Effects of Two Commercial Diets on Several Reproductive Parameters in Bitches: Note One-From Estrous Cycle to Parturition

Birth weight, puppies' growth and health with limited-ingredient novel protein diet vs standard diet in late pregnancy

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.

Nutrition and Theriogenology: A Glimpse Into Nutrition and Nutritional Supplementation During Gestation, Lactation, Weaning and Breeding Dogs and Cats

Feeding during normal reproduction is often not thought of until there is a problem with conception or gestational losses. Energy demands of lactation and early puppy/kitten are of concern, particularly in large and giant breed dogs where mineral balance is crucial to normal development. There is a paucity of information around optimizing feeding during conception and gestation with many myths around ingredients which will be explored in this article along with supplements that may be able to support spermatogenesis and conception which primarily comes from the human literature and may have validity in times of difficult conception.

Hemp Seed Cake as a Novel Ingredient for Dog's Diet

In the last few years, the popularity of industrial hemp and its products is increased. From a nutritional point of view, hemp and its products are rich in protein, polyunsaturated fatty acids, vitamins, and useful minerals. Nowadays, the European Commission authorizes the use of hempseed and hempseed oil co-products in animal nutrition. This study is aimed to evaluate the use of hempseed cake in dogs' nutrition, comparing the effect of the supplementation of two lipid sources: swine tallow (T-diet) and hempseed cake (H-diet). A double-blind nutritional trial was performed at a municipal kennel located in Naples. Eight crossbreed neutered dogs recognized in good health were recruited and divided into two homogeneous groups (T- vs. H-group). Both diets were analyzed for chemical composition and fatty acid profile. Blood count and biochemical profile were evaluated at recruitment (T0) and the end of the trial (T30). Oleic, palmitic, and stearic acids were the most representative fatty acids in both diets; however, the H-diet contains more than double concentration of linoleic and α-linoleic acids compared to the T-diet (p < 0.01). The H-diet has shown significantly (p < 0.01) higher peroxidation index as the only negative aspect, which could compromise its shelf-life. After 30 days of administration, the H-group has shown a significant (p < 0.01 and p < 0.05) reduction of liver and renal markers [aspartate transferase (AST), alanine transaminase (ALT), and creatinine] and cholesterol, due to the healthier fatty acid profile. Hempseed cake seems a suggestable source of polyunsaturated fatty acids for dogs considering these preliminary results.

Effects of Two Commercial Diets on Several Reproductive Parameters in Bitches: Note Two-Lactation and Puppies' Performance

The study aimed to compare two diets, Control (CTR) and Experimental (EX) (mainly differing as regards their ingredients, energy, and protein contents) administered to medium and large-sized bitches from two months before the expected proestrus and up to 30 days after delivery on mothers' weight, body condition score, litter size, milk quality, and puppies' growth. No differences were found for body weight during pregnancy, even if the BCS after delivery was significantly (p < 0.01) higher in the EX group than in the CTR one. Concerning the size effect, the percentage of weight gain on the initial body weight was double in medium-sized dogs compared to large dogs (p < 0.01). The number of puppies per litter was significantly higher (p < 0.05) for the EX group compared to the CTR one. Concerning puppies' weight, the CTR group showed a significantly (p < 0.01) higher body weight from the 21st day of life due to the significant (p < 0.01) higher daily weight gain during the suckling period. Considering the performance of bitches and puppies, both diets seem useful for these stages of their lives. In fact, after 30 days of lactation, all tested bitches showed a healthy status and both the percentage of newborns mortality and puppies' growth kinetics fell into the normal physiological range for the species.