I have seriously failed at writing a blog post weekly. I will try to do a better job of keeping the blog up to date.
I posted on Facebook earlier this week, the following link from a publication that comes out to petfood manufacturers. http://www.petfoodindustry.com/Research_Notes/Extruded_vs__raw_vs__cooked_beef-based_diets_for_cats.html regarding one of our research studies that was published in the Journal of Animal Science this year. I was thrilled to see our study reach those in the industry. It's taken a good deal of time to get this particular study published and I figured there would be readers very interested in our results.
A couple pieces of background to put on the table first. This study was a collaborative effort with the University of Illinois (I hold an adjunct appointment there and work with many graduate students). This study was one of several that a very talented graduate student worked on with us. Much of her Masters and Ph.D research have focused on exotic cat nutrition; however, this was one that we felt was necessary to develop some much needed research in the field. Secondly, it was in domestic cats. Cats are a bit easier for us to conduct research on, especially the big exotic ones because they are housed individually and it's easy to collect samples. Canid species are almost always housed in groups and it makes sample collection a bit more difficult. In addition, since cats are true obligate carnivores, they serve as the best model to study raw diets (at least right now as raw diet research is truly in an infancy stage). We have hopes to develop our efforts with canids but for now, we are focusing on cats. So many questions about raw diets need answered and researched and it would take my entire career to barely scratch the surface. I can only hope that other researchers will join the ranks so we can get some much needed answers.
So, with that in mind, the objectives of this study were to determine differences in the digestibility, fecal characteristics, urine characteristics, and serum chemistry of 9 domestic cats fed 3 different diet treatments. The dietary treatments were the raw beef-based diet that we feed to our cats at the zoo (Raw); the same diet but cooked (cooked) and a high quality grain-free kibble cat food (kibble).
Table 1. Nutrient composition of the diet treatments (dry matter basis)
Nutrient Raw Cooked Kibble
Moisture, % 70.7 70.8 5.7
Protein, % 52.5 52.0 57.0
Fat, % 20.5 18.3 17.4
Energy, kcal/g 5.0 4.7 4.2
Table 2. Digestibility of the the treatment diets
Item Raw Cooked Kibble
Organic matter, % 90.5 88.5 83.9
Protein, % 93.3 92.9 81.6
Fat, % 95.5 95.3 91.3
Energy, % 91.5 89.8 84.7
Table 3. Fecal characteristics
Item Raw Cooked Kibble
fecal output (g DM) 6.7 7.2 13.0
Ammonia 69.4 72.0 190.4
total BCFA 17.6 16.8 43.7
In respect of blog length, I'm not including the urine measures or the blood metabolites as there were no major significant differences detected among the diet treatments and results were within reference ranges for cats.
OK, so what does that data tell us? Obviously the diets had similar nutrient compositions (Table 1) but the nutrients were digested different (Table 2). Organic matter digestibility is a term that we nutritionists use to essentially look at the overall diet digestibility (taking into account all nutrients except minerals). It's pretty obvious that the raw diet was better digested by the cats. Although it was better digested than the cooked diet, those numbers did fail to reach statistical significance (were only about 2% different for the most part). The scientists out there reading this will find that to be of important note. That said, the raw diet had nearly a 15% improvement in protein digestibility compared to the kibble. This to me is one of the most important pieces as we consider protein quality. We want the protein to be better digested.
When looking at Table 3, there were some very important pieces there as well. Fecal output measured as grams of dry matter, was lower in the cats fed raw and cooked. This was likely due to the fact that the cats fed the kibble diet consumed significantly more dry matter than the cats on the raw or cooked diets. More importantly, fecal ammonia and BCFA (branched chain fatty acids) were much lower in the cats fed either the raw or cooked diets compared with the kibble. Ammonia and BCFA are putrefactive compounds produced during colonic fermentation of endogenously produced and non-absorbed amino acids. This was likely a direct result of the lower digestibility of protein for the kibble diet (more amino acids and proteins reaching the colon for fermentation).
Those of you that feed raw, are cheering (I can hear you). We are following it up with another study that included raw, kibble, canned and whole prey in both domestic cats, and in African wildcats. Those data are currently being analyzed and we hope to be presenting those data this summer. While we can't completely translate this data to dogs, it's likely a pretty good chance we'd see similar results in other carnivore species including dogs.
K.R. Kerr, B.M. Vester Boler, C.L. Morris, K.J. Liu, and K.S. Swanson. 2012. Apparent total tract energy and macronutrient digestibility and fecal fermentative end-product concentrations of domestic cats fed extruded, raw beef-based, and cooked beef-based diets. Journal of Animal Science: 90: 515-522.
Optimized Animal Nutrition
Thursday, March 1, 2012
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
What's better...ancestral or natural history?
The idea of ancestral diets is an interesting one for me. I hear it when people say they want to feed raw diets..."I want to feed a more ancestral diet" and "dogs and cats are carnivores", and I see it all over the marketing of pet foods, particularly grain-free foods. What does that mean to everyone?
