Commercially available avian and mammalian whole prey diet items targeted for consumption by managed exotic and domestic pet felines: Macronutrient, mineral, and long‐chain fatty acid composition

Kerr, Katherine R.; Kappen, Kelly; Garner, L. M.; Swanson, Kelly S.

doi:10.1002/zoo.21147

Cited by 9 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 25 publications

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“…Considering an average daily chow intake of 3.5 g per C57BL/6J mouse (Champy et al, 2008), a daily carbohydrate intake of 1.9 g, 0.6 g protein and 0.14 g crude fibers was considered. To calculate the amount of carbohydrates (excluding crude fibers) and proteins reaching the caecum, upper gastrointestinal digestibility indices of 95% for carbohydrates (Dahlqvist and Thomson, 1963a,b; Lee et al, 2011) and 90% for proteins (Kerr et al, 2014) were applied. This resulted in 0.09 g of dietary carbohydrates and 0.06 g of dietary proteins reaching the caecum each day or a dietary carbohydrate:protein ratio of 60:40.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Stepwise Development of an in vitro Continuous Fermentation Model for the Murine Caecal Microbiota

et al. 2019

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Murine models are valuable tools to study the role of gut microbiota in health or disease. However, murine and human microbiota differ in species composition, so further investigation of the murine gut microbiota is important to gain a better mechanistic understanding. Continuous in vitro fermentation models are powerful tools to investigate microbe-microbe interactions while circumventing animal testing and host confounding factors, but are lacking for murine gut microbiota. We therefore developed a novel continuous fermentation model based on the PolyFermS platform adapted to the murine caecum and inoculated with immobilized caecal microbiota. We followed a stepwise model development approach by adjusting parameters [pH, retention time (RT), growth medium] to reach fermentation metabolite profiles and marker bacterial levels similar to the inoculum. The final model had a stable and inoculum-alike fermentation profile during continuous operation. A lower pH during startup and continuous operation stimulated bacterial fermentation (115 mM short-chain fatty acids at pH 7 to 159 mM at pH 6.5). Adjustments to nutritive medium, a decreased pH and increased RT helped control the in vitro Enterobacteriaceae levels, which often bloom in fermentation models, to 6.6 log gene copies/mL in final model. In parallel, the Lactobacillus , Lachnospiraceae , and Ruminococcaceae levels were better maintained in vitro with concentrations of 8.5 log gene copies/mL, 8.8 log gene copies/mL and 7.5 log gene copies/mL, respectively, in the final model. An independent repetition with final model parameters showed reproducible results in maintaining the inoculum fermentation metabolite profile and its marker bacterial levels. Microbiota community analysis of the final model showed a decreased bacterial diversity and compositional differences compared to caecal inoculum microbiota. Most of the caecal bacterial families were represented in vitro , but taxa of the Muribaculaceae family were not maintained. Functional metagenomics prediction showed conserved metabolic and functional KEGG pathways between in vitro and caecal inoculum microbiota. To conclude, we showed that a rational and stepwise approach allowed us to model in vitro the murine caecal microbiota and functions. Our model is a first step to develop murine microbiota model systems and offers the potential to study microbiota functionality and structure ex vivo .

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Stepwise Development of an in vitro Continuous Fermentation Model for the Murine Caecal Microbiota

et al. 2019

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“…Differences among samples were determined using a Fisher-protected LSD with a Tukey adjustment to control for experiment-wise error. Contrast statements were used to test for linear and quadratic effects of size (i.e., average body mass as presented in Kerr et al, 2014b) within species for mice, rats, rabbits, and quail. A probability of P ≤ 0.05 was accepted as statistically significant.…”

Section: Cecectomized Rooster Assaymentioning

confidence: 99%

Commercially available avian and mammalian whole prey diet items targeted for consumption by managed exotic and domestic pet felines: True metabolizable energy and amino acid digestibility using the precision-fed cecectomized rooster assay

Kerr

Kappen

Garner

et al. 2014

Journal of Animal Science

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Whole prey diets are commonly used in the zoo and home setting for captive exotic and domestic cats, respectively. Despite their increase in popularity, nutrient digestibility of such diets has been poorly studied. In this study, the precision-fed cecectomized rooster assay was used to determine the protein quality and nitrogen-corrected true ME (TMEn) of 17 whole prey samples (mice [1 to 2 , 10 to 13 , 21 to 25 , 30 to 40 , and 150 to 180 d old], rats [1 to 4, 10 to 13, 21 to 25, 32 to 42, and >60 d old], rabbits [stillborn, 30 to 45 d old, and >65 d old], chicken [1 to 3 d old], and quail [1 to 3, 21 to 40, and >60 d old]) and 2 ground poultry-based products (chicken and duck). Amino acid score (AAS) and protein digestibility corrected AAS (PDCAAS) were calculated using the nutrient profile recommendations for domestic cat food as a reference value (AAFCO, 2012). Average individual indispensable AA (IAA) and total IAA (TIAA) digestibility coefficients were variable anddepended on AA (84 to 94% TIAA, 85 to 95% Arg, 87 to 96% His, 82 to 92% Ile, 84 to 94% Leu, 85 to 93% Lys, 89 to 97% Met, 83 to 94% Phe, 80 to 95% Thr, 84 to 94% Trp, and 80 to 93% Val) and sample. For a majority of the whole prey items, AA concentrations were greater than the Association of American Feed Control Officials ( AAFCO: , 2012) domestic cat nutrient profile recommendations for growth and reproduction and adult maintenance; however, some whole prey had AA concentrations below the AAFCO (2012) recommendations: Met + Cys (1.10% DM) in ground duck (1.06% DM) and taurine (Tau; 0.20% DM) in 30-to-45- and >65-d-old rabbits (0.01 and 0.10% DM, respectively), 150-to-180-d-old mice (0.18% DM), and ground duck (0.15% DM). The TMEn (3.76 to 6.44 kcal/g DM) expressed as the percent of GE (i.e., TMEn/GE) ranged from 66 to 85%, demonstrating how variable the digestibility of these items may be and justifying more research in this area. Both Met and Tau are commonly added to commercial pet foods, so supplements are readily available to address potential deficiencies and improve protein quality. A direct comparison of the ME of whole prey items by in vivo feline and rooster experiments is needed.

