Dog Nutrition

Just found on WaPo.com:

As I was cleaning out the cabinet where the food had been stored, I noticed a brown dust coating the bags and surrounding area. After an Internet search, I found that it was “mite dust” and indicated a heavy infestation. Beneful was mentioned as a carrier, as well as Ol’ Roy dog food. My vet and the research lab said there is no treatment for grain mites. We hope the dog’s immune system will stay strong until her body rids itself of them.

Why are vets not aware of this? Surely dog food manufacturers are aware of it — several letters were posted on the Internet about dogs with bloody diarrhea and weight loss; a few died. All of the letters I read indicated that the dogs were being fed Beneful or Ol’ Roy. None mentioned grain mites as the culprit — the writers said the vets didn’t know what it was and changed their pets’ diets.

Source:  Dry dog food appears to be source of mites

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The word on everyone’s mind when talking about pet food is humanization. More and more, trends in pet food can be tied to trends in food for humans. But that’s not the whole story — pets have distinct and often quite different needs than do humans.

WATT Publishing and Petfood Industry magazine will present a webinar that will explore some of the key trends in pet food humanization, plus take a close look at other developments in pet food products.

Join Lynn Dornblaser, director of consulting from Mintel International in this educational webinar that will be presented on November 18, 2008 at 2pm ET

Click here, if you’re looking for Pet food nutrition news, or try this link if you need information on Dog Nutrition. If you’re just looking for the latest in pet food trends, take a look at Pet Food Trends, or this web site Premium Pet Food.

Everything you need to know about pet food safety can be found on the Pet Food Safety blog. And if you need great resources on pet food ingredients, try this blog: Pet Food Ingredients.

Additional pet food resources are available at: Pet Industry News, Functional Pet Food, and the informative Dog Treats blog. Before you head to the grocery store, you can review Pet Food Brands, learn more about Organic Pet Food, or just browse this Free pet food industry magazine.

With so many dog foods on the market, it’s tough to know what’s right for your pooch. The American Kennel Club (AKC) recommends that a diet with the right amounts of essential nutrients — proteins, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, minerals — and water — will keep your dog looking and feeling his best.

The AKC offers the following nutritional tips:

· Dry kibble can be removed and used later if the dog does not finish a serving. Kibble can be moistened, either with water, canned food, or other supplements.

· Puppies need more calories and essential nutrients than adult dogs. Choose a food formulated specifically for puppies. Dogs under six months should get three or four meals a day. After six months they can handle two to three meals a day. Adult dogs should be fed according to their size and energy needs (most should get two meals a day).

· Dogs can be great beggars, but allowing your dog to “guilt” you into overfeeding him, or serving him a steady diet of table scraps in a misguided show of affection, can have harmful or even fatal results. If you insist on sharing your food with your dog then consider small portions of carrots, broccoli or apple chunks.

· Never give your dog chocolate. It contains theobromine, a chemical that is toxic to canines.

 

The phrase, “putting on the dog” refers to people who try to appear wealthy or more important than they really are. If you were to walk down the dog food aisle in a supermarket or pet store, the front of the bags would sound very impressive, assuring you of complete nutrition for every stage of a canine’s life. But in reality, many of these pet food companies are guilty of “putting on the dog”. Before you put anything “in” your dog, flip those bags of dog food over to read the fine print.

Do you want your dog to be healthy, obedient and live to a good old age? Scientists determined that dogs have the potential to live to 20 years, but in reality, most canine companions struggle beyond the 10-year mark. Veterinarians are seeing an increasing number of heart and respiratory disease, joint problems and diabetes. The shelters are full of dogs that left their “forever homes” because they exhibited hostile and even violent behavior.

All of these health and emotional issues could have a solid basis in the type and quality of food these dogs have been given. It’s not enough to merely fill up a bowl with any dog food so your pet doesn’t go hungry. Dog owners need to evaluate what’s going into the dog’s dish because those ingredients can mean a better life or one that is filled with health issues.

Buy a premium dog food .  Generally, this type of food is not sold in supermarkets and not even at your veterinarian´s office. There are a few exceptions where you will find top quality foods at these establishments.

Before making a selection of dog food, turn the bags over and read the list of ingredients. The first 5 ingredients make up the bulk of the dog food so take note. If more than 2 of them contain grain products, like corn or wheat, the food is mostly vegetable protein, which provides less in the way of nutrition. Dogs who eat this type of food will have more bowel movements because their bodies are not absorbing a high level of nutrients and these ingredients are processed as waste.

