The effects on nutrient utilization and stool quality of Beagle dogs fed diets with beet pulp, cellulose, and Miscanthus grass12

Abstract

Dogs can benefit from dietary fibers. Traditionally, cellulose (CE) and beet pulp (BP) have been used by pet food companies as insoluble and soluble fiber sources. Miscanthus grass (MG) is a novel fiber ingredient made from Miscanthus giganteus, a C4 grass produced for its fiber content, but it has not been evaluated for dogs. The objectives of this study were to determine the effects of different fiber sources on nutrient utilization and stool consistency by dogs. Twelve Beagle dogs were fed 3 dietary treatments varying in their fiber sources (BP, CE, MG). Diets were fed for a 14-d period (9 d adaptation), fecal samples were collected (5 d total fecal collection) and scored. Nutrient digestibility was estimated using total fecal collection (TFC). Dogs fed BP diet had softer stools than dogs fed CE and MG (3.15 vs. 3.68 and 3.64, respectively). Wet fecal output was higher for dogs fed CE compared to MG, with dogs fed BP having the lowest values (254.3 g vs. 241.6 g vs. 208.5 g, respectively). Dogs fed CE and MG had lower DM digestibility than dogs fed BP (P < 0.05), dogs fed BP had lower CP digestibility compared with dogs fed MG and CE (81.4% vs. 85.5% and 85.8%, respectively). In conclusion, MG could be used as an alternative fiber source to CE.

Nutrient Digestibility of a Vegetarian Diet with or without the Supplementation of Feather Meal and Either Corn Meal, Fermented Rye or Rye and Its Effect on Fecal Quality in Dogs

“…Unlike starch in the diet, fiber is not digested by the animal’s digestive enzymes. Feeding dogs a moderate fermentable fiber source led to a part of the fiber being fermented and utilized by the microorganisms in the colon, consequently less organic material is excreted in the feces [ 42 ]. According to Zentek [ 43 ] the different water binding capacities of fiber sources as well as the quality of the plant fiber per se (soluble or insoluble) are of particular interest.…”

Organic matter disappearance and production of short- and branched-chain fatty acids from selected fiber sources used in pet foods by a canine in vitro fermentation model1

“…Fiber sources (MG, Renew Biomass, Springfield, MO; CE, BP, and PF, Fairview Mills, Seneca, KS; SB, Hal Ross Flour Mill, Kansas State University; Alvarenga et al, 2018; Table 1) were selected because they have been evaluated in animal feeding studies in the Pet Food Processing Lab at Kansas State University (SB, Alvarenga et al, 2018; PF, Pontious et al, 2018; MG, CE, BP, Donadelli and Aldrich, 2019). Prior to the incubation, samples were predigested with α-amylase, protease, and amyloglucosidase (TDF assay kit, Sigma-Aldrich, catalog no.…”

Miscanthus Grass as a Novel Functional Fiber Source in Extruded Feline Diets

“…The BP diet had higher levels of SDF and lower IDF as was expected based on the typical fiber profile of this ingredient (4). The CO, MF, and MF+TP diets were similar in SDF and IDF contents, which was also expected due to the similar fiber profile of cellulose and Miscanthus grass (18). It was predicted that the MF + TP blend might have slightly lower TDF, SDF, and IDF contents than MF as 2% tomato pomace was added at the expense of 2% of the Miscanthus grass fiber.…”

“…The level of tomato pomace in the fiber blend was chosen to reflect the practical commercial inclusion of this ingredient in fiber matrices to increase SDF content. The composition of tomato pomace was reported by Swanson (18,19). However, only lower SDF values were observed for the MF + TP blend compared with MF alone (3.2 and 3.8%, respectively), possibly due to the expected TDF variability of plant by-products that was previously mentioned or the low inclusion level of the tomato pomace.…”