DIETARY FIBER IN DOGS DIET - COMPARISONS BETWEEN CELLULOSE, PECTIN, GUAR GUM, AND BETWEEN 2 INCORPORATION RATES OF GUAR GUM

The aim of the present experiments was to investigate the effects of a dding dietary fibre (DF) to the diets of healthy dogs. In a first stud y, four young adult Beagle dogs were used in a 4 x 4 Latin square desi gn. They were offered either a control diet (FF1) based on minced meat and cooked rice or the same diet supplemented with cellulose (CEL), p ectin (PEC) or guar gum (GG) at an incorporation rate of 3.4% on dry m atter basis. Gastric emptying rate, measured by sequential radiographs during the 12 h after the meal tended to be lowered when GG was added . The intestinal absorption of xylose measured on fasted animals was n ot affected by GG and DEC but was significantly delayed with CEL (p < 0.05). The GG and DEC decreased the dry matter content of the faeces ( p < 0.001 and p < 0.01, respectively). The incorporation of DF reduced the digestibility of the different nutrients, the differences being s ignificant with CEL for dry matter (p < 0.05), with GG for protein and ether extract (p < 0.05) and with PEC for protein (p < 0.001). There were no effects of DF supplementation on plasma glucose, insulin a-ami no nitrogen, urea and triglycerides concentrations measured before the meal. PEC induced higher post-prandial insulin concentration (p < 0.0 5) expressed as area under the curve. The post prandial rise of plasma alpha amino nitrogen and urea concentrations were significantly reduc ed with GG (p < 0.05 and p < 0.01, respectively). The GG induced lower concentrations of plasma cholesterol both in non-fed or fed animals ( p < 0.05). In the second study six adult Beagle dogs were used in two combined 3 x 3 Latin square design. They were offered either a control diet (FF2) based on minced meat and steam-treated rice or a diet supp lemented with 3.5% and 7% GG on a dry matter basis. The increasing lev els of GG decreased the dry matter content of the faeces and increased the protein content (p < 0.001). A dose-level lowering-effect on the different nutrients digestibility and on plasma concentrations of insu lin cc-amino-nitrogen and urea (p < 0.01 or p < 0.001) was also observ ed. Inclusion of 7% GG decreased pre-and postprandial plasma cholester ol concentrations (p < 0.01).