If the bag lists “by-products” it’s best to leave it on the shelf. By-products of animals can mean the head, feet and intestines. There is practically zero nutritional value in this ingredient. Look for chicken “meal” or lamb “meal” which actually provides a greater degree of animal protein.

Avoid foods that contain preservatives, like BHT or BHA. They can be harmful to your pet’s health. Canned food often contains more preservatives because they are needed to keep the food fresh. Additionally, canned food has a high water content and that should be factored into your dog food buying decision. Dogs do very well on dry dog food alone, and the crunching action helps to keep their teeth cleaner.

If you want to give your dogs treats, the same rules apply. Check the list of ingredients. Try not to get your dog “hooked” on cheap treats with no nutritional value because that may make it difficult to offer a premium dog food that is not artificially enhanced with flavor additives.

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Lori Matthews studies health, nutrition and wellness. She enjoys writing articles on health for both people and pets. Please click here if you would like more information on premium dog food

Multinationals dominate market share for dog food

Major multinationals Mars and Nestlé and local companies Champion and Nutripro share more than 71% of the value market with shares of 17% to 20% each. There remains potential for future growth in dog food, which is expected to exhibit a constant value CAGR of 5% to 2012 to reach CH$143.8 billion (US$287.9 million).

Dog food sales showed an increase of 9% in both volume and current value terms in 2007, reaching sales of CH$114.7 billion (US$229.6 million). Several factors such as the growing popularity of television shows that deal with animal care and more Chileans consulting veterinarians about dog care are leading consumers to switch from homemade dog food to commercially produced petfood.

Beet pulp - it’s good for the gut.

Sugar beets (Beta vulgaris var. altissima) are grown around the globe and are a valuable option in modern crop rotation strategies. Last year, US farmers harvested 29.9 million tons of sugar beets on 1.3 million acres. Over the past 10 years, sugar beets accounted for more than 53% of US sugar production.

Sugar beets are tubers that grow in the ground much like garden beets, carrots or turnips. In autumn, farmers “campaign” or harvest the sugar beets by unearthing the tubers and trucking them to processing plants, where they are dumped in mountainous piles waiting their turn to be processed. First, dirt and debris are sifted and washed from the surface and the sugar beets are sliced into cossettes (chips). These cossettes are then steeped and (or) washed with hot water in countercurrent flow diffusers to extract the sugar. The extracted juice is further processed to produce granulated sugar suitable for the sweetener market and the residue (pulp) is dried. For ease of transportation and handling, most of the fibrous beet pulp is milled into 3/8-inch diameter pellets.

The gray, speckled pellets are sold primarily into the livestock feed market and have found favor in dairy cattle and horse diets as “dried plain beet pulp” (Section 60.36; AAFCO 2005 Official Publication). Some beet fiber has begun to find its way into human foods with such disparate applications as decorative sprinkles on baked goods to supplemental fiber laxatives. This latter application is where beet pulp has found favor in pet foods, as a supplemental fiber source to promote bowel regularity, stool consistency and overall gastrointestinal (GI) health.

Physiological effects

Beet pulp has found favor as a key ingredient in hairball remedies. Regularity or laxation from fibers is attributed, among other things, to “bulking” and water-binding capacity in the lower GI. These combine to increase GI luminal contents and stimulate gut motility. One would predict that beet pulp, with its high concentration of total dietary fiber (TDF >65%) and substantial water-holding capacity (>6 g H2O/g DM), would fulfill this role quite nicely. This was confirmed in early dog nutrition work in which a linear increase in wet fecal excretion and defecations per day resulted from increasing levels of beet pulp in the diet (Fahey, et al., 1990). A similar effect was demonstrated in the cat (Sunvold, et al., 1995b). Contrary to what often occurs with supplemental fiber sources, elevated levels of beet pulp (12.5% and 7.5% in the dog and cat, respectively) were not reported to negatively affect pet food palatability.

See the rest of this article: Beet Pulp Good for Dog Nutrition

A functional pet food future

Consumer awareness of probiotics in human foods is currently high, with active culture dairy products the fastest growing food segment in the US. According to Simmons Market Research Bureau, nearly half (48%) of the dog- or cat-owning households in the US seek out natural or eco-friendly products for a total population of 25.1 million pet-owning households. As the natural, holistic and organic segments of petfood gain momentum, probiotics, prebiotics and synbiotics are becoming buzz words in our industry. But just how will they make petfood products function better?

