A wagging tail, a playful purr and a happy face are some of the little things that make sharing our lives with pets so special. But how often do we think about the health of their teeth and gums? Dental care is an essential part of keeping our dogs and cats healthy, yet it is often overlooked until bad breath, difficulty eating or other visible problems appear. Just like humans, dogs and cats need regular dental care. Poor oral hygiene can lead to plaque and tartar accumulation, inflamed gums, loose teeth and painful dental disease. In advanced cases, infections may extend beyond the mouth and affect other organs of the body. Dental disease is common in pets and can progress without obvious signs of discomfort. This is particularly concerning because animals may continue eating and behaving relatively normally even when their mouths are painful. The good news? With regular home care, appropriate dental products and routine veterinary check-ups, pet owners can take important steps to protect their companions' oral health.

Rice and wheat straws form the backbone of dry roughage for Indian dairy animals, yet their lignified cell walls, low protein content and poor digestibility restrict intake and energy supply, and a large share is still burnt in the field. Solid-state fermentation (SSF) with whiterot fungi, chiefly Pleurotus species, offers a biological alternative to chemical treatment. Fungal laccase and peroxidases enzymatically loosen lignin, exposing cellulose and hemicellulose to rumen microbes, while fungal biomass raises the crude protein of the straw. Published work reports straw crude protein rising from about 2 percent to between 5 and 6.6 percent, in vitro dry matter digestibility reaching about 65 percent, and better nutrient digestibility in small ruminants, but the response varies widely with fungal strain, moisture, temperature and incubation time. This article reviews the mechanism, a field-oriented protocol, compositional and animal responses, an illustrative costing for Indian conditions, practical challenges and research priorities. SSF appears most promising where low-cost inoculum such as spent mushroom substrate are used and treated straw is built into balanced rations.

Urea is a legitimate and economical source of non-protein nitrogen for ruminants, but the same compound turns into a serious hazard when it reaches dairy animals in the wrong amount, in the wrong form or at the wrong time. In India, which produced 247.87 million tonnes of milk in 2024-25 (DAHD, 2025), urea contamination of feed arises mainly from deliberate spraying of costly oilseed cakes to increase their apparent protein, from uneven mixing in compounded feed, and from careless storage of fertiliser urea on farms. In the rumen, urea is split into ammonia far faster than microbes can use it and the surplus can take over the liver within an hour. This article brings together the permissible level (1.0 percent of compounded cattle feed under IS 2052:2023), the toxic and lethal doses (0.3 to 0.5 and 1.0 to 1.5 g per kg body weight), the clinical picture, first-response steps, and a practical prevention plan that suits smallholder and commercial dairies. The priorities for quicker field testing, improved regulations and research on Indian cattle and buffaloes are highlighted in this article.