Donadelli Renan A, Pezzali Julia G, Oba Patricia M, Swanson Kelly S, Coon Craig, Varney Jessica, Pendlebury Christine, Shoveller Anna K
Animal Biosciences Department, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, Canada.
Department of Animal Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL.
Transl Anim Sci. 2020 Jul 24;4(3):txaa141. doi: 10.1093/tas/txaa141. eCollection 2020 Jul.
Grain-free diets tend to have greater inclusions of pulses in contrast to grain-based diets. In 2018, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released a statement that grain-free diets may be related to the development of canine dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). However, all dog foods met regulatory minimums for nutrient inclusion recommended by the Association of American Feed Controls Official. In some FDA case reports, but not all, dogs diagnosed with DCM also had low concentrations of plasma or whole blood taurine; thus, we hypothesized that feeding these diets will result in reduced taurine status from baseline measures. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of feeding a grain-free diet to large-breed dogs on taurine status and overall health. Eight Labrador Retrievers (four males and four females; Four Rivers Kennel, MO) were individually housed and fed a commercial complete and balanced grain-free diet (Acana Pork and Squash formula; APS) for 26 wk. Fasted blood samples were collected prior to the start of the trial (baseline; week 0) and at weeks 13 and 26 for analyses of blood chemistry, hematology, plasma amino acids, and whole blood taurine. Urine was collected by free catch at weeks 0 and 26 for taurine and creatinine analyses. Fresh fecal samples were collected at weeks 0 and 26 for bile acid analyses. Data were analyzed using the GLIMMIX procedure with repeated measures in SAS (v. 9.4). Plasma His, Met, Trp, and taurine and whole blood taurine concentrations increased over the course of the study ( < 0.05). Urinary taurine to creatinine ratio was not affected by diet ( > 0.05). Fecal bile acid excretion increased after 26 wk of feeding APS to dogs. Despite the higher fecal excretion of bile acids, plasma and whole blood taurine increased over the 26-wk feeding study. These data suggest that feeding APS, a grain-free diet, over a 26-wk period improved taurine status in Labrador Retrievers and is not the basis for the incidence of DCM for dogs fed APS. Other factors that may contribute to the etiology of DCM should be explored.
与谷物类日粮相比，无谷物日粮往往含有更多的豆类。2018年，美国食品药品监督管理局（FDA）发布声明称，无谷物日粮可能与犬扩张型心肌病（DCM）的发生有关。然而，所有狗粮均符合美国饲料管理官员协会推荐的营养素添加监管最低标准。在FDA的一些病例报告中（并非全部），被诊断患有DCM的犬血浆或全血中牛磺酸浓度也较低；因此，我们推测，喂食这些日粮会导致牛磺酸水平相对于基线测量值降低。本研究的目的是确定给大型犬喂食无谷物日粮对牛磺酸水平和整体健康的影响。八只拉布拉多猎犬（四只雄性和四只雌性；密苏里州四河犬舍）单独饲养，并喂食一种商业完全平衡的无谷物日粮（渴望猪肉和南瓜配方粮；APS），为期26周。在试验开始前（基线；第0周）以及第13周和第26周采集空腹血样，用于血液化学、血液学、血浆氨基酸和全血牛磺酸分析。在第0周和第26周通过自由采集尿液用于牛磺酸和肌酐分析。在第0周和第26周采集新鲜粪便样本用于胆汁酸分析。数据使用SAS（v. 9.4）中的GLIMMIX程序进行重复测量分析。在研究过程中，血浆组氨酸、蛋氨酸、色氨酸和牛磺酸以及全血牛磺酸浓度升高（<0.05）。日粮对尿牛磺酸与肌酐比值没有影响（>0.05）。给犬喂食APS 26周后，粪便胆汁酸排泄增加。尽管胆汁酸的粪便排泄量较高，但在为期26周的喂食研究中，血浆和全血牛磺酸增加。这些数据表明，在26周的时间里喂食APS（一种无谷物日粮）可改善拉布拉多猎犬的牛磺酸水平，且不是喂食APS的犬发生DCM的原因。应探索其他可能导致DCM病因的因素。