In reality there are more than 260 mammal species listed under the order Carnivora. Yes, that list includes the cat and the dog, and closest taxonomic ancestors to both, the European wildcat and the wolf. However, it also includes otters, civets, seals, and bears. That last category is one of my very favorites to discuss in terms of comparative nutrition because it includes the Giant panda. Oh yes, indeed they are carnivores in every sense of the word. Anatomically they have short digestive tracts and limited ability to ferment fiber...surprised? The difference is that panda's have evolved and adapted to their environment and have lower requirements for protein and energy compared to other carnivorous species. If' you've ever seen panda poo, you've noticed that it looks just like panda food. They must consume gigantic amounts of bamboo just to meet those low energy and protein requirements (also why they don't move a whole lot). If I wanted to feed a panda like their other relatives (carnivores), I'd likely produce very fat pandas with metabolic issues. While we could feed pandas the same diets we feed other bears, we certainly do not...they are fed primarily bamboo as most of you already guessed. Why then do we constantly focus on wanting to feed dogs like wolves and cats like tigers?
When it comes to felids, I won't argue with anyone that chooses to feed a strictly raw meat or whole prey based diet. Cats have not evolved to be anything other than obligate carnivores. Their protein requirement is twice that of dogs and they require vitamins that are unique to the consumption of organ meats that other carnivores do not require in the same high concentrations (taurine, vitamins A, D, and niacin).
Canids on the other hand are not obligate carnivores...except one species. I love discussing canid species as their variation in diet and natural history is nothing short of amazing. Consider the little bat eared fox that consumes almost exclusively insects, or the maned wolf whose diet during portions of the year is made up of nearly 70% plant material from a fruit in the same family as the tomato. Then, consider the only obligate carnivore canid...the African hunting dog (pictured below thanks to Omaha Zoo keeper Emily Wiley). These incredibly beautiful canids have never been observed consuming anything other than meat. Most people aren't surprised when I tell them that I can't feed these species the exact same diet at the zoo and indeed their captive diets are not at all similar. Maned wolves in captivity thrive on a diet that most of you would consider tragically high in carbohydrates and grains. I must consider each individual species' natural history when I formulate diets.
So, is it really that we want to feed our pets an ancestral diet or is it more that we want to feed them a more natural diet based on their natural history? To me, that makes a whole lot more sense.
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Feeding the Seniors in the House
Sparky, he's the dog that started my addiction to agility and dog sports. He's the one that learned how to play flyball when he didn't even think balls were all that cool. He's my 13 year old Rat Terrier that moved with me from New Mexico, survived grad school, taught me how to train, saw me through a divorce, new career and a new marriage...he is my best friend. I am faced everyday with the fact that he's getting older and he's definitely now considered a "senior" dog, something I know many of you reading this also face daily. This week I've been putting the final touches on an invited manuscript summarizing a symposia I chaired in July at a National conference. The symposia was about managing geriatric animals. I thought it was a good topic and one that many people often ask me about. What should I feed my senior animal?
The aging process can impact diet palatability and intake from physical changes that alter animal's senses, particularly taste and smell. In addition, as animals reach geriatric age, physiological changes occur that can alter nutrient requirements. Typically, energy requirements decrease; however, essential fatty acid and protein requirements often increase. This, coupled with reductions in digestive efficiency, result in seniors requiring bioavailable and digestible diets based with very high quality ingredients.
There are as many opinions about feeding seniors as there are diets. Some say feed more protein, some say less, some say more fat, some say less fat. As with humans, you must feed the animal and look at them each as individuals. Not all seniors should be treated the same. I suggest bloodwork annually to monitor kidney and liver function in senior animals. This can really help catch conditions early enough that specialized diets can truly support before needing prescription medications. If seniors are in great condition and there are no indications of health concerns, I am certainly not going to reduce or change the diet. The only thing I will do is add a digestive enzyme such as Prozyme or Prozyme Plus.
One of the other nutrients that I've spoken about extensively is water. Add water to all kibble! I'm even struggling at the zoo with the amount of water that is included (or not) in feeds we typically feed exotics. Take for example, herbivores such as giraffe, zebra, antelope, horses, and cows (only because I've mentioned this very issue in carnivores and I'm hopefully driving home a point). "Wild" diets consist of fresh plant materials that are 70% or more water. We have for decades focused animal husbandry on concentrating those nutrients into dried forages such as hay and dried pelleted grains and rations. I can almost with 100% certainty offer "browse" or fresh plant material to a sick or geriatric herbivore and have them eat. It certainly makes me wonder why we'd consider feeding and managing our animals on "dry" diets when so much of their natural diet contains much larger concentrations of water. So the bottomline here is that if you are using kibble diets, add water to them. If you are worried about dental health then provide abrasives such as bones to chew on and brush teeth. I have toy dogs that notoriously have crappy teeth so I feel I can have an opinion about this. I will tell you that feeding kibble did not change their teeth but brushing and bones did.
In conclusion, I feel that seniors need a high quality, very digestible food until biological markers indicate a concern that needs addressed nutritionally. In addition to the added water, Sparky also is supplemented with fish oil, Prozyme Plus and Dasuquin.
Sunday, January 1, 2012
Back to the idea of Nature versus Nurture
Happy New Year!