It’s all about immunity

Probiotics, as defined by the World Health Organization (WHO), are living organisms that, when administered in adequate amounts, confer a health benefit. The “friendly bacteria” are typically non-GMO and are listed as Association of American Feed Control Officials approved as direct-fed microbials. Probiotics have three possible modes of action (Dolfe, 2000):

• Generating immuno-stimulants;
• Producing antimicrobial compounds;
• Competitively excluding other bacteria.
• Recent research suggests probiotic bacteria counter disease-causing bacteria in several ways, including preventing pathogen colonization in the intestines by blocking binding sites, producing antimicrobials and organic acids and stimulating the immune response and enzyme activity. The process of “competitive exclusion” when probiotic bacteria block binding sites is one of the most consistent health claims associated with probiotic bacteria observed in many animal species.

A strong immune system in animals starts with good gastrointestinal health since most of the immune system is located in the digestive tract. In turn, the immune system is affected by the natural intestinal bacterial microflora. Benefits of probiotics and good dog nutrition in general may include controlling enteritis in dogs, stimulating immune function in puppies, improved oral and fecal odor and overall skin and coat health.

MLF Biotech has developed Liv-Pro, an all-natural, multi-strain blend of live probiotics, to promote gastrointestinal health. Liv-Pro offers a blend of beneficial bacteria that colonizes different segments of the GI tract, according to the company. The supplement has been developed for dogs and cats and is a multi-strain blend of probiotics enhanced with functional pet food ingredients.

Not just yummy in the tummy

Prebiotics that provide a stable complex carbohydrate for altering the gastrointestinal environment and enhancing immunity may soon offer solutions to pet food processing systems. Prebiotics are defined as non-digestible food ingredients that beneficially affect the host by selectively stimulating the growth and/or activity of one or a limited number of bacteria in the colon, and thus improve host health. There are a number of trials that have examined the effects of prebiotics that increase the concentrations of lactic acid bacteria such as Lactobacilli or Bifidobacteria (fructooligosaccharides - FOS) or inhibit pathogens, alter GI tract microbes and modulate immunity (mannan oligosaccharide - MOS).

FOS studies in cats have demonstrated concurrent increases in the beneficial bacteria and decreased concentrations of E. coli and Clostridium perfringens. Studies examining MOS in dog diets revealed improved digestibility, alterations in GI bacterial populations and improved immune parameters.

Orafti Animal Nutrition specializes in manufacturing functional prebiotic pet food ingredients. Beneo is the brand name developed by Orafti to describe a range of inulin and oligofructose ingredients extracted from the chicory root. The company claims inulin and its long chained fractions are less soluble and ferment more slowly, allowing them to escape fermentation in the small intestine and make their way in to the animal’s colon.

According to Orafti, depending on the nutritional focus and the physiological differences between dogs and cats, there may be a preference for either inulin or oligofructose or a combination of both. Both products are available in high purity (neutral taste) and semi-refined (overall palatability whether sweet or bitter) forms.

Gourmetcueticals also offers prebiotic products meant to be utilized in animal feed and pet food. GLPH-1 is a polysaccharide extract from botanical yeast, Candida utilis, that has been shown in more than 20 clinical trials to boost immune function as a prebiotic/anti-inflammatory and stimulate white blood cells, according to the company. It has also been shown through clinical trials to reduce muscle degradation in both animal and human athletes. Prebiotic products like GLPH-1, when used with sport animals, can help reduce the muscle breakdown caused by strenuous exercise and activity.

More advances to come

The number of studies demonstrating the benefits of probiotics and prebiotics in human and animal diets is continuously growing. The body of evidence showing direct beneficial effects in pets is also on the rise. Lines of direct fed microbials developed for premium and holistic pet foods are already being produced.

VDF FutureCeuticals recently introduced its LactiCeuticals line of probiotics,prebiotics and synbiotics. The LactiCeuticals line is based on strains of lactic-acid producing bacteria, alone or in combination with other functional ingredients. FutureCeuticals is a manufacturer of probiotic products and offers a variety of strains in different concentrations for all probiotic applications.

For functional pet food supplements to really flourish, the process of petfood making may have to change. Because probiotics are living organisms, their stability through processing is an issue that needs to be addressed as extrusion/expansion processing will inactivate these biological products.

