© 2002 The American Society for Nutritional Sciences
J. Nutr. 132:1728S-1729S, June 2002
Supplement: Waltham International Symposium
Influence of Different Cellulose Types on Feces Quality of Dogs
Brigitta Wichert,
Simone Schuster,
Michaela Hofmann,
Britta Dobenecker and
Ellen Kienzle
Institute of Animal Physiology, Physiological Chemistry and Animal Nutrition, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, Munich, Germany
3To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: Brigitta.Wichert{at}tiph.vetmed.uni-muenchen.de.
KEY WORDS: • cellulose • dogs • feces quality
EXPANDED ABSTRACT
Cellulose is supposed to be a fiber source that is not readily fermented (1) and that has a moderate capacity to bind water. This combination of qualities should result in an above-average water binding in feces. Consequently, cellulose is used to improve feces quality (2). However, effects on feces quality may differ according to cellulose type (3). Therefore, in the present investigation cellulose types from various sources ranging in structure from microcrystalline to long-fiber cellulose were compared.
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MATERIALS AND METHODS
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Ten Beagle dogs, 5 female and 5 male with a body weight (BW) between 11.7 and 16.1 kg were fed a basal diet consisting of cooked greaves [55.7% diet dry matter (DM)], cooked corn starch (38.5% diet DM) and sunflower oil (5.8% diet DM), according to their individual energy requirements. The diet was supplemented with a mineral-vitamin supplement according to requirements. In a Latin square design the six different cellulose types shown in Table 1were added on top of the basal diet in an amount of 10% crude fiber in DM of the total diet (basal diet + mineral-vitamin supplement). As control, the basal diet without cellulose was fed. After 10-d adaptation, feces were collected for 7 d. The study was approved by the Regierung von Oberbayern, which is the proper authority according to German laws on animal welfare (Tierschutzgesetz).
The feces quality was classified as follows: 1 = liquid or soft; 2 = pasty; 3 = solid, well-formed. The dry matter content and the pH were determined (Table 2).
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TABLE 2 pH of feces of dogs fed a diet with or without added cellulose of different fiber length from the first 3 d of each collecting period
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RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
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The effect of cellulose on water content in the feces (Fig. 1) was not unequivocal. Compared to the control group without cellulose, the addition of cellulose led to an increase of dry matter content. However, this effect decreased with increasing fiber length of the cellulose. Thus, between cellulose with a fiber length of 300 µm and the control group there was no significant difference. In contrast, the difference between the microcrystalline cellulose and the cellulose with a fiber length of 300 µm was significant. The addition of cellulose increased the frequency of well-formed feces compared to that of the control group. There were considerable differences between the cellulose types (Fig. 2). Microcrystalline cellulose was least effective in improving feces quality. In the other celluloses feces quality improved with increasing fiber length. The origin of the cellulose had no effect. This is in agreement with previous observations that feces quality and water content are not necessarily related (1). Fecal pH was not affected by cellulose, indicating that there was little microbial fermentation of any cellulose type. Possibly, water-binding capacity may be an important feature of cellulose with regard to feces quality, and in the celluloses used in the present investigation water-binding capacity appears to be related to fiber length. This is contradictory to the results of a study in which the addition of a coarse cellulose led to a decrease of feces quality and the addition of a fine cellulose did not have any effect (3). In this case the basal diet was a canned dog food and the fiber length of the cellulose was 120 and 20 µm, respectively. However, fiber length may not be the only determinant of water-binding capacity.
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FIGURE 1 Dry matter content of feces in comparison to fiber length of cellulose. Values compared by one-way analysis of variance and Tukey test; different letters describe significant differences (P < 0.05).
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FIGURE 2 Distribution of feces quality depending on fiber length of cellulose. Definition of feces quality: 1 = liquid or soft; 2 = pasty; 3 = solid, well-formed.
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Depending on treatment and, possibly, diameter of the fiber, the water-binding capacity may not be generally related to fiber length, as it appeared to be in our study.
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FOOTNOTES
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1 Presented as part of the Waltham International Symposium: Pet Nutrition Coming of Age held in Vancouver, Canada, August 6–7, 2001. This symposium and the publication of symposium proceedings were sponsored by the Waltham Centre for Pet Nutrition. Guest editors for this supplement were James G. Morris, University of California, Davis, Ivan H. Burger, consultant to Mars UK Limited, Carl L. Keen, University of California, Davis, and D’Ann Finley, University of California, Davis. 
2 Supported by Phricolat Chemische Erzeugnisse GmbH, Siegburg, Germany.
4 Current address: Institute of Physiology, Biochemistry and Animal Nutrition, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, Veterinärstr. 13, 80539 Munich, Germany.
5 Greaves are the solid remains of animal fat after the fat-melting process. These remains are again subjected to fat extraction by mild physical pressing. These remains are then ground into pieces of 0.5 mm diameter.
6 Mineral-vitamin supplement/100 g: Ca, 7.4 g; P, 10.4 g; Na, 6.8 g; Mg, 3.0 g; K, 4.5 g; Fe, 13.2 mg; I, 5.3 mg; Cu, 21 mg; Mn, 13 mg; Zn, 36 mg; vitamin A, 27,083 IU; vitamin D33, 250 IU; vitamin E, 325 mg; thiamin, 9.3 mg; riboflavin, 18.4 mg; pyridoxine (PN), 8.9 mg; cyanocobalamin, 168 µg; biotin, 640 µg; niacin, 74.2 mg; choline, 8083 mg; folic acid, 867 µg; pantothenic acid, 92 mg.
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LITERATURE CITED
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1. Sunvold, G. D., Fahey, G. C., Merchen, N. R., Titgemeyer, E. C., Bourquin, L. D., Bauer, L. L. & Reinhart, G. A. (1995) Dietary fiber for dogs: IV. In vitro fermentation of selected fiber sources by dog fecal inoculum and in vivo digestion and metabolism of fiber-supplemented diets.. J. Anim. Sci. 73:1099-1109.[Abstract]
2. Wichert, B., Opitz, B. & Kienzle, E. (2000) Dietary treatment for chronic colon problems 2000 Purina Nutrition Forum 2000 St. Louis, MO.
3. Lewis, L. D, Magerkurth, J. H., Roudebush, P., Morris, M. L., Emmett, J. R., Mitchell, E. & Teeter, S. M. (1994) Stool characteristics, gastrointestinal transit time and nutrient digestibility in dogs fed different fiber sources.. J. Nutr. 124:2716-2718.
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E. Kienzle, B. Dobenecker, B. Wichert, and S. Schuster
Effect of Fecal Water and Dry Matter Excretion on Fecal Mineral Excretion in Dogs Studied in a Fiber Model
J. Nutr.,
July 1, 2006;
136(7):
2001S - 2003S.
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