It has been too long since my last post but there were a few things that got in the way of my writing. The AKC Agility Invitational and Christmas come to mind. Prior to the trip out to Orlando for the Invitational, a few people emailed me the following link asking about my thoughts on the topic. It's from Patricia McConnell's blog, The Other End of the Leash: http://www.theotherendoftheleash.com/your-dog-has-a-brain-in-his-gut
I always have enjoyed Patricia's writing and still do and was happy to see the topic surface on her blog. After I read it, my initial reaction was "well, yes, of course emotions are linked to nutrition...how could they not be". The reality is that nearly every biological system of the body is linked to the digestive tract in some way. When it comes to the nervous system, one division of the nervous system in particular, the Enteric Nervous System (the topic of the referred to blog post) is responsible for control of the gastrointestinal tract of vertebrate species. It is this system that automatically stimulates muscles and organs to start contracting (to move food through the gut) and secrete important digestive enzymes and hormones supporting metabolism. In addition, dozens of neurotransmitters are active through this system. Several of these neurotransmitters are indeed related to emotions and the one I'll refer to is serotonin (mostly because I feel people are familiar with it).
Serotonin has been linked to behavior, including aggression, depression and hyperactivity, in many different species including rodents, dogs, humans and primates. The research in this area is extensive and easy to find. Biochemically, serotonin is derived from the metabolism of tryptophan, an essential amino acid found in proteins and chocolate (a reason why some of us find comfort in chocolate). These types of complex interactions between and among nutrients and the nervous system have given rise to the ideas of "cooling proteins" and "calming proteins". Unfortunately, this is where research is lacking. Although there is extensive research linking neurotransmitters to diet, there are many complex levels of these interactions. The intuitive reaction that people have is to simply provide more dietary tryptophan by increasing protein or supplementing. However, it just isn't that simple. In some animals, that simplistic idea may work but in others it won't. Why not?
Consumed dietary tryptophan must be converted to serotonin by an enzyme. If there are reduced levels of this enzyme, then no amount of dietary supplementation of tryptophan can account for that. In addition, there are additional complexities in the fact that serotonin must be transported by proteins (transporters) and the neural messaging is sent via proteins called receptors. All of these proteins (enzymes, transporters, receptors) are all coded by very specific genes within specific genomes. Each of these genes I envision like volume dials. Environmental factors (including diet) can turn them up (up-regulate) or turn them down (down-regulate)...hence the concept of Nature vs. Nurture? My very favorite way of looking at this is the metaphor that genetics will load the gun, but environment pulls the trigger. So in any animal that may have one or more of these genes down-regulated such that the result is less of the enzymes, transporters, or receptors, then serotonin's impact on the brain may be reduced. These incredible complexities are why we have such conflicting data surrounding the issue of meat based diets on behavior. Some studies show high protein diets are beneficial for animals with aggression, while others say high carbohydrate diets are better.
So, what the heck does this all mean? Now that we know the genome of species including humans, dogs and cats, we can now begin to understand how particular nutrients are impacting specific genes of interest such as those involved in tryptophan and serotonin metabolism. This area of research is known as nutrigenomics and is truly fascinating to me. In other words, while we all have the same genome, our genetic expression varies. The amount of tryptophan that my body needs may be vastly different from that of my husband. We can begin to look more specifically at how individual nutrients are impacting each of these genes. That's when we'll be able to determine what the real causes of behavior and temperament issues really are...is it a simple lack of dietary tryptophan (not likely) or is it a lack of an enzyme, a transporter, or a receptor. If we can identify the issue correctly, then we might be able to figure out how to turn that dial back up or down. It would make an enormous difference in how disease is diagnosed and treated.
In Patricia McConnell's post, she indicated that probiotics might be useful for the ENS. Sure! If you recall from my first blog about probiotics, I mentioned that I only use them when the systems are "off-balance". Being off-balance may not manifest in loose stools and vomiting. An unbalanced digestive system and enteric nervous system may indeed be observed through behavior problems, lethargy, appetite, etc... Can I say for sure that supplements or probiotics are going to help? No, I can't. Because our animals (and us) are unique individuals, what works for one may not work for another. Would I try it? Yes, I would. Until we can unlock the mysteries of metabolism, there is some degree of anecdotal success that we must appreciate. Recall, there are dozens of these neurotransmitters, metabolites, and hormones contributing to our overall biochemistry. I didn't even talk about stress hormones such as cortisol and how it impacts the ENS. It is all of these complex unknowns that make me appreciate the science of nutrition even more and why you will never hear me say there is "only one way" to feed you or your animals. We simply don't know or understand them all yet.
Happy New Year!
It has been too long since my last post but there were a few things that got in the way of my writing. The AKC Agility Invitational and Christmas come to mind. Prior to the trip out to Orlando for the Invitational, a few people emailed me the following link asking about my thoughts on the topic. It's from Patricia McConnell's blog, The Other End of the Leash: http://www.theotherendoftheleash.com/your-dog-has-a-brain-in-his-gut
I always have enjoyed Patricia's writing and still do and was happy to see the topic surface on her blog. After I read it, my initial reaction was "well, yes, of course emotions are linked to nutrition...how could they not be". The reality is that nearly every biological system of the body is linked to the digestive tract in some way. When it comes to the nervous system, one division of the nervous system in particular, the Enteric Nervous System (the topic of the referred to blog post) is responsible for control of the gastrointestinal tract of vertebrate species. It is this system that automatically stimulates muscles and organs to start contracting (to move food through the gut) and secrete important digestive enzymes and hormones supporting metabolism. In addition, dozens of neurotransmitters are active through this system. Several of these neurotransmitters are indeed related to emotions and the one I'll refer to is serotonin (mostly because I feel people are familiar with it).