Kemin Industries Inc. offers a direct fed microbial for the petfood industry developed to withstand certain conditions associated with manufacturing of pet treats and products. “Depending upon the process, Kemin’s proprietary strain of Bacillus subtilis has high survivability during manufacturing and while the product is on the shelf,” says Charlotte Jacobs, senior vice president of global marketing for Kemin pet food ingredients. “This probiotic is a spore forming bacteria that can withstand tableting in the manufacturing stage. It does not lose its potency while on the shelf, and does not become active until it reaches the dog’s gut.”

Kemin’s proprietary strain of Bacillus subtilis has been demonstrated to support a healthy gut in mongastrics. [Adapted from Vandenkerckhove, et al. (2006) Kemin Technical Publication BB-06-0093]. Kemin’s proprietary strain of Bacillus subtilis has also been shown to produce antibacterial agents surfactin A and surfactin B. Controlled tests on hamsters showed the proprietary strain to be as effective in controlling Clostridium difficile associated diarrhea (CDAD) as the antibiotic Vancomycin.

There is increasing evidence that dietary fiber is important for overall dog nutrition and cat nutrition. Fiber in petfoods plays a significant role in the prevention and mitigation of several illnesses, including diabetes, obesity, irritable bowel syndrome, colitis, megacolon and colon carcinoma.

Other possible clinical dog nutrition uses of fiber include blunting of postprandial glycemia, preventing the growth of pathogenic microorganisms and improving nitrogen metabolism in pets with renal dysfunction. Although the contribution of energy from fiber fermentation is minimal in dogs and cats, increasing evidence indicates that this fermentation contributes to their intestinal health.

Fiber’s impact on pet nutrition As dogs and cats have become domesticated, their diets have changed from being largely meat-based to ones containing a substantial amount of carbohydrate. Indeed, many commercial dog and cat diets contain 30% or more carbohydrate, of which dietary fiber can be an appreciable component.

Including fiber in petfoods can impact pet nutrition in several ways. Moderate to high concentrations of dietary fiber can decrease food intake and help improve appetite regulation. Depending on the fermentability and viscosity characteristics of a particular dietary fiber source, fibers can slow gastric emptying, decrease intestinal transit time and decrease total tract nutrient digestibility. However, more recent data indicate that ileal nutrient digestibility is not compromised. Other physiological responses attributed to fiber include fecal bulking, production of short chain fatty acids (SCFA), enhanced colonic morphology and intestinal function and a positive influence on the distribution of colonic microflora.

The ideal dietary fiber

An ideal dietary fiber or fiber blend should provide good stool characteristics without significantly decreasing nutrient digestibility.

The fermentation compartments of companion animals occur posterior to the stomach. The fermentative role of the cecum is likely more important in the dog than in the cat. The cecum is a blind ended sac of the proximal colon in the dog whereas it is considered a vestigial organ in the cat.

Dogs are capable of fermenting a significant quantity of dietary fiber. Total tract digestibility of lignocellulose, hemicellulose and cellulose of 33%, 47% and 18%, respectively, have been reported in dogs. Swanson et al. investigated the fermentability of several alternative fiber sources using a canine in vitro fermentation model.

Dietary fiber can slow down gastric emptying time. Fiber sources tested included several pomaces (apple, carrot, grape, tomato), flaxseed, pea hulls and pistachio. On a dry matter basis, substrates contained between 55% and 86% total dietary fiber (TDF) and had varying rations of insoluble:soluble fiber. Accordingly, fermentation characteristics also varied greatly, resulting in a range of organic matter disappearance values (9.3% to 51.7% after 24 hours of fermentation).

Cats and fiber

The carnivorous nature of cats, their relatively small colon and their lack of a functional cecum suggest that they may not utilize dietary fiber as extensively as do other non-ruminants. However, Kienzle noted reduced pH values of large bowel digesta and feces after cats ingested raw corn starch. The change in pH was undoubtedly a result of SCFA produced from microbial hindgut fermentation of starch.

Sunvold et al. fed domestic shorthair cats diets containing 0% or 9.5% supplemental TDF from either beet pulp (a moderately fermentable fiber), cellulose (a nonfermentable fiber), a 3:1 cellulose:gum Arabic mixture or two different blends of fibers: 35% pectin + 30% locust bean gum + 20% carob bean gum + 15% guar gum or 60% beet pulp + 22% rice bran + 10% pectin + 8% carob bean gum. Total tract disappearance of TDF was increased by consumption of beet pulp (38.2%) and fiber blends (50.6% and 41.1%, respectively) compared to the control diet (5.3%) However, TDF digestibilities of cellulose (8.9% and the 3:1 cellulose:gum Arabic mixture (5.7%) were similar to the control diet. These data refute the assumption that cats are incapable of utilizing fermentable carbohydrates.

