Chemistry Reference
In-Depth Information
17.3 uPDATED rEvIEW oF PrEbIoTIC olIgosACChArIDE
usAgE IN CoMPANIoN ANIMAl NuTrITIoN
The literature published since the Swanson and Fahey
2
review contains 11 stud-
ies on prebiotic supplementation, with only 1 study using the cat. These experiments
are outlined in detail in Table 17.1 and are summarized briefly in the following
paragraphs.
The recent study evaluating prebiotic supplementation of cats tested the effect of
OF on urea metabolism (using
15
N-labeled urea) and fecal odor components.
3
After
a 3-week adaptation period to canned test diets (control vs. OF), samples were col-
lected for 5 consecutive days from four adult cats in a cross-over design. The treat-
ment diet was supplemented with 3.11 percent OF. Trends similar to those reported
by Swanson and Fahey
2
were noted in this study. Fecal output and moisture tended
to increase with FOS supplementation. Fecal N excretion also tended to increase.
Fecal bacterial N, expressed as a percent of N intake, increased during OF supple-
mentation. There also was a trend for urinary
15
N excretion to decrease and fecal
15
N
excretion to increase when cats were supplemented with OF. No differences were
noted in fecal odor components.
More feline research clearly is warranted in the prebiotic area. There are several
anatomical and nutritional differences between cats and dogs, and although studies
have noted similar trends between the species when prebiotics were supplemented,
little is known of the full extent to which prebiotics may be utilized by the cat. Given
that the cat is an obligate carnivore, dosage and type of prebiotic that are most effica-
cious remain unknown.
Studies recently published using dogs have reported utilization of molecular
techniques to better assess microbial populations, have evaluated new outcome vari-
ables, such as blood metabolite concentrations and insulin sensitivity, and have eval-
uated novel prebiotics. Furthermore, dogs in a diseased, or immunocompromised,
state also have been evaluated.
4,5
Of the 10 published studies in dogs, fructans were
still the major prebiotics evaluated (7 studies); 3 studies evaluated inulin, 5, scFOS,
and 1, OF (some studies evaluated more than one prebiotic source). Three additional
YCW studies were published. Novel prebiotics that had not previously been evalu-
ated in dogs included high-molecular-weight pullulan (1 study) and γ-cyclodextrin
(1 study).
Prebiotic usage in hypoallergenic, hydrolyzed protein diets was evaluated.
6
Hydrolyzed protein diets are fed to dogs with food allergies. The proteins were enzy-
matically degraded prior to inclusion in the diet and, therefore, were less likely to
result in an immunological reaction upon consumption by the animal. Fecal DM
decreased with the addition of inulin. Apparent total tract CP digestibility decreased
while bacterial protein percentage increased in dogs fed the intact protein + inulin
diet. Immunoglobulins in the blood and feces were not affected by treatment. While
this study evaluated a diet meant for dogs with food allergies, the dogs tested were
healthy. Evaluation of dogs suffering from actual food allergies might yield differing
results with addition of inulin to a hypoallergenic diet.