Serotonin has been linked to behavior, including aggression, depression and hyperactivity, in many different species including rodents, dogs, humans and primates. The research in this area is extensive and easy to find. Biochemically, serotonin is derived from the metabolism of tryptophan, an essential amino acid found in proteins and chocolate (a reason why some of us find comfort in chocolate). These types of complex interactions between and among nutrients and the nervous system have given rise to the ideas of "cooling proteins" and "calming proteins". Unfortunately, this is where research is lacking. Although there is extensive research linking neurotransmitters to diet, there are many complex levels of these interactions. The intuitive reaction that people have is to simply provide more dietary tryptophan by increasing protein or supplementing. However, it just isn't that simple. In some animals, that simplistic idea may work but in others it won't. Why not?
Consumed dietary tryptophan must be converted to serotonin by an enzyme. If there are reduced levels of this enzyme, then no amount of dietary supplementation of tryptophan can account for that. In addition, there are additional complexities in the fact that serotonin must be transported by proteins (transporters) and the neural messaging is sent via proteins called receptors. All of these proteins (enzymes, transporters, receptors) are all coded by very specific genes within specific genomes. Each of these genes I envision like volume dials. Environmental factors (including diet) can turn them up (up-regulate) or turn them down (down-regulate)...hence the concept of Nature vs. Nurture? My very favorite way of looking at this is the metaphor that genetics will load the gun, but environment pulls the trigger. So in any animal that may have one or more of these genes down-regulated such that the result is less of the enzymes, transporters, or receptors, then serotonin's impact on the brain may be reduced. These incredible complexities are why we have such conflicting data surrounding the issue of meat based diets on behavior. Some studies show high protein diets are beneficial for animals with aggression, while others say high carbohydrate diets are better.
So, what the heck does this all mean? Now that we know the genome of species including humans, dogs and cats, we can now begin to understand how particular nutrients are impacting specific genes of interest such as those involved in tryptophan and serotonin metabolism. This area of research is known as nutrigenomics and is truly fascinating to me. In other words, while we all have the same genome, our genetic expression varies. The amount of tryptophan that my body needs may be vastly different from that of my husband. We can begin to look more specifically at how individual nutrients are impacting each of these genes. That's when we'll be able to determine what the real causes of behavior and temperament issues really are...is it a simple lack of dietary tryptophan (not likely) or is it a lack of an enzyme, a transporter, or a receptor. If we can identify the issue correctly, then we might be able to figure out how to turn that dial back up or down. It would make an enormous difference in how disease is diagnosed and treated.
In Patricia McConnell's post, she indicated that probiotics might be useful for the ENS. Sure! If you recall from my first blog about probiotics, I mentioned that I only use them when the systems are "off-balance". Being off-balance may not manifest in loose stools and vomiting. An unbalanced digestive system and enteric nervous system may indeed be observed through behavior problems, lethargy, appetite, etc... Can I say for sure that supplements or probiotics are going to help? No, I can't. Because our animals (and us) are unique individuals, what works for one may not work for another. Would I try it? Yes, I would. Until we can unlock the mysteries of metabolism, there is some degree of anecdotal success that we must appreciate. Recall, there are dozens of these neurotransmitters, metabolites, and hormones contributing to our overall biochemistry. I didn't even talk about stress hormones such as cortisol and how it impacts the ENS. It is all of these complex unknowns that make me appreciate the science of nutrition even more and why you will never hear me say there is "only one way" to feed you or your animals. We simply don't know or understand them all yet.
Happy New Year!
Saturday, December 10, 2011
Hydration supplements for working dogs
I honestly paid very little attention to the hydration products on the market until I was recently asked about them. I am a stickler about water intake though. It is a key nutrient and one that I feel often gets left out when we are talking about other macronutrients such as vitamins, minerals, proteins, fats and carbohydrates. Many of my clients have been told to add water if they feed kibble and in fact I feel everyone should. Water is one of the main nutrient differences between raw meat diets and kibble diets, including grain-free. Whole prey and raw diets contain approximately 70% water while kibble contains only about 10% (yes, kibble does contain some moisture). To me it's no wonder why we see kidney problems in cats when they are fed kibble diets their entire lives. So, those that feed kibble, add a little water to it when you feed.
When I looked up the ingredients on the main products that consumers have access to, I was surprised to see all of them contained maltodextrin as their main ingredient. One of them was very clever and actually "named" their sugar "glucose polymers". One of the company websites even stated directly that "maltodextrin is rapidly absorbed without an insulin release...". Let's stop there for a second. First off, maltodextrin is nothing more than chains of D-glucose units of variable lengths produced from the hydrolysis of starch typically from corn, rice or potatoes. The company is absolutely correct in their statement that maltodextrin is rapidly digested and absorbed. All you need to do is look on the labels of many enteral formulas and you'll see maltodextrin added. The problem I have is the statement that maltodextrin does not produce an insulin release. Comments like those floating around the internet frustrate me. Maltodextrin indeed produces an insulin response just like other sugars in fact it has a higher glycemic index than table sugar, honey, or fructose. I would caution anyone that may have a dog with sensitivities to gluten being that maltodextrins can pose issues for those suffering from Celiac disease. So why start off with a simple carbohydrate as the main ingredient in these formulas?
