Comparison of four digestibility markers to estimate fecal output of dogs

Abstract

Twelve adult beagle dogs (10.6 ± 1.4 kg) were fed extruded dog diets in which the starch sources were whole sorghum, sorghum flour, sorghum mill-feed, or an equal combination of rice, corn, and wheat. The experiment was conducted as a replicated Latin square design digestibility study. Estimates of fecal organic matter (OM), crude protein (CP), crude fat (CF), and gross energy (GE) outputs were determined by four methods: total fecal collection (TFC), chromic oxide (Cr 2 O 3 ), titanium dioxide (TiO 2 ), and acid insoluble ash (AIA). The correlation among the fecal output estimates by the four methods by partial correlation coefficients from the Error SSCP Matrix (Pearson) were considered significant at P < 0.05. The external markers, Cr 2 O 3 and TiO 2 , had a higher ( P < 0.05) OM fecal output Pearson correlation to TFC than the intrinsic marker AIA ( R = 0.931 for Cr 2 O 3 vs. TiO 2 ; R = 0.559 for TFC vs. Cr 2 O 3 ; R = 0.592 for TFC vs. TiO 2 ; R = 0.291 for AIA vs. TFC). Interestingly, TiO 2 highly correlated ( P < 0.05) to Cr 2 O 3 ( R = 0.93 for OM), and was also correlated highly to TFC and AIA. The study suggests that TiO 2 may be a preferred marker to estimate fecal output in dogs vs. Cr 2 O 3 . The use of AIA represents a potential option for determining digestibility for diets in which external markers are impractical.

A commercial grain-free diet does not decrease plasma amino acids and taurine status but increases bile acid excretion when fed to Labrador Retrievers

“…Fecal samples were collected during the last 5 d of week 26, homogenized, and frozen prior to other sample preparation. Fecal samples were analyzed for moisture (AOAC 930.15), crude protein (AOAC 990.03), acid-hydrolyzed fat (AOAC 954.02), ash (AOAC 942.05), neutral detergent fiber (Ankom NDF), acid detergent fiber (Ankom ADF 05-03), and titanium dioxide ( Myers et al, 2004 ; Alvarenga et al, 2019 ). ATTD was estimated using the equation below:…”

“…as the main ingredient (listed within the first 10 ingredients in the ingredient list, before vitamins and minerals). Legumes, specifically pulses, have greater protein [ National Research Council (NRC), 2006 ; Singh, 2017 ] and fiber (especially soluble fibers and oligosaccharides) content ( Carciofi et al, 2008 ) in contrast to grains ( Alvarenga and Aldrich, 2019 ; Pezzali et al, 2020 ). While these characteristics may help to increase dietary protein content and aid in gut health and weight management ( Choct, 2009 ; German et al, 2010 ; Flanagan et al, 2017 ; Kroger et al, 2017 ), pulses contain lower concentrations of sulfur amino acids (SAA) and may cause imbalances in a diet’s amino acid (AA) profile.…”

Effects of Collection Durations on the Determination of Energy Values and Nutrient Digestibility of High-Fiber Diets in Growing Pigs by Total Fecal Collection Method

“…The total fecal collection method is the gold standard to estimate the energy values and nutrient digestibility of swine diets [10]. Although the marker-to-marker procedure is preferred for fecal collection, the time-based feces collection procedure is inevitable in the studies, and usually a collection duration of four to six days for the marker-to-marker procedure was recommended [11][12][13][14].…”

Effects of whole-grain cereals on fecal microbiota and short-chain fatty acids in dogs - A comparison of rye, oats and wheat

“…One reason for this could be the use of AIA as an internal marker to evaluate ATTD. Assessments of AIA as an internal marker in dogs have found an intermediate to high correlation with chromium oxide and titanium oxide 59 , use of which as external markers are disputed due to potential health concerns. However, AIA has been reported to overestimate ATTD for some types of food compared with the total fecal collection method 60 , and it is recommended that results are interpreted with caution for food with low AIA concentration 40,61 .…”