Homemade diet as nutritional support for a dog suffering from chronic pancreatitis and inflammatory bowel disease

A spayed Boston terrier was referred for nutritional advice after failing to respond to long-term medical and dietary treatment for chronic pancreatitis. Based on clinical appearance, consecutive bloodwork and ultrasound examination, the concomitant occurrence of inflammatory bowel disease was likely. An exclusion diet (novel protein approach) and a stepwise balancing schedule were formulated to address combined nutritional recommendations, as well as the possibility for hypersensitivity to play a role. After initiation of the exclusion diet, the patient relapsed twice. Once due to noncompliance of the owner, once due to reaction to an added supplement. After correction, no major relapses were noted for at least 1 year. To the authors’ knowledge, this report is the first to describe the successful supportive care of chronic pancreatitis and concurrent inflammatory bowel disease by prescribing a homemade diet

Survey of the feeding management of giant anteaters (Myrmecophaga tridactyla) and tamanduas (Tamandua tetradactyla) in the EAZA ex‐situ programme

Feeding giant anteaters and tamanduas as insectivorous species provides a lot of challenges for zoological institutions. In the last decades an in-house mixture, called ‘Dortmund mixture’, was the most common feed used in giant anteaters and tamanduas in many countries within the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria ex-situ Programme (EEP). Some nutritional problems occurred due to imbalances in the diets. The more recent nutritional recommendations for both species advise an adapted and balanced complete feed formulated for insectivorous species due to different problems arising with an in-house mixed feed as Dortmund mixture. To objectify the present situation a questionnaire was designed and sent out to 78 institutions of the EEPs for giant anteater(s) and tamandua(s). The questionnaire was divided into different sections and asked for data on husbandry, health status, feeding, especially feed composition, feed supplementation and faecal consistency. It was completed by 45 institutions with data for 130 animals, 89 giant anteaters and 41 tamanduas. The data thus represent 54% and 59% of the EEP populations. For both species, a complete feed is mainly utilised. Especially institutions that have integrated anteaters and tamanduas into their facilities during the last 10 and 20 years, use a complete feed. Regarding the in-house mixtures, there are distinct differences, both in composition and amount of each ingredient used. The evaluation of the feeds used for enrichment, for example, shows a clear species difference. While in tamanduas mainly insects are used for this purpose, in giant anteaters it is mainly fruits and avocado. In contrast to the past, many anteaters today are fed an adapted complete feed. Surprisingly, concerning feeding supplements the use of fat-soluble vitamins and combined vitamin–mineral preparations is still common in both species. More effort needs to be put into enforcing current feeding recommendations, especially for the giant anteaters

Anaerobic fermentation of rice bran with rumen liquor for reducing their fiber components to use as chicken feed

Rice bran is a very cheap and abundant agricultural by-products in rice producing countries. Additionally, many developing countries used these by products as poultry feed. Rice bran (RB) contains high fiber and chicken is not capable to digest those fibrous feed effectively, resulting in low production performance. The main objectives of this study were to decrease fiber components of RB through fermentation by adding rumen liquor to increase their utilization efficacy in chicken. A single-step fermentation of RB was conducted for 12 h (n=6) under anaerobic conditions, maintaining proper temperature and ideal pH. Rice bran, buffer substances, and rumen liquor were mixed at the ratio of 1:2:3, respectively. The fresh and fermented rice brans were examined for the content of acid detergent fiber (ADF), crude fiber (CF), dry matter (DM), crude protein (CP), neutral detergent fiber (NDF) and acid detergent lignin (ADL). Other fiber components were determined by substracting the value of ADL from ADF (celluloses) and ADF from NDF (hemicelluloses), respectively. One-way analysis of variance was done to compare the mean nutrient components followed by Tukey’s multiple comparison tests at P<0.05. The pH of fermented brans were decreased with growing fermentation period but appropriate pH was maintained due to the developed protocol. After fermentation, the fiber components of RB were reduced significantly (P<0.05). However, CP component was not altered significantly after the fermentation of brans. The NDF, ADF, cellulose, hemicellulose contents were reduced by 16.2±0.52, 7.2±0.32, 20.0±0.38 and 23.6±0.54%, respectively compared to the fresh brans. As the fiber content reduced significantly after fermentation that clearly, increases the usability of brans as chicken feed

Das Dietary Cation-Anion Difference (DCAD)-Konzept bei der Milchkuh

Der Dietary Cation-Anion Difference (DCAD) -Wert gibt das Verhältnis zwischen Kationen und Anionen einer Ration wieder. Es wird als Milliäquivalenten (mEq) von (Na+ + K+)-(Cl- + S2-) pro Kilogram Trockensubstanz definiert (Block, 1984) und übt einen Effekt auf den Säure-Base-Haushalt aus. Das DCAD-Konzept ist auf der „Strong Ion Difference“ Theorie (Stewart, 1983) basiert. Der DCAD-Wert einer Ration gibt an, in welcher Richtung sich der Säure-Basen-Haushalt (SHB) verschiebt. Rationen mit einem Kationenüberschuss haben einen positiven DCAD-Wert und führen zu einer basischen Stoffwechsellage. Anionen haben eine ansäuernde Wirkung und führen bei Überschuss in der Ration zu einer metabolischen Azidose. Beide Stoffwechsellagen können in den meisten Fällen durch die Homöstase kompensiert werden

Effect of a two-step fermentation method with rumen liquor on protein quality of wheat bran and rice bran to use as poultry feed

The availability of high quality protein rich feed in many developing countries is limited as well as expensive. Low-quality agro-industrial by-products, i.e., rice bran (RB) and wheat bran (WB), are therefore used as poultry feed irrespective of their low protein content. The main objective of the present study was to improve the protein content and the amino acid profiles of these by-products through rumen liquor mixed fermentation process. A two-step fermentation of some agricultural by-products (e.g., WB and RB) was performed in a controlled environment for 3h and 6h. In the 1st and 2nd steps, feedstuff (brans), McDougall buffer as well as collected rumen liquor were mixed with following the proportion of 1:2:3, respectively. After fermentation, brans were dried at 100 °C in an oven. Dried sample were used to analyze the crude protein (CP) as well as amino acid (AA) content. In 1st and 2nd fermentation of the WB, CP content increased 3.3±0.2% (3h), 4.3±0.2% (6h) and 7.7±0.1% (3h), 8.5±0.1% (6h), respectively compared to control. On the other hand, RB protein content increased by 3.3±0.1% (3h), 0.8±0.1% (6h) and 7.3±0.3% (3h), 4.0±0.1% (6h) in the 1st and 2nd fermentation step, respectively compared to control. Majority of the AA increased compared to control during the 1st fermentation step for RB and WB. However, In WB, some of the AA did not show significant difference. A number of AA were decreased after the 2nd step for both RB and WB except Methionine, which increased in both steps. In 1st and 2nd steps, Methionine increased by 24.9±5.1% (3h), 25.9±5.8% (6h) for WB and 12.2±3.2% (3h), 13.0±4.5% (6h) for RB, respectively compared to control. In conclusion brans protein and amino acid quality optimization might be possible through methodical rumen liquor mixed fermentation process for better utilization as poultry diet