That answer is based on muscle glycogen recovery research in various animal models including dogs. Dogs involved in high intensity, short duration exercise such as agility or flyball obtain most of their energy from muscle stores through anaerobic metabolism (Cline and Reynolds, 2005; Rovira et al., 2007). So, these products are likely better for muscle recovery rather than "loading" per se, and indeed they indicate that with their product information. Muscle glycogen synthesis post-exercise after depletion occurs in 2 distinct phases. An initial short phase that does not require insulin and lasts 30 - 60 minutes after exercise. The 2nd phase may last several hours after exercise and is insulin dependent. When amino acids and proteins are added to maltodextrin solutions, there is an enhanced insulin response and stimulation of protein anabolism (synthesis). This response is significantly lower when carbohydrate only solutions are used (Jentjens and Jeukendrup, 2003).
The four products I reviewed include: Animal Naturals K9 Go Dog, CPN Power Boost Advanced Rehydration and Energy, CPN Vertex Canine Essentials, and Glyco-Gen Shake. As I did with grain-free products I'm only going to look at the top ingredients in each product.
K9 Go Dogs: Glucose polymers, resistant starch, medium chain triglycerides, beef fat, glutamine, leucine
CPN Power Boost: Maltodextrin, whey protein concentrate, canola oil, medium chain triglyceride, glutamine, lactobacillus
CPN Vertex: Maltodextrin, whole dried egg, whey protein concentrate, poultry liver hydrosylate, canola oil, olive oil
Glyco-Gen Shake: Maltodextrin, whey protein, vanilla
The protein and fat concentration of K9 Go Dog, Power Boost and Vertex are 6 and 9%, 8 and 11% and 24 and 24%, respectively. The fat sources used are very different and range from highly saturated fatty acids (beef fat), monounsaturated fatty acids (canola and olive), medium chain triglycerides (MCT), and omega 3 fatty acids (flaxseed oil). When it comes to dogs (and other carnivores), their efficiency at utilizing fat sources is tremendous. There is little data to support one type over the other; however, I would hypothesize that the beef fat used in K9 Go Dog would make it more palatable than the others but that might be the only advantage (in my opinion). I do like the use of MCT's as they are often digested and absorbed easier than other fats. There are some cases where MCT's have been associated with diarrhea; however, for the vast majority of dogs (and humans) they are digested very well.
Protein sources are primarily whey protein, egg, or free amino acids. All are suitable and highly digestible sources of proteins for this purpose. The amino acid glutamine is listed both for K9 Go Dog and Power Boost. Glutamine is a non-essential amino acid; however, may become conditionally essential particularly after exercise and during periods of protein turnover. It is also a preferred fuel for cells in the gut.
As the ingredient lists continue the products vary in their additions of probiotics (lactobacillus), branched chain amino acids (leucine, isoleucine, valine), alfalfa, algae, and ginseng to name a few. None of the additional ingredients pose any issues or concerns for me, in fact they all likely contribute some nutrition.
A price analysis indicates that per Tablespoon serving (approximately 20 grams) the cost for K9 Go Dog, Power Boost, Vertex, and Glyco-Gen Shake are $0.88, $0.46, $0.40 and $0.63, respectively.
Based on the purpose of replenishing glycogen stores and rehydration after exercise, ingredient lists, and cost, I would choose to use CPN Power Boost. Although I think the Vertex product has a lot to offer in the ingredient list and certainly nothing that would harm, I feel it's just too high in fat and protein to be used as a "rehydration" or recovery product. The product information indicates that it could be used as a daily conditioning supplement and that might be a better purpose for it. It likely would boil down to which product my dogs liked better between K9 Go Dog and Power Boost.
I actually don't use any of these products but I do "rehydrate". I use a mixture of meat-based baby food, honey, and some glutamine mixed with water. I'm sure the inclusion of honey might stimulate more discussion and this post has already gotten long so I'll leave that for further discussion. The thought process; however, is along the lines of these products and my little Keegan loves it.
When I looked up the ingredients on the main products that consumers have access to, I was surprised to see all of them contained maltodextrin as their main ingredient. One of them was very clever and actually "named" their sugar "glucose polymers". One of the company websites even stated directly that "maltodextrin is rapidly absorbed without an insulin release...". Let's stop there for a second. First off, maltodextrin is nothing more than chains of D-glucose units of variable lengths produced from the hydrolysis of starch typically from corn, rice or potatoes. The company is absolutely correct in their statement that maltodextrin is rapidly digested and absorbed. All you need to do is look on the labels of many enteral formulas and you'll see maltodextrin added. The problem I have is the statement that maltodextrin does not produce an insulin release. Comments like those floating around the internet frustrate me. Maltodextrin indeed produces an insulin response just like other sugars in fact it has a higher glycemic index than table sugar, honey, or fructose. I would caution anyone that may have a dog with sensitivities to gluten being that maltodextrins can pose issues for those suffering from Celiac disease. So why start off with a simple carbohydrate as the main ingredient in these formulas?
That answer is based on muscle glycogen recovery research in various animal models including dogs. Dogs involved in high intensity, short duration exercise such as agility or flyball obtain most of their energy from muscle stores through anaerobic metabolism (Cline and Reynolds, 2005; Rovira et al., 2007). So, these products are likely better for muscle recovery rather than "loading" per se, and indeed they indicate that with their product information. Muscle glycogen synthesis post-exercise after depletion occurs in 2 distinct phases. An initial short phase that does not require insulin and lasts 30 - 60 minutes after exercise. The 2nd phase may last several hours after exercise and is insulin dependent. When amino acids and proteins are added to maltodextrin solutions, there is an enhanced insulin response and stimulation of protein anabolism (synthesis). This response is significantly lower when carbohydrate only solutions are used (Jentjens and Jeukendrup, 2003).
