MXPA99007999A - Pet food composition - Google Patents

Abstract

A pet food product containing fermentable fibers which repartitions nitrogen and increases colonic blood flow in companion animals such as cats and dogs to promote intestinal health, and improves clinical signs in animals suffering from renal disease. The fermentable fibers have an organic matter disappearance of 15 to 60 percent when fermented by fecal bacteria for a 24 hour period, the fibers being present in amounts from about 1 to 11 weight percent of supplemental total dietary fiber. The pet food product also improves several important clinical indicators in the renal patient and includes adequate protein, has low phosphorus levels, improves metabolic buffering, and lowers blood triglyceride levels in the animal.

Description

FOOD COMPOSITION FOR PETS DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to a pet food composition and a product containing fermentable fibers with nitrogen distribution and increases in colon blood flow in companion animals such as dogs and cats to promote intestinal health, and improves clinical signs in animals that suffer from kidney disease. Renal failure is one of the most common causes of death in dogs. In animals suffering from kidney disease, several blood indices are used to determine the severity of the disease. These indices include blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and creatinine. BUN and creatinine levels in the bloodstream increase during the development of kidney failure due to damage to the kidney of the animals which makes the kidney unsuitable for filtering waste products. Because inadequate filtration of waste products is the fundamental basis of kidney disease, BUN and creatinine are considered to be the main indicators of kidney disease. Many dogs suffer from poor health due to insufficient renal function. It is desirable to reduce the tension that is stable in the kidneys of dogs with this condition or disease. A factor that contributes to such tension are metabolites that contain nitrogen in the blood. The nitrogen in the blood is removed mainly by the kidneys. Weakened kidneys can overwork by trying to remove nitrogen from the blood, resulting in kidney failure. Therefore, there is a need for a method to reduce the amount of nitrogen in the blood of dogs without using the kidneys. In extreme cases, medical devices such as dialysis machines can be used to remove nitrogen in the blood. However, in the case of dogs, this solution is usually prohibitive in terms of costs. In addition, in lesser cases of less severe renal insufficiency, therefore, less invasive techniques are desirable. Particularly low-cost techniques that are easy to administer are desirable. Some research has been conducted in the area of nitrogen distribution. This involves using bodily methods of removing waste other than the kidneys to remove nitrogen from the blood. Younes et al., FASEB J. 8: A186 (1994) (Excerpt) have experimented using a diet containing fermentable fiber to increase urea elimination in the rat caecum. However, these experiments have been limited to the rat, which has a different metabolism compared to the dog. For example, the dog has an unstacked intestine, as opposed to the intestine sacculated in the rat. The dog has a non-functional caecum compared to the functional caecum in the rat; and the dog does not practice coprophagia, as the rat does. Other clinical parameters which are important for animals suffering from kidney disease are the levels of phosphorus, carbon dioxide and triglycerides. Hyperphosphatemia (abnormally high phosphorus levels in the blood) often manifests itself during kidney disease. Previous scientific research has indicated that a decrease in dietary intake of phosphorus is beneficial in slowing the progression of kidney disease. However, prior commercial formulations of pet food have been unable to provide low levels of phosphorus in the diet and still meet all the amino acid requirements of the dogs because the phosphorus component in such diets is derived mainly from elevated ingredients. in proteins. Therefore, a decrease in the phosphorus content of the diet requires a decrease of the protein components in the diet at concentrations which are insufficient to supply the amino acid requirements of the animal. Carbon dioxide concentrations are an indicator of the metabolic damping concentration (acid-base balance) that occurs in an animal. Metabolic acidosis becomes a problem for an animal suffering from kidney disease, and high concentrations of carbon dioxide are indicators of a lack of buffering. Another parameter which is important in animals suffering from kidney disease is the concentration of triglycerides in blood. It is important in the animal suffering from kidney disease that the concentration of triglycerides is often higher compared to normal animals. It would be desirable to be able to control these additional parameters in a renal patient through diet. Current diet therapies to reduce measured concentrations of BUN, creatinine and phosphorus include decrease in the amount of protein in the diet at concentrations where amino acids are present in insufficient amounts. A decrease in the concentration of dietary protein decreases the BUN since the urea is finally derived from the protein. However, such diets can result in other problems developing for the animal as the protein needs of the animals are not met. Accordingly, the need for a food composition for pet food which results in a decrease in the concentrations