Managing Gastrointestinal Health of Dogs in the Field: What Goes in Must Come Out! Erin Perry, MS PhD
Today’s Discussion • Pet food in the news • Nutritional decisions • Deployment • GI distress K9 Charlie & K9 Calvary Hurricane Katrina
First things first… • FDA Report – 560 animals – 119 deaths • DCM and BEG diets
What is DCM? • Thinning of heart muscle – Poor contractility – Compromised blood flow • Dx echocardiogram • Three types – Diet associated taurine deficiency – Diet associated taurine normal – Genetic • Boxers, Dobermans, Goldens
What is a BEG diet? • B = Boutique – Lack full time experts – Research vs Science • E = Exotic – Traditional meat sources – NRC guidelines – Market share • G = Grain free – Legumes
What is research? • Scientific research – Proposed plan (hypothesis) – Ethics review – Execution of experiment – Statistical analysis – Peer review – Publication of results • Evidence (vs information) • Social media experts
Evidence in the DCM issue • Brands – 16 brands (> 10 cases) • Size matters – Market share? – Large vs small
What about the grains? • 90% Grain free – Food allergies • Dx requires elimination diet • Environmental allergens – Hensen et al., 2015 – Grain free ≠ low starch • Resistant to degradation • 93% legume products – Microbial fermentation • SCFA production
Are novel proteins an issue? • Protein source • Market share – Chicken • 113 cases – Kangaroo • 58 cases
Squid, kangaroo, alligator…what? • Purchasing drivers • Pets viewed as children • Human diet trends • Science vs marketing • Emotion vs data
Who’s in charge? • Regulation & enforcement • Labeling • Nutrition
Cracking the Code • Brand & product name • Net quantity • Manufacturer/distributor • Calorie content • Nutritional adequacy • Guaranteed analysis • Ingredients • Species • Feeding directions
Nutritional Adequacy • Feeding trial (3 types) – Maintenance, Gestation/Lactation, Growth • Required elements – 8 healthy animals – 26 weeks (maintenance) – Continuous feeding – Weight – Bloodwork – Complete physical pre and post – 25% removal (non-nutritional reasons) • Failure – Nutritional deficiency/toxicity – Individual loss > 15% BW – Group mean loss 10% BW
Safety standards? • Feeding trial – 2% 100 • Formulated 90 80 – 87% 70 60 • Highly significant 50 40 – P < 0.0001 30 20 10 0 Formulated Other Feeding Trial
Nutritional Decisions • Evaluating information • Scientific research – Peer reviewed – Press bulletins • Social media experts
How to choose? • Who makes it? • Scientific research (and publish) • PhD nutritionists • Feeding trials (not formulations) • No marketing magic
Dietary needs assessment • Evidence based decision • WSAVA – BCS – MCS – Calorie needs
What about raw? • NOT recommended • BARF diet microbiota – E. coli & C. perfringens – Schmidt et al., 2018 • Public health risk
Why is it different in the field? • FEMA • Handler • Evaluator • Instructor • Deployment experience • Tornado • Hurricane • Wide area flooding K9 Zorro Hurricane Matthew
GI health during deployment • Unknown areas • High stress • Canine and handler • Unpredictable conditions • Hurry up and wait • RIT • Exposure hazards
What causes GI distress? • Medical – Parasite – Viral – Bacterial • Dietary – Indiscretion – Intolerance/allergy • Stress • Other – Exposure
Medical • Intolerance/Allergies – Comprehensive diagnostics • Parasites – Coccidia, Giardia, Hookworms, other • Foreign body – tennis ball, clothing, corn cob, rocks • Bacterial – Salmonella , e. coli , c. perfringens • Viral Corn cob removed from – Parvo, Distemper, other duodenum of 3 yo Malinois
Dietary • Dietary – Ingredients – Indiscretion – Malabsorptive – Genetic K9 George CA wildfires
Dietary • Indiscretion – Garbage gut • Food allergy – Diagnostic process • Product contamination – Adulterated – Contaminated – Recall
Stress • Chronic • Acute • Microflora impacted • Probiotic use – Inconsistent results Stress of car travel
Stress • Stability for microbes • Stress causes disruption – Travel • Helicopter • Commercial air • Vehicle? – Environmental change – Exertion – Dietary indiscretion – Water
Stress • Multiple small meals • Monitor hydration – Heat exposure – 24 hr loose stool • Resolve? – Conditioned exposure
Deployment Exposure • Self-grooming behavior • Decon procedures K9 Zorro self-grooming – Decision matrix Hurricane Matthew • Sewage – Biohazard • Industrial chemicals – Petroleum based • Blue green algae
What does it look like? • Regurgitation • Vomiting • Loose stool • Diarrhea
Fecal Score • Color • Consistency • Blood, mucus • Foreign material • Diarrhea – Scoring system – www.akc.org
Fasting & Binding • Overall safety • Monitor hydration • Fasting – Withhold food – Foreign body – Dietary contamination/adulteration • Binders – Pumpkin – Green beans – Psyllium
Time for veterinary intervention? • Know your dog • Other symptoms • Duration • Dehydration • Other medical factors
Proper diagnostics • Fecal scoring (pictures) – Blood – Mucus – Parasites – Foreign body? • Fecal exam • Comprehensive medical • Metronidazole – See Dr. Jenkins
GI Physiology • 4-5 x total body length • Mouth to colon 8-10 hrs – Diet – Frequency of meals – Reproductive status – Age – Hydration – STRESS!!!
Just another day at the office… • High levels of physicality • High levels of stress • Intense work – Frequency may change FLTF1 canines preparing to hot load
What do they need? • Water • Protein • Energy – CHO, CP, Fat • Vitamins & Minerals • Nutrients vs ingredients K9 Pic Memphis • Digestion
Water • Intake affected by – Diet form (dry vs wet) – Exercise – Palatability • Requirements affected by – Health – Environment • Heat and humidity – Exertion
Protein • Amino acids • CP% = N x 6.25 • Data from sled & greyhounds • Endurance vs sprint • Animal vs plant sources • Digestibility • NRC – 60 - 90g/1000 kcal K9 Pic Joplin MO Tornado
Energy • Fat – Fatty acid composition – Impact on olfaction • CHO – Benefit if glycogen depletion – Fiber (soluble and insoluble) • Impact defacation? • Prebiotics impact microflora • Protein • Monitor BCS
How is it provided? • Meat – muscle • Meat by products – Muscle, organs, intestines, bone • Poultry – Backs & necks (with bone) • Poultry by-products – Poultry, organs, head, feet – Rendered • Meal
Diet impacts behavior • DHA (fish, eggs, organ meat) • aggression • greater “trainability” – Beagle puppies • Microbes change brain structure • Probiotics impact stress levels
Final thoughts… • “Leadership is not about being in charge, it is about taking care of the people in your charge.” – Simon Sinek
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