The four products I reviewed include: Animal Naturals K9 Go Dog, CPN Power Boost Advanced Rehydration and Energy, CPN Vertex Canine Essentials, and Glyco-Gen Shake. As I did with grain-free products I'm only going to look at the top ingredients in each product.
K9 Go Dogs: Glucose polymers, resistant starch, medium chain triglycerides, beef fat, glutamine, leucine
CPN Power Boost: Maltodextrin, whey protein concentrate, canola oil, medium chain triglyceride, glutamine, lactobacillus
CPN Vertex: Maltodextrin, whole dried egg, whey protein concentrate, poultry liver hydrosylate, canola oil, olive oil
Glyco-Gen Shake: Maltodextrin, whey protein, vanilla
The protein and fat concentration of K9 Go Dog, Power Boost and Vertex are 6 and 9%, 8 and 11% and 24 and 24%, respectively. The fat sources used are very different and range from highly saturated fatty acids (beef fat), monounsaturated fatty acids (canola and olive), medium chain triglycerides (MCT), and omega 3 fatty acids (flaxseed oil). When it comes to dogs (and other carnivores), their efficiency at utilizing fat sources is tremendous. There is little data to support one type over the other; however, I would hypothesize that the beef fat used in K9 Go Dog would make it more palatable than the others but that might be the only advantage (in my opinion). I do like the use of MCT's as they are often digested and absorbed easier than other fats. There are some cases where MCT's have been associated with diarrhea; however, for the vast majority of dogs (and humans) they are digested very well.
Protein sources are primarily whey protein, egg, or free amino acids. All are suitable and highly digestible sources of proteins for this purpose. The amino acid glutamine is listed both for K9 Go Dog and Power Boost. Glutamine is a non-essential amino acid; however, may become conditionally essential particularly after exercise and during periods of protein turnover. It is also a preferred fuel for cells in the gut.
As the ingredient lists continue the products vary in their additions of probiotics (lactobacillus), branched chain amino acids (leucine, isoleucine, valine), alfalfa, algae, and ginseng to name a few. None of the additional ingredients pose any issues or concerns for me, in fact they all likely contribute some nutrition.
A price analysis indicates that per Tablespoon serving (approximately 20 grams) the cost for K9 Go Dog, Power Boost, Vertex, and Glyco-Gen Shake are $0.88, $0.46, $0.40 and $0.63, respectively.
Based on the purpose of replenishing glycogen stores and rehydration after exercise, ingredient lists, and cost, I would choose to use CPN Power Boost. Although I think the Vertex product has a lot to offer in the ingredient list and certainly nothing that would harm, I feel it's just too high in fat and protein to be used as a "rehydration" or recovery product. The product information indicates that it could be used as a daily conditioning supplement and that might be a better purpose for it. It likely would boil down to which product my dogs liked better between K9 Go Dog and Power Boost.
I actually don't use any of these products but I do "rehydrate". I use a mixture of meat-based baby food, honey, and some glutamine mixed with water. I'm sure the inclusion of honey might stimulate more discussion and this post has already gotten long so I'll leave that for further discussion. The thought process; however, is along the lines of these products and my little Keegan loves it.
Monday, December 5, 2011
Comparative nutrition for you!
I truly never thought I'd do this on my blog but I can't help it. I have found something that I believe in and feel the need to share it. Let me start by reminding you that I am a scientist and as a scientist there is a certain degree of data and repetition that must go into an argument to provide sufficient "proof" for me that something works. The other part of being a scientist (the really fun part) is experimenting and I experiment A LOT...even on myself.
Many of you are familiar with Standard Process supplements. I absolutely love the company and use many of their products for me, my dogs, and some of the animals at the zoo. Some time ago, I ordered some Immuplex for frogs (yes, frogs). The problem we had with the frogs ended up being related to vitamin A and carotenoids so we never used the Immuplex.
I am one of those people that tended to get sick every time I heard someone sneeze. One day at work I went in the lab and took some of the Immuplex along with Echinacea when I started to feel a sore throat coming on. I was surprised the next day when I felt better so I kept taking them and continued to feel better by the end of the day. So, I kept them both in my desk and got some for home. Every time I started to feel sick, I took them both 3 times daily. It worked every time. My husband on the hand, never gets sick (I find that very annoying). So, on Friday when he came home with a sore throat you might guess what I made him take. Saturday morning I woke up with a sore throat and started taking both. Sunday, we felt tired but better. By today we were back to normal and even Danny thought we'd found a "cure".
I absolutely don't believe it's a cure but Echinacea is a fabulous immune boosting medicinal herb that is safe for dogs and I have used it on my "kids" on various occasions. Immuplex is a combination of minerals and vitamins, primarily Vitamin B6, zinc, and vitamin C. The link for Immuplex is included below. The dose we've been using for us is 400 mg Echinacea + 1 Immuplex capsule together three times daily as soon as you feel symptoms coming on. Keep taking it 3 days after your symptoms stop. I don't take either supplement any other time.
