Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Turin, 10095, Grugliasco, TO, Italy.
Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Turin, 10095, Grugliasco, TO, Italy.
Theriogenology. 2023 Nov;211:191-197. doi: 10.1016/j.theriogenology.2023.08.019. Epub 2023 Aug 23.
Great attention has been given in the last years to the protein source of dog food, and commercial limited-ingredient diets with a single protein are available also for late pregnancy. This work compared the effect of a fish-based limited ingredient diet (LID), and of a standard mixed-protein diet (Mixed), fed to the bitches from the last three weeks of pregnancy and to the puppies at weaning, on birth weight, growth and health of the puppies. From a breeder's records, the weight of 22 Lagotto Romagnolo (LR) and 10 Appenzeller Cattle Dog (ACD) bitches on the day of mating, and of their 199 puppies, were extracted. The effect of diet on puppies' weight on day 0, 6, 30 and 60 was analyzed, considering litter size and sex. The analyses were repeated on puppies' weights normalized on the relative dam's non-pregnant bodyweight. Birth weight was available for 146 puppies, 82 LR and 64 ACD. Median birth weight of LR puppies was 287.5 g (170-400 g); sex ratio was 1.11 (males/females, N = 80). Median birth weight of ACD puppies was 390 g (240-525 g); sex ratio 1.15 (males/females, N = 58). Diet did not significantly affect birth weight in both breeds; however, it showed a significant effect on normalized birth weights (LR, P = 0.016; ACD, P = 0.034), with higher values for LID. At day 30, ACD puppies showed significantly higher weights with the Mixed diet (P = 0.002), and, at day 60, diet significantly affected the normalized weight in both breeds (LR, P = 0.019; ACD, P = 0.001), with higher values for the Mixed type. LID may help the dam to invest the energy in the growth of her litter, however, the same diet resulted in lower puppies' weights around weaning, compared to the Mixed diet. Although our results should be confirmed with larger numbers of animals and more breeds, they set some points worth to be further investigated. The choice of a limited-ingredient single-protein diet can affect litter weight and weight at weaning. Whether, administered to dams and puppies, it can prevent later pathologies, like chronic gastrointestinal diseases or food allergies, is a field of research deserving full attention.
近年来，人们对犬粮的蛋白质来源给予了极大关注，目前也有针对妊娠后期的单一蛋白质的商业限量成分饮食。本研究比较了从妊娠最后 3 周开始给母犬和幼犬喂食以鱼为基础的限量成分饮食（LID）和混合蛋白标准饮食（Mixed）对幼犬出生体重、生长和健康的影响。从繁殖者的记录中，提取了 22 只拉戈托罗马阁诺犬（LR）和 10 只阿彭策尔牛犬（ACD）母犬在交配当天以及 199 只幼犬的体重。分析了饮食对幼犬在第 0、6、30 和 60 天体重的影响，同时考虑了窝仔数和性别。对基于相对未怀孕母犬体重的幼犬体重进行了标准化分析。146 只幼犬（82 只 LR 和 64 只 ACD）的出生体重可用。LR 幼犬的平均出生体重为 287.5 克（170-400 克）；性别比例为 1.11（雄性/雌性，N=80）。ACD 幼犬的平均出生体重为 390 克（240-525 克）；性别比例为 1.15（雄性/雌性，N=58）。在这两个品种中，饮食都没有显著影响出生体重；然而，它对标准化出生体重有显著影响（LR，P=0.016；ACD，P=0.034），LID 的值更高。在第 30 天，ACD 幼犬在混合饮食下的体重明显更高（P=0.002），在第 60 天，饮食在这两个品种中显著影响了标准化体重（LR，P=0.019；ACD，P=0.001），混合饮食的数值更高。LID 可能有助于母犬将能量投入到其幼崽的生长中，然而，与混合饮食相比，LID 饮食在幼犬断奶前后导致体重较低。尽管我们的结果需要用更多的动物和更多的品种来证实，但它们提出了一些值得进一步研究的问题。限量成分的单一蛋白质饮食的选择会影响窝仔的体重和断奶时的体重。无论它是否可以预防后期的慢性胃肠道疾病或食物过敏等疾病，作为一种管理母犬和幼犬的方法，这都是一个值得关注的研究领域。
