Evaluate the effects of dietary restriction on life span of 48 labrador retrievers dogs.

Talk about the importance of doing a complete nutritional evaluation of the patient before instituting a dietary change in any patient, especially an older dog or cat. The patient evaluation, the current diet, and feeding management should be included in this edvaluation. Many diseases in senior pets, as cognitive dysfunction, osteoarthritis, and obesity are “diet-sensitive”, meaning that diet can play a role in managing the effects of the disease.

Evaluate the effect of weight loss on heart rate during moderate exercise in obese dogs.

Study the relationship between the fiber levels in the diet and the satiety in dogs, measured by voluntary food consumption.

Study the gastric distension level seen during a meal, the satiety effect and whether the nutrient value of the meal was important. Gastric distension is thought to produce satiety, but whether this effect is seen during physiologic distension by food was unknown.