The formulation of dog food, treats, and supplements affects your pet’s microbiome, including the microbial community that lives in your dog’s intestinal tract. The ratio of dietary fiber, resistant starch, and protein in a recipe can influence the type and amount of gut microbiota. Following the human trend toward digestive health, prebiotic preparations and supplements for dogs are becoming increasingly popular. However, not all human prebiotics are ideal for entering the pet market. Researchers investigated how three dietary fibers affected the health of dogs. They pointed to one fiber source that, while common in human products, may not be ideal for canine supplements. The psyllium seed husks found in the human brand Metamucil are also found in dog supplements.
“We were interested in how different dietary fibers affected the gut flora and microbiome composition,” says study co-author Silke, chair professor of small animal gastroenterology at the University of Edinburgh. Dr. Salavati told Pet Food Industry in an email. “While some of these, particularly psyllium seed coats, have been used in veterinary medicine for decades and are associated with all sorts of health claims regarding intestinal function in dogs (and cats), there is no real understanding of their mechanisms. There is very little information that would achieve either of these potential benefits. ”
Psyllium as a prebiotic supplement for dogs
Saravati’s team wanted to evaluate psyllium’s effectiveness, but needed something to compare it to. As one of his comparisons, he decided to use resistant starch from banana flour. Like psyllium, resistant starch has potential health benefits, but they are often unproven in dogs, she said.
“The third fiber, methylcellulose, is a type of nondigestible fiber, so we wanted to use that as a control,” she said. “We didn’t expect it to have any health benefits, but perhaps it could just pass. But methylcellulose is also sometimes used as a laxative, so there’s a double-take here. There was a “control” function. ”
Seventeen healthy dogs participated in this study. The results of this study were published in the journal Access Microbiology.
Some of the results were contrary to Saravati’s team’s expectations. Although psyllium fiber did not cause dramatic changes in the composition of dogs’ fecal microbiota, it was unexpectedly associated with changes in both the abundance and diversity of bacterial communities, which are not necessarily considered favorable with regard to gut health. , she said.
“Our main conclusion, therefore, is that if psyllium is observed to have positive clinical effects, it is not inducing these effects through microbiota modulation, but rather by other mechanisms. “This means we don’t necessarily recommend this particular resistant starch as a prebiotic or health promoter,” says Saravati.
However, overall, she said, despite the expected diarrhea in some dogs fed the methylcellulose diet, observable fecal characteristics and the animals’ demeanor did not change much over the supplementation phase. .
Her team’s research found evidence that psyllium may have drawbacks as an ingredient in dog supplements, but even more dietary fiber remains to be studied.
“There are hundreds of different types of dietary fiber, including resistant starch, so these conclusions cannot be extrapolated to the group as a whole, or even to other resistant starches,” she said. “These all need to be tested individually.”
