THE IMPACT OF VEGAN DIETS ON FECAL CHARACTERISTICS AND APPARENT DIGESTIBILITY IN DOGS

The aim of this study was to provide a comprehensive assessment of the impact of 2 vegan commercial dry dog foods with different chemical composition on the apparent digestibility, body condition score and fecal parameters in dogs. A total of 7 adult healthy dogs aged between 7 year and 12 years old entered in the study. The dogs were of common breed. Animals were consuming the investigated diets so preparation period for the digestibility trial was not necessary. Owners filled the fecal score sheet (by Purina) to assess the fecal characteristics for 5 days. Fecal pH, smell, were also evaluated. The parameters studied for the digestibility were: dry matter, crude protein, crude fat, crude fiber and nitrogen free extract. The results were compared with ones found in scientific literature. The animals consume a vegan diet for more than 6 months’ prior the trial so it was important to evaluate the body condition score. The results from the study indicate that feeding vegan meals to dogs gives close results of apparent digestibility coefficient with diets containing animal protein sources. Average crude protein digestibility of vegan diets was 87.39%, as for the crude fat the value reached 92.08%. The modifications in feces parameters were limited, reflecting a healthy intestinal function and efficient digestion.