of BUN, creatinine and phosphorus in the animal without decrease of the food protein to insufficient levels remains in the art. The need also remains for a low-cost, easy-to-administer method to reduce the amount of nitrogen in the blood of companion animals such as dogs and cats, without using the kidneys and increasing the blood flow of the animal's colon to improve and promote intestinal health There also remains a need in this technique for a food composition for pet food which provides improved metabolic buffering and which lowers the triglyceride concentrations in the renal patient. The present invention meets these needs by providing a pet food composition which improves several important clinical indicators in the renal patient and which includes adequate protein, which has low phosphorus concentrations, which improves metabolic damping and lowers triglyceride levels in blood in the animal. The pet food composition of the present invention also distributes nitrogen in the animal by increasing the excretion of nitrogen via the colon. The pet food composition of the present invention also increases colon blood flow, increases the amount of nitrogen excreted. Feeding an animal with a diet comprising the composition results in health benefits by reducing the strain of the animal's kidneys and improving the clinical indicators while providing improved metabolic damping and decreasing blood triglyceride concentrations. In addition, an increased blood flow from the colon promotes a healthy bowel and keeps the colon tissues irrigated. According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a pet food composition containing a mixture of at least two fermentable fibers which have a disappearance of organic matter of 15 to 60 percent when fermented by faecal bacteria during a period of 24 hours, the fibers are present in amounts from about 1 to 11 weight percent of the total supplemental food fiber. The pet is kept under the diet for a sufficient period of time to allow the fermentable fibers to ferment in the colon of the animal. The fermentation results in an increased amount of bacteria in the colon of the animal, which results in the nitrogen being excreted through the animal's feces. The fermentation also provides an improved availability of metabolic fuel, in the form of short chain fatty acids such as, for example, butyrates which are used by the intestinal cells of the dog. Finally, animals fed a diet containing the fermentable fibers increased colonic blood flow, with an increased blood flow in such a way as to provide additional metabolic fuel such as, for example, glucose, to intestinal cells. In addition, by keeping the animal in the diet, the pet food composition of the present invention also acts to reduce the concentrations of BUN and creatinine in the animal. Typically, the composition comprises from about 10 to about 32% crude protein, from about 8 to about 20% fat, from about 3 to about 25% total food fiber, and fermentable fibers. Preferably, the pet food composition contains 2 to 9 weight percent supplemental total dietary fiber of fermentable fibers. More preferably, the pet food composition contains from 3 to 7 weight percent of supplemental total dietary fiber of fermentable fibers. Much more preferably, the pet food composition contains from 4 to 7 weight percent of total supplemental food fiber of fermentable fibers. Preferably, the fermentable fibers have a disappearance of organic matter of 20 to 50 percent. More preferably, the fermentable fibers have a disappearance of organic matter of 30 to 40 percent. The fermentable fibers are preferably selected from the group consisting of beet pulp, gum arabic, talha gum (a form of gum arabic), psilium, rice bran, locust bean gum, citrus pulp, pectin, fructooligosaccharides, mannanoligosaccharides and mixtures of the same. More preferably, the fermentable fibers are selected from the group consisting of beet pulp, gum arabic and fructo-oligosaccharides. More preferably, the fermentable fibers are a mixture of beet pulp, talha gum and fructooligosaccharides. A preferred weight ratio of beet pulp to fructooligosaccharides in the fermentable fiber mixture is from about 3: 1 to 6: 1, and more preferably 4: 1. A preferred weight ratio of beet pulp to rubber talha with respect to fructooligosaccharides is 6: 2: 1.5. The beet pulp provides a source of butyrate to the intestinal cells of the animal. Optionally, the composition may also comprise a phosphorus content less than about 0.25% by weight to avoid hyperphosphatemia. The composition may also optionally contain potassium citrate as a metabolic buffering agent. It has been found that the inclusion of potassium citrate decreases metabolic acidosis in animals with kidney disease. The low phosphorus mode of the pet food composition comprises from about 10 to about 32% crude protein, from about 2 to about 20% fat and from about 3 to about 25% total food fiber, wherein the percentage of phosphorus is less than about 0.25%, all percentages are by weight. In order to maintain this low phosphorus content and at the same time provide an adequate amount of amino acids, a combination of protein sources containing low phosphorus content is used. Preferred sources of protein with a low phosphorus content for the composition include soy protein isolate and corn gluten meal. Optionally, the composition further includes L-lysine and L-tryptophan as amino acid supplements. The preferred percentages (by weight) of the protein and the amino acid components of the composition are: from