Companion Animals: Nutritional and Health Considerations for Companion Animals II.

The article presents abstracts of various papers related to animal nutrition that were presented during the symposium held on July 27, 2005 in Cincinnati, Ohio, which was organized by the American Dairy Science Association, the American Society of Animal Science, and the Canadian Society of Animal Science. One of the papers discussed is "Effects of Food and Water Intake on Variation in Deal Digesta Viscosity Among Dogs Fed a Maintenance Diet," by C. Dikeman and G Fahey. A two-period crossover design experiment was conducted to address effects of food and water intake on ileal digesta viscosity among dogs. Six ileal cannulated dogs, average weight of 26.0 kg, were fed during an initial 6-d adaptation phase up to individual energy requirements. Another paper discussed is "Canine Diet Matrices Affect Digesta Viscosity In Vitro and Ileal Viscosity In Vivo," by C. Dikeman and G. Fahey. Two experiments were conducted to determine the effects of canine diet matrix on ileal digesta and simulated digesta viscosity in vitro. Three canned diets containing either carageenan, guar gum, or soybean hulls + cellulose and three dry extruded diets containing rice bran, wheat bran, or soybean hulls, were fed to 6 ileal cannulated dogs in a 6 x 6 Latin square design.