Changes of diet in dogs are recommended to be gradual, as sudden introductions can cause vomiting and diarrhea. However, from a research point of view, a swift dietary change could be a model of gastrointestinal disturbance to test the impact of feed additives aimed at fostering gut resilience. Assessing the effects of an abrupt change of diet can help evaluate the impact of these additives when compared to the expected outcome. We studied an abrupt dietary change in Beagles from a high-carbohydrate kibble diet to a high-protein, high-fat canned diet, focusing on digestibility, stool quality, fecal microbial balance, and fermentation products. The canned diet showed overall higher digestibility, though it led to wetter and softer stools shortly after the switch. The balance of the microbiota worsened transitorily after the change, along with alterations in immune and inflammatory biomarkers. Fecal SCFA and fecal protein metabolites were also impacted by the diet intervention. The dietary shift successfully resulted in both rapid and intermediate changes, reflecting how the gut ecosystem adapts to new dietary compositions. Our results suggest the suitability of this model for inducing fast, measurable changes in the intestinal ecosystem that could be influenced by nutritional strategies promoting resilience.

Read the full article in the Journal of Animal Science.