about 5 to about 15% of soy protein isolate, from about 0.5 to about 2.5% of corn gluten meal, from about 0.01 to about 0.22% L-lysine, and from about 0.01 to about 0.22% L-tryptophan. A preferred weight ratio of soy protein isolate to corn gluten meal relative to L-tryptophan relative to L-lysine is 420: 46.5: 5: 1. Accordingly, a feature of the present invention is to provide a pet food product which distributes nitrogen in animal pets by increasing nitrogen excretion via the colon which provides a low cost and easy to administer method to reduce the amount of nitrogen in the blood of animals without using the kidneys. A further feature of the present invention is to provide a pet food product which increases the blood flow of the colon in animals to promote intestinal health. A further objective of the present invention is to provide a pet food composition which improves the clinical indicators in the renal patient, improves metabolic damping and lowers the concentrations of three blood glycerides in the animal. These and other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, the accompanying drawings and the appended claims. By way of example, reference is now made to the drawings, in which: Figure 1 shows the oxidation of butyrate [1-14C] by canine intestinal cells; and Figure 2 shows the oxidation of glucose [U-14C] by canine intestinal cells. The present invention utilizes a pet food composition containing fermentable fibers to remove nitrogen from the blood of animal pets, to improve blood flow to colon tissues and to improve the availability of metabolic fuel for intestinal cells. The composition also, when administered as a feed to a companion animal such as a dog or a cat, results in an improvement in various clinical signs associated with kidney disease. This is done by adding fibers that have some fermentation capacity in the diet of the animals. These fibers are a preferred nutritional source for bacteria in the colon, which provides an increase in the amount of bacteria in the colon. These bacteria also require nitrogen to reproduce. This nitrogen is derived from urea that is extracted from the intestinal lumen of the portal blood. Once it is inside the intestinal lumen, the urea nitrogen and the main carbon structures of the fibers are synthesized in bacterial protein and subsequently excreted in the feces. The composition of the present invention also acts to increase the blood flow of the colon. An improved blood flow of the colon promotes a healthy bowel by keeping the tissues of the colon irrigated with nutrients. Although not wishing to be bound by any particular theory, the mechanism by which this increase in blood flow occurs is considered to be either: 1) the short chain fatty acids cause relaxation of the colonic artery arteries; or 2) the absorption of short chain fatty acids increases the intestinal metabolic activity, which induces an increased blood flow. The availability of metabolic fuel for intestinal cells is improved. That is, the fermentation of the fibers in the small and large intestine of the animal produces short chain fatty acids such as, for example, butyrates, which are used by the enterocytes (cells of the small intestine) and colonocytes (cells in the intestine). thick). Therefore, the present invention provides both a direct fuel source for exogenous cell tissues in the small intestine and in the colon, as well as an indirect source of fuel (via increased colonic blood flow) to endogenous cell tissues. The incorporation of fermentable fiber in the diet can also have several other beneficial effects. These include reduction of colonic histopathologies, increased colonic tissue weight or proliferation of epithelial cells, and beneficial alteration of the intestinal microbiota. Short chain fatty acids (SCFA) produced by carbohydrate fermentation are associated with trophic effects in the colon tissue and inhibition of the potentially pathogenic intestinal microbiota. The present invention uses the pet food composition containing fermentable fibers which show certain percentages of disappearance of organic matter. The fermentable fibers used in the present invention have a disappearance of organic matter (OMD) from about 15 to 60 percent when fermented by fecal bacteria in vitro, over a period of 24 hours. That is, from about 15 to 60 percent of the total organic matter originally present is fermented and converted by fecal bacteria. The disappearance of organic matter from the fibers is preferably 20 to 50 percent, and more preferably 30 to 40 percent. Therefore, the percentage of OMD in vitro can be calculated as follows:. { l- [(OM residue - OM blank) / initial OM]} x 100, where the OM residue is the organic matter recovered after 24 hours of fermentation, the white OM is the organic matter recovered in the corresponding white tubes (ie, tubes containing medium and faeces diluted, but without substrate) and initial OM is the organic matter placed in the tube before fermentation. Additional details of the procedure are found in Sunvold et al, J.Anim. Sci. 1995, vol.73: 1099-1109. The fermentable fibers which are useful in the present invention produce short chain fatty acids (SCFA) within a range of from about 28 to about 85 mmoles of SCFA per 1000 calories (kcal) of etabolizable energy (ME), and more preferable within a range of from about 42 to about 71 mmoles of SCFA per 1000 Kcal of ME. This is the same as a composition which has a total fermentable fiber content which provides from about 100 to about 350 mmoles of SCFA / kg of diet.

