Steve Dale’s Pet World 8/22/2021 | Contrafreeloading, the good and the bad of FIP, and more

Dr. Mikel Delgado, certified applied animal behaviorist and certified cat behavior consultant discusses a phenomenon I am fascinated by, called contrafreeloading.  The notion, proven true in some lab animals and zoo animals, is that the subject would rather work for food than to eat freely from a bowl – the easy way. Dr. Delgado sought […]

Dr. Mikel Delgado, certified applied animal behaviorist and certified cat behavior consultant discusses a phenomenon I am fascinated by, called contrafreeloading.  The notion, proven true in some lab animals and zoo animals, is that the subject would rather work for food than to eat freely from a bowl – the easy way. Dr. Delgado sought to determine if cats contrafreeload, which will help us to better understand how to feed cats. And she reveals the results.

Steve weaves through the good news and bad regarding feline infectious peritonitis (FIP) in cats with Dr. Julie Levy, Fran Marino Endowed Professor of Shelter Medicine Education at Maddie’s Shelter Medicine Program, University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine. The good news is that a drug that cures FIP in cats has saved lives around the world of people with SARS CoV-2 who have COVID-19. The bad news is that the drug isn’t available to cat parents who can’t wait a year or more for FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine approval, so versions of the drug appear online via the international black market. Regulators need to approve, and the pharmaceutical company Gillead could also get involved. 

https://serve.castfire.com/audio/3864968/3864968_2021-08-12-091208.64kmono.mp3