Table 7.
Fecal characteristics and fecal metabolites of overweight adult female dogs fed a high-protein, high-fiber diet during weight loss
| Variables | wk 0 | wk 4 | wk 8 | wk 12 | wk 16 | wk 20 | wk 24 | SEM | P-values |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fecal characteristics | |||||||||
| Fecal pH | 5.48 | 5.46 | 5.50 | 5.36 | 5.50 | 5.57 | 5.43 | 0.055 | 0.1775 |
| Fecal score2 | 2.83a | 2.83a | 2.33b | 2.25b | 2.17b | 2.17b | 2.00b | 0.121 | < 0.0001 |
| Fecal dry matter (DM), % | 23.42b | 24.13ab | 24.90ab | 26.25a | 25.43ab | 25.76ab | 24.65ab | 0.711 | 0.0497 |
| Fecal metabolites | µmol/g DM | ||||||||
| Acetate | 630.80x | 589.65xy | 511.27y | 527.88xy | 570.10xy | 542.65xy | 582.87xy | 29.113 | 0.0507 |
| Propionate | 221.12 | 228.47 | 196.08 | 191.03 | 200.61 | 192.43 | 223.01 | 16.253 | 0.1634 |
| Butyrate | 74.48 | 76.93 | 80.42 | 82.25 | 91.95 | 90.05 | 87.87 | 5.937 | 0.1528 |
| Total SCFA1 | 926.39 | 895.05 | 787.77 | 801.16 | 862.67 | 825.13 | 893.76 | 43.554 | 0.1523 |
| Isobutyrate | 6.27 | 6.82 | 6.12 | 6.52 | 6.46 | 6.44 | 7.06 | 0.699 | 0.8473 |
| Isovalerate | 7.54 | 9.08 | 8.07 | 7.95 | 8.20 | 7.75 | 7.76 | 0.984 | 0.7316 |
| Valerate | 0.85c | 1.05bc | 1.04bc | 1.36abc | 1.71ab | 1.94a | 1.53abc | 0.214 | 0.0002 |
| Total BCFA1 | 14.66 | 16.95 | 15.23 | 15.82 | 16.38 | 16.13 | 16.35 | 1.764 | 0.8367 |
| Total VFA1 | 941.05 | 912.00 | 803.00 | 816.98 | 879.04 | 841.25 | 910.11 | 44.108 | 0.1600 |
| Ammonia | 147.69a | 124.13ab | 115.68ab | 124.82ab | 126.35ab | 111.98b | 103.39b | 10.526 | 0.0108 |
Total SCFA: total short-chain fatty acids = acetate + propionate + butyrate; total BCFA: total branched-chain fatty acids = isobutyrate + isovalerate + valerate; total VFA: total volatile fatty acids = acetate + propionate + butyrate + isobutyrate + isovalerate + valerate.Valerate is technically a SCFA, but is derived from amino acid fermentation so it was included in the BCFA calculation.
Fecal score: 1 = very hard and dry, often expelled as individual pellets; 2 = firm but not hard, segmented in appearance; 3 = log-shape, moist surface; 4 = very moist, soggy, log-shaped; 5 = very moist but has a distinct shape, piles rather than distinct logs; 6 = has texture but no defined shape, present as piles or spots; 7 = watery, no texture, flat puddles (Greco, 2015).
Mean values within the same row with unlike superscript letters differ significantly (P < 0.05).
Mean values within the same row with unlike superscript letters tend to differ significantly (P < 0.10).