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This Healthy Pets New Zealand funded study aimed at improving the understanding of domestic dog behaviour using new technology and machine learning algorithms.

Healthy Pets New Zealand is supporting this research and we'd really appreciate you taking the time to fill in the survey if you have an indoor-only cat.

Healthy Pets NZ is really pleased to be able to support financially the research being undertaken by Companion Animals NZ into how cats adapt to indoor living.

The study called "Who let the cats in?" is aiming to understand more about how our feline companions (and their human guardians!) adapt to indoor living. 

Cardiomyopathy is a primary myocardial disorder that changes the structure and function of the heart muscle in the absence of other disease sufficient to cause the observed myocardial abnormality. Until Dr Joon Seo’s recently completed research, there were no studies evaluating the prevalence of cardiomyopathy in cats in New Zealand. However, studies of cats in the UK and USA suggest that approximately 15% of clinically healthy cats in the general population have cardiomyopathy that is detectable using echocardiography.

The long-held view that pets make us happier and healthier is being challenged.

The latest study to be funded under the Human-Animal Bond grant seeks to understand what constitutes a positive experience for the dogs when it comes to dog-handler interactions by measuring their oxytocin levels during various interactions. Hopefully this will help educate anyone interacting with dogs, including owners, on how we can do better and reduce the incidence of behavioural disorders.

Thanks to Julie South and the team at VetStaff Veterinary Recruitment you can know have a listen to some podcasts about Healthy Pets New Zealand and our research as Julie talks to our Chair, Dr Cath Watson, and to Prof. John Munday on some of his Healthy Pets New Zealand funded research into the potential future of cancer treatments for animals.

After a hugely successful, albeit Covid-affected, inaugural event in February 2021, Dogs Day out is back on November 26/27th 2022, bigger and better! 

Sometimes when we undertake a study, we don’t find what we’re looking for. That’s a really good thing when the bug under investigation is methicillin-resistant S. pseudointermedius and could be very difficult to treat!

Kerikeri artist Tessa Brown kindly donated two original artworks for our silent auction at the recent NZVA Conference, the proceeds of which have raised over $500 for Healthy Pets - thanks Tessa!