Efficacy of feeding a diet containing a high concentration of mixed fiber sources for management of acute large bowel diarrhea in dogs in shelters

Abstract

Background Use of diets with increased concentrations of dietary fiber is thought to be beneficial in the management of dogs with large bowel diarrhea. Objective To determine whether feeding a diet with high concentrations of soluble and insoluble fiber to dogs with acute colitis would be superior to feeding a diet with typical fiber levels. Animals A total of 52 dogs with acute signs of large bowel diarrhea housed in an animal shelter were entered into the study; 11 dogs per diet completed the protocol. Methods In this randomized, prospective study, dogs with a fecal score of 4, 5, 6, or 7 and signs of acute colitis were fed a high fiber diet (4.54% soluble; 15.16% insoluble fiber) or a standard diet (0.6% soluble; 5.33% insoluble fiber) and fecal scores compared over the course of the study with significance defined as P < .05. Results All dogs fed the high fiber diet (11/11; 100%) had a fecal score <5 on the day of adoption or day 9, which was statistically different (P < .04) than dogs fed the standard diet (6/11 dogs; 55%; 95% CI: 23‐83). The proportions of stools with a fecal score >4 were greater (P = .0001) in the dogs fed the standard diet (29/48 samples; 60%; 95% CI: 45‐74) compared to the high fiber diet (8/50 samples; 16%; 95% CI: 7‐29). Conclusions and Clinical Importance The results support feeding the high fiber diet described herein to dogs with acute large bowel diarrhea.

Nutritional Composition and Untargeted Metabolomics Reveal the Potential of Tetradesmus obliquus, Chlorella vulgaris and Nannochloropsis oceanica as Valuable Nutrient Sources for Dogs

“…In the present study, insoluble dietary fiber constituted most of the total dietary fiber in the three studied microalgae species, in agreement with previous studies with extruded N. oceanica and T. obliquus [ 56 , 57 ]. In dogs, non-fermentable fiber decreases gastric transit time and diet energy density and increases fecal bulk and moisture, aiding in laxation, whereas fermentable and soluble fiber increase digesta viscosity and satiety, decrease gastric emptying, glucose uptake rate, blood cholesterol concentration and benefits the growth of commensal gut bacteria [ 58 , 59 ].…”

Digestibility of a Lignocellulose Supplemented Diet and Fecal Quality in Beagle Dogs

“…Overall, fecal quality can be determined using either fecal consistency scores or DM content in the feces [ 43 , 47 ]. The fecal consistency scores can be influenced by a variety of factors, such as undigested total dietary fiber content and proteins [ 38 , 49 ]. In this study, increasing concentrations of LC in the diet resulted in fecal consistency scores closer to the optimal value (score 2), with greater fecal DM.…”

“…This agrees with previous studies by Fahey et al [ 48 ] and Kröger et al [ 4 ], who found an influence of the type and amount of fiber source on the fecal quality. The dietary factors affecting fecal DM content, such as fiber digestion and absorption, as well as fiber fermentation activity, should be considered [ 49 , 50 , 51 ].The concentrations of fecal short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) have been used in practice to assess the activity of the large gut microbiota fermentation of dogs [ 52 , 53 ]. SCFA are particularly produced by microbial fermentation of undigestible carbohydrates [ 54 ], and the proportions of the SCFA may change depending on the fiber sources [ 47 , 55 , 56 , 57 ].…”

Treatment of Scabiosis and Toxocariosis in Domestic Cat

“…Pada pemeriksaan feses kucing kasus ditemukan adanya cacing nematoda berbentuk gilig panjang, memiliki tiga bibir pada bagian anterior, ujung posterior digitiform dan melengkung ke arah ventral (Soegiarto et al, 2022). Feses dengan konsistensi feses tipe enam yaitu seperti pasta dan berwarna kuning (Lappin et al,. 2022).…”