Apparent nutrient digestibility of two raw diets in domestic kittens

Abstract

Higher dry matter, organic matter and protein digestibility was seen in two commercial raw diets compared with a heat-processed diet. Digestibility differences could have been due to variance in dietary protein, fat and carbohydrate concentrations between the diets, variance in dietary ingredients or quality, alterations in protein structure secondary to heat processing, as well as alterations in gastrointestinal flora. Future research examining digestibility in diets with the same macronutrient proportions and ingredients, and mechanisms for any differences, is warranted.

Evaluation of raw meat diets on macronutrient digestibility, fecal output, microbial presence, and general health status in domestic dogs.

“…reported apparent total tract digestibilities in a super-premium, extruded diet of 78.2, 83.9, 81.6, 91.3, and 84.7% for DM, OM, CP, fat, and energy, respectively. Hamper et al, (2015) reported slightly higher values in kittens fed a processed canned diet (83.8, 88.4, 88.9, 94.2, and 90.2% for DM, OM, CP, fat, and energy, respectively). Although high for all treatments, digestibility of fat was lower in dogs fed the Beef 2 diet (94.9%) compared with other treatments that averaged 97.8%.…”

“…A major potential benefit of feeding RMBDs to pets is eliminating the subsequent effects of intensive processing with extrusion or canning. Several studies have demonstrated RMBDs have greater macronutrient digestibility compared to extruded or canned diets Hendricks et al, 1999;Kerr et al, 2013;Hamper et al, 2015). Crude protein digestibility was 9.0% greater (P<0.05) in…”

“…Dietary factors that influence protein digestibility include concentrations of macro/micronutrients within the diet, source and quality of ingredients, presence or absence of dietary fiber and anti-nutrient factors, particle size, and processing technique (Johnson et al, 1998;Hamper et al, 2015). Physiological factors that influence protein digestibility include species, breed, age, physiological state, illness, and alterations in gut microflora (Sá et al, 2014;Hamper et al, 2015). Specifically, heating can have several negative effects that decrease protein quality in the finished product and present many unique challenges from an animal feeding perspective.…”

“…Raw meat-based diets (RMBDs) are typically fed to exotic carnivores maintained in zoological institutions either exclusively or in combination with other feed ingredients including extruded and canned products. Studies have documented high digestibility of RMBDs to exotic and domestic carnivores Hendricks et al, 1999;Kerr et al, 2013;Hamper et al, 2015;.…”

“…Focus of companion animal research relating to RMBDs has been pathogen shedding, case studies, and human health implications . Few studies have made comparisons of digestibility or health parameters in companion animals fed RMBDs compared to extruded or canned diets, particularly in dogs Kerr et al, 2011;Hamper et al, 2015). Research efforts using managed exotic carnivores to evaluate RMBDs have been conducted almost exclusively with felid species not canids (Crissey et al, 1997;Kerr et al, 2013a;2013b;.…”