Royal Canin Nutritional Information

Royal Canin Nutritional Information

Brachycephalic dog breeds (e.g., Bulldogs) have a higher risk of frequent regurgitation. This problem is facilitated by two anatomical characteristics: the esophagus is slightly convoluted rather than straight, and the cardia is often atonic. Abdominal compressions due to inspiration also facilitate gastro-esophageal reflux. (© Lanceau).

Key Points to Remember:

Dysphagia

Dysphagia refers to disorders of deglutition. Oral dysphagia is characterized by the inability to take food, to lap liquids or to propel the food bolus to the pharynx. Pharyngeal and esophageal dysphagia are typically characterized by the occurrence of regurgitation and ptyalism.

Regurgitation refers to spontaneous or induced expulsion, without any effort of abdominal contraction, of masticated food coated with saliva. Regurgitation contents rarely contain blood and never contain bile.

Regurgitation commonly occurs shortly after eating, however, it may be delayed in certain esophageal diseases.

In all cases, etiological diagnosis should be established because esophageal disorders can be a manifestation of systemic disease. However, the treatment of these disorders often remains symptomatic, combining specific nutritional and medical approaches.

Nutritional therapy is essential. Sometimes advanced malnutrition will have to be treated. In these cases enteral or parenteral feeding may be necessary.

When oral feeding is possible, it is necessary to use highly digestible foods with a fairly liquid consistency. These diets should be fed from a height to capitalize on gravity to facilitate the transit of food to the stomach.

Key Points to Remember:

Chronic Diarrhea

The scientific definition of diarrhea is based on an increase in the liquidity and the volume of fecal matter as well as the frequency of evacuation. This is the most common clinical sign of an intestinal complaint in dogs, although many extra-digestive complaints may accompany diarrhea. Chronic diarrhea is described somewhat arbitrarily if it does not resolve spontaneously or if it does not respond to symptomatic treatment within 3 - 4 weeks. A logical and well reasoned diagnostic procedure will establish a rational foundation for an appropriate therapeutic plan in which nutrition is essential.

Efficacy of a Soy Hydrolysate-based Diet in the Management of Chronic Canine Gastroenteritis: A Controlled Study

The purpose of this study was to compare the response of dogs with chronic gastrointestinal signs suggestive of adverse reaction to food to high digestible diets. One of the test diets was a soy protein isolate hydrolysate based diet.

Materials and Methods

Twenty-six dogs with a history of chronic vomiting, diarrhea, and/or weight loss were included in the study. On the basis of clinical signs, a gastroduodenal or a colonic endoscopy was performed to rule out foreign bodies, gastritis, ulcer, neoplasia, hyperacidity, pyloric stenosis, and to obtain biopsies for histopathology. The mean age at presentation was 4.3 ± 3.3 years (range 0.6 - 11 yrs) and mean body weight was 23 ± 12 kg (4.7 - 40 kg). The sex ratio, age and body weight were similar between both groups of dogs.

- Eighteen dogs received a soy protein isolate hydrolysate-based diet (Veterinary Diet Hypoallergenic DR21, Royal Canin)
- Eight dogs received a highly digestible low residue diet (Veterinary Diet Intestinal GI30, Royal Canin), which served as a control diet.

The owners were instructed to exclusively feed the diet that they were given for two months. No medications were allowed. If no or little improvement was observed over the 2 months of dietary therapy, drug therapy was initiated. If improvement was noted after 2 months owners were requested to challenge their dogs with their previous diet.

Results

Gastroduodenoscopy was performed in 23 dogs and colonoscopy in 3 dogs. Biopsies indicated inflammatory (lymphoplasmacytic, lymphocytic, eosinophilic, eosinolymphocytic) infiltrates in 24 of 26 dogs. Clinical signs resolved in 16 of 18 dogs on the soy hydrolysate diet and 7 of 8 dogs on the low residue diet after two months of dietary therapy. The 3 remaining dogs improved but still had occasional episodes of vomiting or diarrhea. The dogs on the hydrolyzed protein diet gained significantly more body weight compared to the dogs on the low residue diet.

When challenged with their previous diet, 11 of 16 dogs on the hydrolysate diet and 4 of 6 dogs on the low residue diet relapsed.

Follow-up examination was performed in 15 of 16 dogs on the hydrolysate diet and 6 of 7 dogs on the low residue diet 8 ± 8 months after the start of the clinical study.
- 13 of 15 dogs on the hydrolysate diet remained free of clinical signs and 2 of 15 showed minor signs.
- Only 2 of 6 dogs on the low residue diet remained free of clinical signs. The remaining four dogs needed drug therapy to alleviate their clinical signs.

Gastrointestinal biopsies performed in 5 hydrolysate and 4 low residue diet dogs did not reveal any change in histopathology.

Conclusion

Although in the short term, soy hydrolysate and low residue diets appear satisfactory in the management of chronic diarrhea and vomiting associated with adverse reaction to food, the soy hydrolysate based diet induced better weight gain and was better tolerated in the long term.

