Impact of age, type of protein and type of carbohydrate on digestibility and on intestinal fermentation products in beagle dogs

• Grant number: 13/25250-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: February 01, 2014
• End date: January 31, 2015
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Veterinary Medicine - Animal Clinics and Surgery
• Principal Investigator: Aulus Cavalieri Carciofi
• Grantee: Larissa Ayane Do Nascimento Braz
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias e Veterinárias (FCAV). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Jaboticabal. Jaboticabal , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Practically nothing is published about the relationship between carbohydrates and protein on extruded diets and digestibility and fermentation products formation in the gut of old dogs. It is possible that by manipulating the production of intestinal fermentation products, attenuation of the phenomenon of immunosenescence could be promoted in dogs. Immunosenescence is a well documented phenomena of old dogs, leading to unbalanced of inflammation and reduction of the immune resistance. The effects of age and sources of protein and carbohydrate on extruded diets will be studied on nutrient digestibility and fermentation products formation. The test will follow a 3x2 factorial arrangement with three diets and two ages, totaling six experimental treatments. Three blocks of 12 dogs will be used. Each block will comprise six adult dogs (4 to 6) and six old (> 11 years), which two replicates per treatment in each block and six replication (dogs) per treatment in total. The experimental diets will be: diet with insoluble non-fermentable fiber, formulated with sugarcane fiber (FC) and poultry by-product meal; diet with 30% soybean meal (SBM); diet with fermentable fiber, formulated with beet pulp (PBE). Each block will be structured as follows: days one to 10 for food adaptation; days 10 to 15 for total collection of feces; days 16, 17 and 18 for fresh fecal collection for measuring pH and fermentation products (lactate, short-chain fatty acids, branched-chain fatty acids, ammonia, and bioactive amines ). The data will be evaluated by analysis of variance by the GLM procedure of SAS, considering the effects of block, animal, diet and their interactions. Means will be compared by the Tukey test (P < 0,05).