The millimoles of SCFA per 1000 kilocalories of metabolizable energy are calculated by first calculating the total calories of metabolizable energy (ME) in a given diet composition per kilogram of the composition. The amount of grams per 1000 kcal of ME can be derived from the first calculation. The grams and then the millimoles of the fermentable fiber components of the composition can then be calculated. The fermentable fiber of the present invention can be any source of fiber to produce significant amounts of SCFA. The term "significant amounts" of SCFA, for purposes of this invention, are amounts greater than 0.5 mmoles of total SCFA / gram of substrate in a 24-hour period. Preferred fibers include beet pulp, gum arabic (which includes talha gum), psilium, rice bran, locust bean gum, citrus pulp, pectin, fructooligosaccharides, mannaoligosaccharides and mixtures of these fibers. More preferably, the fermentable fibers are selected from the group consisting of beet pulp, gum arabic, and fructo-oligosaccharides. More preferably, the fermentable fibers are a mixture of beet pulp, talha gum and fructooligosaccharides. A preferred weight ratio of beet pulp to fructooligosaccharides in the fermentable fiber mixture is from about 3: 1 to 6: 1, and most preferably 4: 1. A preferred weight ratio of beet pulp to rubber talha to fructooligosaccharide is 6: 2: 1.5. Fermentable fibers are used in the pet food composition in amounts of 1 to 11 weight percent supplemental total food fiber, preferably 2 to 9 weight percent, and most preferably 3 to 7 weight percent. weight, and much more preferably from 4 to 7 weight percent. A definition of "supplemental total dietary fiber" first requires an explanation of the "total dietary fiber". The term "total food fiber" is defined as the residue of plant foods which are resistant to hydrolysis by digestive enzymes of the animal. The main components of the total food fiber are cellulose, hemicellulose, pectin, lignin and gums (as opposed to "crude fiber", which only contains some forms of cellulose and lignin). The term "supplementary total food fiber" is that food fiber which is added to the food product above and surpassing any food fiber naturally present in other food product components. In addition, it is considered a "fiber source" for example when it consists predominantly of fiber. Other clinical indicators which are important for the renal patient are the concentrations of phosphorus, carbon dioxide and triglycerides in the blood. Abnormally high phosphorus concentrations often manifest themselves during kidney disease. One embodiment of the present invention provides a pet food composition with a low phosphorus content containing from about 10 to about 32% crude protein, from about 8 to about 20% fat, and from about 3 to about 25%. % of total food fiber, where the percentage of phosphorus is less than about 0.25%, all percentages by weight. Low phosphorus levels decrease the progression of kidney disease and control hyperphosphatemia through diet. In order to maintain this low phosphorus content and at the same time provide an adequate amount of amino acids in the diet, a combination of protein sources containing little phosphorus is used. Preferred low sources of protein phosphorus for the composition include soy protein isolate and corn gluten meal. Moderate amounts of these high-quality protein sources help maintain the glomerular filtration rate, lean muscle mass and other bodily functions. Optionally, the composition further includes L-lysine and L-tryptophan, amino acids which are necessary for the good health of an animal. The preferred percentages (by weight) of the protein and the amino acid components of the composition are: from about 5 to about 15% of soy protein isolate, from about 0.5 to about 2.5% of corn gluten meal, from about 0.01 to about 0.22% L-lysine and from about 0.01 to about 0.22% L-tryptophan. A preferred weight ratio of soy protein isolate to corn gluten meal relative to L-tryptophan relative to L-lysine is 420: 46.5: 5: 1. The concentrations of carbon dioxide in the blood gases in the animal are also indicators of alterations in the acid-base balance of the animal. Metabolic acidosis, a condition in which too much acid is present in the blood, often manifests itself in an animal with kidney disease. Such a condition can be controlled by adding potassium citrate in the animal's diet to improve metabolic buffering. The composition of the present invention also acts to lower triglycerides in blood serum in an animal with kidney disease. The decrease in the concentration of triglycerides in blood in an animal with kidney disease is important since high triglyceride levels often manifest with the disease. By altering the concentrations of fats and fatty acids in the animal's diet, triglycerides can be reduced. The animal is fed a diet comprising from about 10 to about 32% crude protein, from about 8 to about 20% fat, all percentages by weight. The diet also includes fermentable fibers which have a disappearance of organic matter of 15 to 60 percent when fermented by faecal bacteria over a period of 24 hours, the fibers are present in amounts from about 1 to 11 weight percent fiber supplementary total food. Because fermentable fibers act to decrease BUN and the distribution of nitrogenous residues from the urine to the animal's faeces, excessive concentrations of dietary fat are not required to dilute the calories provided by the proteins in the diet. Therefore, the ratio of calories from the protein in the diet to the calories from the fat in the diet preferably is greater than about 0.40: 1. Such a diet provides a much higher ratio of protein calories to fat compared to previous diets while decreasing triglyceride concentrations. The diet may also include sources of omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids in a ratio of about 1: 1 to about 10: 1 of omega-6 fatty acids with respect to omega-3 fatty acids. Such a combination of these fatty acids increases the activity of lipoprotein lipase (LPL) in the animal. The increased activity of LPL increases the oxidation of fatty acids and therefore decreases the concentrations of triglycerides in blood. The proportion of omega-6: omega-3 fatty acids also results in decreased intrarenal blood pressure and reduces inflammatory mediators. In order that the invention is more easily understood, reference is made to the following examples which are designed to illustrate the invention, but do not limit the scope thereof.