Better knowledge base needed

To further define the role of dietary fiber for companion animals, research is needed in several areas. For example, the role of fiber in the longevity of dogs and cats is virtually unknown. Also, the role of fiber in diets to aid treatment of specific disease is promising but needs further study. Finally, although evidence exists as to the potential benefit of SCFA production in the intestine of other species, information regarding the role of SCFA in the dog and cat is scarce. Development of a better knowledge base in these areas would further refine our ability to develop diets for companion animals that would optimized their health and well-being.

Pet problems

The role of dog nutrition in common pet ailments
Knowing the problems that are most commonly faced by pet owners and veterinarians is of vital interest to the pet food industry. This information can provide insight on the challenges faced and indicate where nutritional assistance might be beneficial. In a cross-section of surveys conducted in the past decade, a number of nutritionally-affected complaints were noted by pet owners.

How substantial are these problems? In the Morris Animal Foundation (1998) survey, dog owners were most concerned about skin disease (31%), nutrition (23%), digestive (11%) and urinary (12%) issues. For cat owners, urinary (48%), digestive (18%) and diabetes (9%) were prevalent concerns affecting the health and well-being of their pets. In a Danish survey regarding morbidity in dogs, skin (13.6%), gastrointestinal (10.9%), joint and skeletal (8.2%) and mouth/teeth (4.5%) were the leading dog nutrition related responses (Proschowsky, et al., 2003).

Ralston Purina and Yankelovich Partners (2000) reported that digestive and dental problems each accounted for 3% of the health problems in dogs, whereas hairballs were 6% and urinary tract infections were 4% of cat health problems. Lund, et al. (1999) reported that dental (40%), dermatitis (11.2%), skeletal (5.5%), diarrhea and vomiting (4.3%) and obesity (2.0%) were the most prevalent nutritionally-associated disorders in dogs. For cats, dental (40.3%), diarrhea, vomiting and inappetance (5.5%), renal and urinary tract (4.9%), dermatitis (4%) and obesity (1.8%) were reported.

Of the various problems identified in the surveys, digestive disturbances (e.g., vomiting and diarrhea) were most common. Most of these diseases are multi-faceted in their cause, with very little of it due to diet.

Vomiting Vomiting is sort of a catch-all term describing a number of different conditions. The common thread is the projection of esophageal, stomach or intestinal contents through the mouth and away from the body. Only a small proportion of vomiting is actually the result of something ingested. Vomiting can also be confused with regurgitation and retching. Food-related vomiting is often caused by indiscriminate consumption, changes in the diet, excessive consumption, overly rich or spicy foods, swallowing of un-chewed foods and consumption of indigestible materials and foreign objects. Caution regarding changes to diet, overindulgence and slowing the eating behavior by feeding in smaller, more frequent meals can often solve issues with vomiting in companion animals.

Hairballs Hairballs are a common malady of cats, precipitated by the ingestion of hair during grooming. The etiology of this condition is little understood and the frequency so erratic that finding suitable test models can be difficult. There is also very little data in the literature describing the condition, treatment or prevention. In a recent publication describing five cats (four longhair and one shorthair) with recurring hairball problems, predisposing factors in this group included a long hair coat, flea allergy dermatitis, inflammatory bowel disease and ingestion of non-digestible plant material.

Dietary products for the control of hairball problems have become quite popular. In fact, three patents have been issued in recent years by the US patent office. Each represents a different dietary approach to prevent regurgitation of the hair mass and control its passage along the digestive tract by using enzymes, fiber, fats and/or emulsifiers. Since hairballs actually consist of a mixture of hair, mucous, food particles and mineral salts (Runnels, 1965), one approach taken was to hydrolyze the hairball mass with enzymes, and thereby reduce its size and impact.

Pet treats containing bromelain, an enzyme found in foods such as pineapple juice, were fed daily to cats with a history of vomiting hairballs. A reduction in the frequency of vomiting by 62.5% at one month and 81.3% at two months with no deleterious side effects was observed (US Patent #6,080,403). Another product (US Patent #6,383,529) proposed to increase passage rate and fecal excretion of hairballs, thereby reducing the opportunity for hair to collect in the gastrointestinal tract, by feeding a combination of fiber types. Cats fed a diet of cat food containing 6% beet pulp, 1.5% carboxymethylcellulose and 2% mineral oil had reduced hair shedding after four weeks on the experimental diet relative to cats fed other fiber treatments.