Sorry for the commercial but it's worked for me multiple times and when it worked for Danny, I felt it was worth sharing, especially this time of year when we are all under the stress of the busy Holiday season and all of our immune systems could use the extra ammunition.
http://www.standardprocess.com/display/displayFile.aspx?docid=114&filename=/Public/Lit/TabSheets/immuplex4935.pdf
Many of you are familiar with Standard Process supplements. I absolutely love the company and use many of their products for me, my dogs, and some of the animals at the zoo. Some time ago, I ordered some Immuplex for frogs (yes, frogs). The problem we had with the frogs ended up being related to vitamin A and carotenoids so we never used the Immuplex.
I am one of those people that tended to get sick every time I heard someone sneeze. One day at work I went in the lab and took some of the Immuplex along with Echinacea when I started to feel a sore throat coming on. I was surprised the next day when I felt better so I kept taking them and continued to feel better by the end of the day. So, I kept them both in my desk and got some for home. Every time I started to feel sick, I took them both 3 times daily. It worked every time. My husband on the hand, never gets sick (I find that very annoying). So, on Friday when he came home with a sore throat you might guess what I made him take. Saturday morning I woke up with a sore throat and started taking both. Sunday, we felt tired but better. By today we were back to normal and even Danny thought we'd found a "cure".
I absolutely don't believe it's a cure but Echinacea is a fabulous immune boosting medicinal herb that is safe for dogs and I have used it on my "kids" on various occasions. Immuplex is a combination of minerals and vitamins, primarily Vitamin B6, zinc, and vitamin C. The link for Immuplex is included below. The dose we've been using for us is 400 mg Echinacea + 1 Immuplex capsule together three times daily as soon as you feel symptoms coming on. Keep taking it 3 days after your symptoms stop. I don't take either supplement any other time.
Sorry for the commercial but it's worked for me multiple times and when it worked for Danny, I felt it was worth sharing, especially this time of year when we are all under the stress of the busy Holiday season and all of our immune systems could use the extra ammunition.
http://www.standardprocess.com/display/displayFile.aspx?docid=114&filename=/Public/Lit/TabSheets/immuplex4935.pdf
Saturday, December 3, 2011
Dietary Variety
This week was particularly fun for me. I was helping another zoo with their collection diets. The vast majority of zoos in the U.S don't have nutritionists, let alone a nutrition laboratory. You can hear me blab about this topic on the video on our page:
http://www.omahazoo.com/conservation/nutrition/food-preparation/
What I found so entertaining about this week was that this particular zoo had a much smaller collection than ours but many of the same species. Their diets however, were very different than ours...consisting of different ingredients all together. When I analyzed them, the nutrients fell out where they needed to for the majority of the diets. How could their diets be so different yet nutritionally sufficient?
With domestic species we have the luxury of having known nutrient requirements to follow. All we need to do for dogs and cats is match those nutrient requirements with nutrients in ingredients and ta-da...we have a petfood. That luxury is one I don't have at the zoo. We don't know nutrient requirements for the vast majority of species that we manage in zoological institutions. Yet, zoos have been rather successful at managing endangered species for decades (some much better than others). So, how can that be? Luck or is there some magical secret formula that zoos use to feed their animals?
Although it's not magical, there is something that zoo's do very different in their approach to nutrition that we don't see with domestics and it's called VARIETY. It never fails I show up to work one day and our hospital staff tells me we've just received an animal that I've never heard of that needs a diet. Think about that...being challenged with an animal you've never heard of (Hadada ibis comes to mind), no known nutrient requirements to compare to and it needs a diet...NOW. All I can tell you is Thank God for Google. Thankfully, ecologists and biologists have studied most of the animal kingdom in enough detail to at least tell me what these animals eat in the wild. Then there is usually someone that's looked at a dead one to tell me what the animal looks like on the inside. In other words is it put together like a cow, a chicken, a horse, a dog, a cat, etc...? From there the challenge starts. The piece that's lacking is actually in understanding the nutrient profiles of those items the animals are eating in the wild. That's where variety comes in handy. We can't obtain the very same fish that the Fishing Cat is eating in the wild but we can get a variety of fish. Rather than just try one, we'll use several different types in order to better try and match the "unknown". "Fruits" from Madagascar are VERY different than an apple and a banana here in the U.S. so we use a variety of "seasonal fruits" and "seasonal vegetables" to provide a more rounded nutrient profile to our lemur species.
So, why then do we still stick to the "one" diet rule for our pets? I struggle with that concept. If we can feed variety that changes daily to our exotic species, knowing that it helps them behaviorally and nutritionally, why can't we do it for dogs and cats? There is no rule that says you can't, in fact, you should. Let's think about the natural history of our domestic dogs. They were domesticated and evolved alongside humans. They were not domesticated on the diets that exist today, they were domesticated with "leftovers" and "scraps". Dogs are an incredible species truly designed and adapted to deal with variety. Cats also evolved with humans but the difference was that they thrived on the fact that civilization brought with it, pests. Cats evolved to still consume whole prey and raw meat. They continue to be obligate carnivores having a significantly higher protein requirement than dogs (among other unique nutrient requirements). I'm sure the topic of dogs and wolves will be another blog post as it always brings up a lot of controversy.
If you've ever been told that you should only feed your dog or cat one diet, I hope you'll consider throwing that out the window. If you could talk to my dogs and ask them to recall what they ate over the last week, they'd be challenged to think of everything. I feed raw (various meats), produce, grains (oatmeal, some pasta, etc...), whole prey, raw meaty bones, and I do feed a variety of canned and kibble foods and often at the same time. Do I see digestive upsets? RARELY...and I do mean that quite literally. My dogs, and cat are so used to a rotated and varied diet that their guts do extremely well.
