Beth Hamper - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Beth Hamper

Javma-journal of The American Veterinary Medical Association, Dec 1, 2013

I would like to thank all those who helped me complete my Doctor of Philosophy degree in Comparat... more I would like to thank all those who helped me complete my Doctor of Philosophy degree in Comparative and Experimental Medicine. It has been a joint effort. I am especially indebted to my mentors Dr. Joseph Bartges and Dr. Claudia Kirk for their guidance and support throughout this process. I also thank Dr. Stephen Kania and Ms. Diane Trent for their support and guidance through the laboratory portion of this dissertation. In addition, I thank the other members of my committee, Dr.

Veterinary Clinics of North America: Small Animal Practice

Journal of feline medicine and surgery, 2017

Objectives The objective of this study was to determine if two raw feline diets were nutritionall... more Objectives The objective of this study was to determine if two raw feline diets were nutritionally adequate for kittens. Methods Twenty-four 9-week-old kittens underwent an Association of American Feed Control Officials' (AAFCO) 10 week growth feeding trial with two raw diet groups and one cooked diet group (eight kittens in each). Morphometric measurements (weight, height and length), complete blood counts, serum chemistry, whole blood taurine and fecal cultures were evaluated. Results Overall, the growth parameters were similar for all diet groups, indicating the two raw diets used in this study supported feline growth, within the limitations of an AAFCO growth feeding trial. Kittens fed the raw diets had lower albumin ( P = 0.010) and higher globulin ( P = 0.04) levels than the kittens fed the cooked diet. These lower albumin levels were not clinically significant, as all groups were still within normal age reference intervals. A red cell microcytosis ( P = 0.001) was noted i...

Journal of feline medicine and surgery, Jan 23, 2015

The aim of the study was to evaluate overall dry matter, organic matter, crude protein, crude fat... more The aim of the study was to evaluate overall dry matter, organic matter, crude protein, crude fat and gross energy digestibility of a feline commercial raw diet and a homemade raw diet compared with a canned heat-processed diet. Six domestic shorthair kittens (20-28 weeks old) were fed three different diets in a Latin square crossover design. Diet A was a commercially available canned heat-processed diet. Diet B was a complete commercial prefrozen raw diet (commercial raw), and diet C was a raw diet supplement mixed with ground raw meat obtained locally (homemade raw). Both diets A and B were formulated to meet nutritional profile levels for cats at all life stages. Kittens were given specific diet amounts to maintain a 2-4% weight increase per week. Food was measured before and after feedings to determine the amount eaten, and all feces were collected, weighed and frozen prior to submission. Composite food samples and all feces were submitted to a national laboratory for proximate ...

Journal of Veterinary Behavior: Clinical Applications and Research, 2012

Acceptance of feline commercial canned and raw-type moist foods was evaluated in 18 adult cats wi... more Acceptance of feline commercial canned and raw-type moist foods was evaluated in 18 adult cats with and without dietary pre-exposure to the same moist foods in the postweaning period. We hypothesized that cats pre-exposed to moist foods would readily accept canned or raw foods on re-exposure as adults, despite consuming a commercial expanded dry food for a period of 7-23 months. A total of 13 cats were fed 1 of 3 moist foods (commercial canned, commercial raw, or homemade raw foods) exclusively between 9 and 20 weeks of age (exposed), and 5 adult cats were offered only dry food during the postweaning period (unexposed). All 18 cats were offered 1 of 3 moist foods as adults. The relative risk, confidence intervals, and P values were determined for weight maintenance and food intake between the exposed and nonexposed cats when they were fed moist foods as adults. Moist food acceptance was generally poor when offered to adult cats accustomed to eating an expanded dry diet for .7 months. There was no difference (P 5 0.61) in weight maintenance between those cats fed a moist food or expanded dry food as kittens and the later acceptance of a commercial canned or raw-type moist food as an adult. Similarly, adequacy of food intake measured as a proportion of estimated resting energy expenditure was not different between groups. The shorter the duration of dry food feeding, the greater was the likelihood of weight maintenance on reintroduction of moist foods. Kittens fed canned foods showed greater adaptability and acceptance of both raw and canned foods than those pre-exposed to either of the raw foods. In conclusion, prefeeding kittens a raw or canned food during the postweaning period between 9 and 20 weeks of age, followed by a period of dry foods for .7 months, did not increase later acceptance of the foods as an adult as compared with feeding expanded dry foods alone. Further studies with larger numbers of cats are needed to verify these observations and determine statistical significance.

Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, 2013