Example 1 An experiment is carried out to determine the effect of the fermentation capacity of dietary fiber on bacterial expression in feces, and the division of waste nitrogen between urine and faeces. Twenty dogs mestizos (Beagles) female, fed on purpose, were fed nutritionally complete diets containing one of four fiber substrates: cellulose (low fermentation capacity), beet pulp (moderate fermentation capacity, moderate fermentation speed), fructooligosaccharides (FOS, moderately high fermentation capacity, rapid fermentation rate) and a mixture of talha gum, beet pulp and FOS (see table 1). The nitrogen content of the diet, lyophilized urine and feces were determined and the nitrogen balance was calculated (see tables 2 to 5). The excretion of bacterial nitrogen was determined by analyzing the lyophilized feces to determine the purine concentration. Feeding with fermentable fiber to dogs decreases the urinary excretion of nitrogen and increases fecal nitrogen excretion. The increased fecal nitrogen occurs due to an increase in the excretion of microbial nitrogen in the faeces that results from a consumption of fermentable fiber. This experiment shows that the inclusion in the diet of fermentable fiber can divide the waste nitrogen from the urine to the faeces.

Table 1 Composition of ingredients of the basal diet Cellulose diet: Solka Floc 6.0% Beet pulp diet: Beet pulp 6.0% FOS diet: FOS 1.5% Mix diet: Beet pulp 6.0%, Talha 2.0% gum, FOS .5% Table 2 Ingestion of dry matter and digestion capacity of diets that differ in the fiber source The ingestion is numerically smaller and the capacity of digestion is greater for the FOS diet.