Dietary products for the control of hairball problems have become quite popular. Hairballs are known to entrap undigested dietary fat (Qureshi, 1992). This accumulated fat can prevent gastric proteases and acids from gaining direct contact with the hairball. The premise of a third concept (US Patent #6,562,366) was to first use an emulsifier to weaken the fat mass, and then use proteolytic enzymes to further soften and digest the hair. In an in vitro study, their method enhanced hairball breakdown by 35%; however, no evidence that this method worked in vivo was offered.

A recent paper reported the effect of feeding cats with frequent hairballs a chew containing psyllium husks and slippery elm. After two weeks, reported hairball incidences decreased by greater than 25% (Dann, et al., 2004).

Diarrhea Diarrhea, like vomiting, is a physiological response which can result from various and sundry underlying conditions. Identification of the cause is important, because in many situations diarrhea is secondary to other disease processes. However, many owners point to the diet as the cause. In many instances they may be correct, but diet may also be the solution.

Published research in which selected pet food ingredients, nutrients and/or diets have been fed to dogs or cats in an attempt to prevent the occurrence of these digestive problems is lacking. Clues may be found in clinical studies in which treatment has been attempted. Guilford, et al. (1998) reported that of 128 cats with recurrent pruritus, vomiting and diarrhea, three of 29 (10%) vomiting cats; four of 26 (15%) cats with diarrhea; and five of 12 (42%) cats with pruritus and diarrhea or vomiting were confirmed to be “food sensitive.” Beef, lamb and viscera were the most common causative pet food ingredients.

In another study of 55 cats with chronic vomiting and diarrhea, these problems were resolved in 16 (29%) food sensitive and 11 (20%) non-food sensitive cats with “selected-protein” diets (Guilford, et al., 2001). In other words, a simple change in diet was beneficial for nearly half of the cats. In this study, beef, wheat and corn gluten were the most prevalent causative pet food ingredients. Avoiding these “causative” ingredients in an “elimination diet” is a common tactic for resolving food sensitivities for both gastrointestinal and pruritic dogs and cats. But they aren’t a one-size-fits-all solution.

Hydrolyzed or pre-digested proteins have been suggested as an alternative to the novel proteins found in elimination diets. Hydrolyzed soy transit is quicker and absorption is higher than for intact protein (Zhao, et al., 1997) which, if the theory is correct, results in less time for the protein to become an irritation to the intestinal epithelium. Another possibility for their success is that these proteins are well below the effective molecular weight to be recognized as an antigen by the body. Several diets currently on the market purport this effect, but no direct evidence has been reported that this might have on reducing acute or chronic diarrhea.

It has been known for several years that feeding high levels of carbohydrates like lactose or tri-saccharide sugars (e.g., stachyose and raffinose) will escape digestion in the stomach and small intestine and cause flatulence and diarrhea as they are fermented by the colonic bacteria. It has also been understood for a number of years that properly-gelatinized (cooked) starch is critical to avoiding undigested grain reaching the colon and causing flatulence and diarrhea. The effects may be even more subtle. Adjustments to the proportion of energy from carbohydrate and protein, while not changing vomiting and fecal frequency, did improve fecal scores in cats with chronic diarrhea (Laflamme and Long, 2004).

There has been a great deal of research reported in the last decade on the effects of fiber in the GI tracts of both dogs and cats. The evidence is very convincing as it relates to stool consistency, stool volume, benefits to gut health with proper SCFA production by colonic bacteria and even the secondary benefits of a reduction in colonic pathogenic bacteria. It is often stated that fiber in dog food is beneficial for colitis, irritable bowel syndrome and regularity in humans. But, most of this work in companion animals has been done with healthy subjects. In one study, feeding a soluble fiber (psyllium) at two tablespoons daily to dogs with idiopathic large bowel diarrhea was shown to give a “good to excellent” result for 27 of 36 dogs (Leib, 2000).

Dog Nutrition solutions
Digestive disturbances such as vomiting and diarrhea are common problems encountered by pet owners. Most of the underlying causes associated with these conditions are not nutritionally related or due to diet. However, for those that are pet food related, resolution can often be found with a change to the diet, increased diet digestibility and supplementation with soluble fibers.

Dietary and nutritional prevention is probable, but not well documented. Possible dietary preventive measures to consider are the development of novel pet food ingredients, defined hydrolyzed proteins, addition of the proper amounts and proportions of soluble fibers, properly-gelatinized starch below digestive capabilities and possibly even anti-inflammatory long chain fatty acids.