Addition of citrus pulp and apple pomace in diets for dogs: influence on fermentation kinetics, digestion, faecal characteristics and bacterial populations

Fermentation kinetics, digestibility, faecal characteristics and bacterial populations (aerobes, anaerobes, lactobacilli, lactic acid bacteria, enterococci, coliforms and clostridia) of dog food mixed with citrus pulp and apple pomace were evaluated. The in vitro gas production of a pre-digested dog food mixed with 0, 30, 50 and 70g/kg dry matter (DM) of citrus pulp or apple pomace was measured, and also an experiment with dogs fed the same dog food with or without the addition of 70g/kg of either fresh citrus pulp or apple pomace was conducted. Gas production increased linearly (p<0.001) and quadratically (p<0.001) as fibre levels augmented. The inclusion of fibre sources in the diets resulted in higher faecal output (p=0.005) and defecation frequency (p<0.001), and lower faecal pH (p<0.001) and digestibility values (p<0.01). Faecal consistencies and microbial populations did not differ among treatments. The addition of fresh citrus and apple was effective to stimulate the hindgut fermentation, but slightly depressed the digestion.