adult beagles one of six foods for one hour each and determining how much the dogs ate. The intake of three of the foods was two to four times higher than that of the other three foods. Using mass spectrometry, the researchers found that 12 volatile aroma molecules were correlated, either positively or negatively, with the beagles’ intake of the six foods. Then, the researchers added each aroma compound to an odorless food and gave the beagles a choice between food containing one of the compounds and the odorless food itself.

From these experiments, the team determined that the dogs preferred food containing several compounds including (E)-2-hexenal (which humans associate with an unpleasant, fatty odor), 2-furfurylthiol (a sulfury, roasted, smoky odor) and 4-methyl-5-thiazoleethanol (a meaty odor).

In contrast, the dogs didn’t care for food containing (E)-2-octenal (a slightly different unpleasant, fatty odor).

Although other dog breeds and more subjects should be tested, these results could help dog food manufacturers formulate more palatable chow, the researchers say.

The post Making Dog food More Delectable appeared first on My Doggy Blog.

When it comes to treats you can share with your dogs, fruits are a delicious and nutritious choice for both people and pets. Many fruits work well as easy, simple treats in addition to your dog’s healthy diet, but what about pineapple?

There’s good news for pineapple lovers who are curious if this tropical delight is safe for dogs. I’m happy to report that pineapple is a healthy, sweet, perfectly safe treat for dogs—with moderation. Let’s dive into the benefits and cautions of pineapple for pups.

Are Pineapples Safe for Dogs?

Let’s start with some positive aspects of pineapples. Pineapple is an excellent source of vitamin C (also called ascorbic acid). Just one cup of pineapple contains 80mg, which is a full day’s worth for us humans. Pineapple is also full of vitamin B1 (thiamin), vitamin b6, and dietary fiber, making it a worthy treat for dogs. The pineapple is also packed full of nutritious minerals, including iron, magnesium, and potassium. In pineapple, you’ll also find bromelain, an enzyme that aids digestion, reduces inflammation, improves healing, and fights cancer.

But, while pineapple packs a lot of punch, it does have some downsides. For us humans who cannot produce vitamin C, pineapple is a great source of the vitamin. Dogs, on the other hand, do not require much vitamin C added to their diet because dogs (and cats) produce vitamin C naturally. Another drawback that might make you reconsider sharing pineapple with your dog, sugar. Pineapple is loaded with natural sugar (fructose), which can irritate a dog’s GI. So, while pineapple is generally safe for dogs, it should be limited to only an occasional treat–and no more than a few bites a day.

Pup prep: To serve pineapple to your dog, cut up raw, fresh pineapples in bite-sized chunks or sticks.

For a cooling treat during the summer, go with frozen. Frozen pineapple contains many of the same nutritional benefits as fresh, but it’s easy to store and perfect for the occasional treat year-round.

As with any new food, introduce pineapple slowly and in small quantities. You might find your dog doesn’t like the smell or taste of pineapple–not all dogs do! If your dog doesn’t take to pineapple, there are many more dog-friendly superfoods to try.

A word of caution: avoid canned pineapple. Most canned pineapple is packed in sugary syrup which can irritate a dog’s digestive system leading to diarrhea or vomiting.

The post Can Dogs Have Pineapple? Fruits for Pups appeared first on My Doggy Blog.