I will stick up for vets here simply because you need to recognize that they get to see the sick ones. My vet gets to only see my dogs when I want blood work done or they need a rabies vaccination or teeth cleaned. I guarantee that he'd never recommend how I feed to his typical pet client; however, he's certainly never argued with me that my dogs are just darn healthy. If animals have not been exposed to varied diets, it is difficult for their guts to keep up with the change which then results in digestive upset and unhappy veterinarians. Variety should be added slowly to allow the gut time to compensate for the changes. This means that the microflora in the gut must adapt to this change and that takes some time to develop.
There are animals that just can't handle variety for one reason or another; however, the vast majority of pets would be behaviorally and metabolically healthier on a varied or rotated diet. It can simply mean you rotate kibble diets. Chicken meal used in 1 company's petfood is not exactly the same as the chicken meal from another company and certainly formulations are different. Simply alternating diets between and among petfood companies will help add to the overall nutrition of your pet.
http://www.omahazoo.com/conservation/nutrition/food-preparation/
What I found so entertaining about this week was that this particular zoo had a much smaller collection than ours but many of the same species. Their diets however, were very different than ours...consisting of different ingredients all together. When I analyzed them, the nutrients fell out where they needed to for the majority of the diets. How could their diets be so different yet nutritionally sufficient?
With domestic species we have the luxury of having known nutrient requirements to follow. All we need to do for dogs and cats is match those nutrient requirements with nutrients in ingredients and ta-da...we have a petfood. That luxury is one I don't have at the zoo. We don't know nutrient requirements for the vast majority of species that we manage in zoological institutions. Yet, zoos have been rather successful at managing endangered species for decades (some much better than others). So, how can that be? Luck or is there some magical secret formula that zoos use to feed their animals?
Although it's not magical, there is something that zoo's do very different in their approach to nutrition that we don't see with domestics and it's called VARIETY. It never fails I show up to work one day and our hospital staff tells me we've just received an animal that I've never heard of that needs a diet. Think about that...being challenged with an animal you've never heard of (Hadada ibis comes to mind), no known nutrient requirements to compare to and it needs a diet...NOW. All I can tell you is Thank God for Google. Thankfully, ecologists and biologists have studied most of the animal kingdom in enough detail to at least tell me what these animals eat in the wild. Then there is usually someone that's looked at a dead one to tell me what the animal looks like on the inside. In other words is it put together like a cow, a chicken, a horse, a dog, a cat, etc...? From there the challenge starts. The piece that's lacking is actually in understanding the nutrient profiles of those items the animals are eating in the wild. That's where variety comes in handy. We can't obtain the very same fish that the Fishing Cat is eating in the wild but we can get a variety of fish. Rather than just try one, we'll use several different types in order to better try and match the "unknown". "Fruits" from Madagascar are VERY different than an apple and a banana here in the U.S. so we use a variety of "seasonal fruits" and "seasonal vegetables" to provide a more rounded nutrient profile to our lemur species.
So, why then do we still stick to the "one" diet rule for our pets? I struggle with that concept. If we can feed variety that changes daily to our exotic species, knowing that it helps them behaviorally and nutritionally, why can't we do it for dogs and cats? There is no rule that says you can't, in fact, you should. Let's think about the natural history of our domestic dogs. They were domesticated and evolved alongside humans. They were not domesticated on the diets that exist today, they were domesticated with "leftovers" and "scraps". Dogs are an incredible species truly designed and adapted to deal with variety. Cats also evolved with humans but the difference was that they thrived on the fact that civilization brought with it, pests. Cats evolved to still consume whole prey and raw meat. They continue to be obligate carnivores having a significantly higher protein requirement than dogs (among other unique nutrient requirements). I'm sure the topic of dogs and wolves will be another blog post as it always brings up a lot of controversy.
If you've ever been told that you should only feed your dog or cat one diet, I hope you'll consider throwing that out the window. If you could talk to my dogs and ask them to recall what they ate over the last week, they'd be challenged to think of everything. I feed raw (various meats), produce, grains (oatmeal, some pasta, etc...), whole prey, raw meaty bones, and I do feed a variety of canned and kibble foods and often at the same time. Do I see digestive upsets? RARELY...and I do mean that quite literally. My dogs, and cat are so used to a rotated and varied diet that their guts do extremely well.
I will stick up for vets here simply because you need to recognize that they get to see the sick ones. My vet gets to only see my dogs when I want blood work done or they need a rabies vaccination or teeth cleaned. I guarantee that he'd never recommend how I feed to his typical pet client; however, he's certainly never argued with me that my dogs are just darn healthy. If animals have not been exposed to varied diets, it is difficult for their guts to keep up with the change which then results in digestive upset and unhappy veterinarians. Variety should be added slowly to allow the gut time to compensate for the changes. This means that the microflora in the gut must adapt to this change and that takes some time to develop.
There are animals that just can't handle variety for one reason or another; however, the vast majority of pets would be behaviorally and metabolically healthier on a varied or rotated diet. It can simply mean you rotate kibble diets. Chicken meal used in 1 company's petfood is not exactly the same as the chicken meal from another company and certainly formulations are different. Simply alternating diets between and among petfood companies will help add to the overall nutrition of your pet.
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