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“…To date, there are no further definitive data on seasonal or prey preferences identified for ferrets from which to extrapolate nutrient intakes/profiles. Other prey rodents containing crude fat contents >~35% on a dry matter basis (with concurrent lower protein levels) include weanling domestic mice ( Mus musculus , Douglas et al 1994, Kerr et al 2014), domestic guinea pigs ( Porcellus cavia , Clum et al 1996), and free‐range pocket gophers ( Thomomys bottae ; Kremen et al 2013). Therefore, prairie dogs represent a relatively high fat prey item across quadruped prey species for which data exist.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The nutrient composition of whole vertebrate prey consumed by carnivores is important to understand from both an ecological and management perspective. However, such datasets are scarce in the published literature (see for example Dierenfeld et al 2002, Kremer et al 2013, Kerr et al 2014 a , b ). For the most part, analyses have focused on proximate composition (water, crude protein, crude fat, and ash), with energy content and some minerals quantified.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For the most part, analyses have focused on proximate composition (water, crude protein, crude fat, and ash), with energy content and some minerals quantified. More recent studies have started filling data gaps with detailed assays of amino acid (Kremer et al 2013, Kerr et al 2014 a ) and fatty acid profiles (Kerr et al 2014 b ), but there is still a dearth of information on essential nutrients such as fat‐soluble vitamins. Furthermore, variables known to impact nutritional content of whole prey across species, such as sex and age (see Douglas et al 1994), diet (Clum et al 1996), seasonality, and/or the consequences of not analyzing the prey in the same form as eaten (e.g., eviscerated vs complete, or with or without fur/feathers/skin), have not been fully explored.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Environmental and prey‐based factors underpinning variability in prairie dogs eaten by black‐footed ferrets

et al. 2021

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The endangered black-footed ferret (Mustela nigripis) has been the focus of intensive captive breeding and reintroduction projects for several decades. To better understand nutritional provision during captivity, primary prey items (prairie dogs) of free-ranging black-footed ferret populations were sampled from 6 native habitat sites in Wyoming and Colorado over a one-year period. Morphometrics and nutritional analyses including proximate composition (water, crude fat, crude protein, ash), vitamins A and E, and select macro-and microminerals were conducted on black-tailed (BT, Cynomys ludovicianus, n = 81) and white-tailed (WT, C. leucurus; n = 58) prairie dogs. Stomach and intestinal contents were extracted and sampled separately from other carcass components. Multivariate linear modeling of data was used to determine the influence of environmental (season, site) and prey-based (species, age, sex) factors on prey nutritional composition. Seasonality impacted the nutrient profiles of prairie dogs as food for black-footed ferrets, affecting carcass, stomach, and intestinal samples in most nutrients evaluated for both species. Carcass and subcutaneous fat concentrations were lowest in spring for both species compared with other seasons. Conversely, fat-soluble vitamin A in carcasses was highest in the spring for both species. Vitamin E was also highest in the spring for WT, but highest in the winter for BT, although no comparative winter data were available for the hibernating WT. Macronutrient composition did not differ between sexes for WT, but carcass fat was higher, hence protein lower, in female vs male BT. Age class and site-specific differences detected for some nutrients suggested possible underlying feeding ecology differences. Given the ongoing concerns regarding ex situ population sustainability and the documented role of nutrition in black-footed ferret health and reproduction, these seasonal nutrient profiles provide valuable guidelines for optimizing managed feeding programs for this endangered species, and similar considerations in prey nutrient variability can be applied to feeding programs of other carnivorous species.

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Commercially available avian and mammalian whole prey diet items targeted for consumption by managed exotic and domestic pet felines: Macronutrient, mineral, and long‐chain fatty acid composition

Cited by 9 publications

References 25 publications

Stepwise Development of an in vitro Continuous Fermentation Model for the Murine Caecal Microbiota

Stepwise Development of an in vitro Continuous Fermentation Model for the Murine Caecal Microbiota

Commercially available avian and mammalian whole prey diet items targeted for consumption by managed exotic and domestic pet felines: True metabolizable energy and amino acid digestibility using the precision-fed cecectomized rooster assay

Environmental and prey‐based factors underpinning variability in prairie dogs eaten by black‐footed ferrets

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