Interpretive Summary: Functional properties of miscanthus fiber and prebiotic blends in extruded canine diets 

By: Shannon Finet, Fei He, Lindsay. V. Clark, and Maria Regina Cattai de Godoy

There are many ingredients utilized in dog foods that provide a source of dietary fiber. However, new ingredient sources can help to add variety to diet formulas and may provide benefits to pet food processing and animal health. Miscanthus grass is a novel ingredient for dog food that provides an excellent source of dietary fiber. In a dog feeding trial and palatability test, diets containing miscanthus grass had similar results to diets containing cellulose, a traditionally used dietary fiber ingredient. The inclusion of this novel ingredient did not produce any observed negative effects on digestion, stool quality, diet palatability, or overall animal health. This indicates that miscanthus grass is a viable ingredient for use in commercial dog foods as a source of dietary fiber.

Read the full article in the Journal of Animal Science.