A Soy Protein Hydrolysate-based Diet for the Nutritional Management of Canine IBD: A Preliminary Study

Dietary hypersensitivity is proposed as one possible cause of IBD. The purpose of this study was to assess, in field conditions, the effect of a hypoallergenic diet formulated with soy protein isolate hydrolysate (Royal Canin, hypoallergenic DR 21) for the treatment of IBD.

Materials and Methods

Eight dogs were included in the study, seven of which were in normal body condition at the start of the study. The inclusion criterion for the study was IBD confirmed by histological evaluation of intestinal biopsies associated with at least one clinical sign (diarrhea, vomiting or weight loss).

Initially the diet was given as the only treatment. If the diet alone did not improve the clinical signs after 4 weeks of therapy, metronidazolefollowed by prednisolone therapy was used. Clinical and fecal assessments were performed every 2 weeks. Endoscopic and histological assessments of the intestinal mucosa were performed before and at least 8 weeks after inclusion in the study.

Figure 13. Study protocol.

Results

Mean fecal score dramatically improved with dietary therapy (1.5 ± 0.53 vs 3.62 ± 0.52, p< 0.01, Student's t-test). In 6 of 8 dogs which initially had abnormal bowel movements, the mean number of bowel movements improved from 4.12 ± 1.73 /day to 2.5 ± 0.53/day (p<0.05, Student's t-test). Recovery was observed in all dogs between 4 and 16 weeks following introduction of the diet but 3 of 8 dogs required additional treatment.

During endoscopic examination, no obvious improvement of the intestinal mucosa was noted except in the colon of 1 dog. General histological scores were not different before (3.8 ± 0.9) and after treatment (3.4 ± 0.5) but for 2 of 8 dogs the infiltrate in the intestinal mucosa was reduced.

Conclusion

These preliminary results suggest that a soy isolate hydrolysate diet could be useful in the clinical management of IBD, even in severe cases, and might be a good alternative to the use of corticosteroids.

Key Points to Remember:

Constipation

Constipation is characterized by increased fecal transit time. Clinically, this leads to less frequent, sometimes painful defecation and the passing of dehydrated, abnormally hard and dry stools. This syndrome, quite frequent in veterinary medicine, is often considered as a disorder of intestinal transit. However the possible reasons for constipation are numerous and some of these may result in an occlusive syndrome and irreversible lesions in the large intestine.

Diagnostic evaluations should be chosen in a logical way and according to clinical observations. Nutritional therapy is essential in patients with recurrent constipation and those with already severe lesions in the large intestine (megacolon). Finally the nutritional approach should take into account the etiology of constipation.

Figure 14. The proportion of dietary fiber in dry foods varies quite considerably. It appears that dietary fiber intake of approximately 5 - 7% guarantees regular transit in most dogs. In animals with a tendency to constipation, this intake may be increased to 10 - 15%. Diets containing more than 15% fiber may paradoxically induce constipation.

Important Remark

For legal reasons, the fiber content stated on dog food packaging relates to the crude fiber content, which significantly underestimates the actual fiber content of the food, especially if it has not been lignified to any great degree. The total dietary fiber stated in technical documentation or available on request from the manufacturer is a more reliable estimation.

Focus on: Psyllium

Psyllium is a plant traditionally used to treat digestive complaints in many countries. It takes its name from the Greek psyllia, which means flea. The seeds, black or golden depending on the species, resemble tiny aphids called psyllids or jumping plant lice. Psyllium seeds are odorless and almost flavorless.

The various species of psyllium (Plantago ovata, Plantago ispaghula) are plants that originated in India.

The effect of psyllium is related to the great capacity of the fiber, which makes up the testa, to retain water. Due to this fiber, which is 65% mucilage, the seeds are able to bind up to ten times their own weight in water. When only psyllium testae are used the swelling index is between 70 and 85!

Psyllium is well known for its laxative properties. The psyllium fiber is only partially fermented by the colonic microflora. The mucilages work as a sponge by swelling as they bind the water to create a viscous gel. By this mechanism, psyllium has an antidiarrheic effect by increasing the viscosity of the intestinal chyme.

Lubrication induced by the psyllium gel stimulates peristalsis (thus limiting the risks associated with the presence of any toxins), facilitating the propulsion of the contents of the colon and fecal elimination.

Psyllium acts at all levels:

- It slows down gastric emptying (Xiahong et al., 2005), which assists the proper digestion of proteins:
- It combats diarrhea by regulating the progression of chyme in the small intestine and fecal matter in the colon (Bliss et al., 2001). Psyllium is widely used in food for sled dogs to prevent stress diarrhea:
- It reduces constipation by facilitating the elimination of stools (Voderholzer, 1998).

Compared with other sources of fiber, the addition of psyllium produces larger, moister stools. However, being minimally fermentable, psyllium fiber does not alter the digestive tolerance.

The thick, outer-coat of the psyllium seed (testa) represents an interesting source of mucilages, which is soluble fiber that is able to bind up to ten times its weight in water.