The impact of dietary fiber on the gastrointestinal health of dogs is well established. The gut microbiota can ferment a wide range of plant fibers and metabolize conjugates and oligomers of polyphenols into more bioavailable forms, while the presence of dietary polyphenols can also influence the composition and function of bacterial populations in the gut microbiota.
Can we therefore speculate that differences in fiber content and composition in foods for dogs with gastrointestinal disorders may lead to differences in the fecal and systemic impact of these foods, differences that may be mediated by the dogs’ microbiome and metabolism?
Hill’s researchers set out to answer this question by comparing the fecal microbiome, fecal metabolome, and serum metabolome of 39 adult dogs with well-managed chronic gastroenteritis/enteritis and matched healthy control dogs.
Fibers rich in polyphenols
The foods evaluated included a test food (TF1) containing a novel prebiotic fiber package, a control food (CF) lacking the fiber package, and a commercially available therapeutic food (TF2) indicated for the management of fiber-responsive conditions. In this crossover study, all dogs consumed CF for a wash-in period of 4 weeks, were randomized to TF1 or TF2 and fed for 4 weeks, were fed CF for a washout period of 4 weeks, and then received the other test food for 4 weeks.
Improvement of gastrointestinal conditions
In the study, it was shown that consumption of a prebiotic fiber mixture rich in polyphenols in TF1 produced different fecal and circulating metabolomes in dogs fed CF and TF2. While both TF1 and TF2 improved stool quality, feeding TF1 uniquely promoted saccharolytic and post-biotic microbial metabolism while reducing putrefactive processes, and further improved fecal and circulating lipid metabolism, with positive implications for gut function and inflammation.
Compared with the control feed, consumption of the fiber-fortified feed with polyphenols largely reduced fecal levels of endocannabinoid and sphingolipid metabolites while increasing fecal and circulating polyunsaturated fatty acid profiles, suggesting that TF1 may have modulated inflammation and gastrointestinal motility.
These results indicate that the use of a specific prebiotic fiber package may be beneficial in healthy dogs and those with chronic enteropathies.
Reference
Fritsch DA, Jackson MI, Wernimont SM, Feld GK, Badri DV, Brejda JJ, Cochrane C-Y and Gross KL (2023) Adding a polyphenol-rich fiber bundle to food impacts the gastrointestinal microbiome and metabolome in dogs. Front. Vet. Sci. 9:1039032. doi: 10.3389/fvets.2022.1039032