Table 3 Nitrogen excretion and digestion capacity of diets that differ in fiber source * g d = grams per day a The intake of nitrogen tends to reflect the numerical differences observed in the ingestion of dry matter. The fecal nitrogen output is higher for the beet pulp and mixture diets, intermediate for cellulose and lower for the FOS diet. The output of urinary nitrogen is numerically lower for dogs fed diets of beet pulp, mix and FOS. The nitrogen balance is higher for beet pulp and FOS diets, compared to cellulose and mixer diets. The nitrogen digestion capacity is higher for the cellulose diet, intermediate for FOS diets of beet pulp, and lower for the mixing diet. Faecal nitrogen expressed as a percentage of excreted nitrogen is higher for the mix diet, FOS diet and beet pulp diets, compared to the cellulose diet. The output of urinary nitrogen as a percentage of nitrogen intake is numerically greater with the cellulose diet.

Table 4 Microbial nitrogen and bicinchoninic acid (BCA) true protein in feces of dogs fed diets that differ in fiber source The output of microbial nitrogen is higher for the mix and pulp beet diets, and lower for the FOS and cellulose diets. The output of the true protein of bicinchoninic acid (BCA) is greater for the mixture, intermediate for beet pulp and cellulose diets, and lower for the FOS diet. The true BCA protein as a percentage of fecal DM is higher for beet pulp and mix diets, compared to cellulose and FOS diets.

Table 5 Blood flow (ml / min / 100 g of colon) through the dog's colic artery The average blood flow of the colon is greater with the FOS and mix diets, intermediate with the diet of beet pulp and lower with the cellulose diet.

Example 2 An in vitro experiment is carried out to determine the fermentation capacity of fibrous substrates by dog fecal microflora. The feces of three female Pointers English dogs were used as the source of anaerobic microflora inoculum. The substrates were fermented for 24 hours and then the concentrations of various short chain fatty acids were determined. Table 6 shows the results. The data show that Solka Floc (a cellulose source) is essentially non-fermentable, with an insignificant amount of SCFA produced while lactulose is the most fermentable fiber. Fibers within the scope of the present invention, such as karaya gum, xanthan gum, gum arabic, beet pulp, talha gum and locust bean produce moderate amounts of SCFA, intermediate those produced by Solka Floc and lactulose. In addition, the beet pulp produces the highest amount of butyrate, which is an important energy substrate for the colonocytes.

Table 6 Short-chain fatty acids produced by dog faecal bacteria on various fiber substrates in a 24-hour period Example 3 In vitro experiments are carried out to determine the percentage of disappearance of organic matter (OMD) from fibrous substrates when exposed to faecal microflora of dog and cat. Three female English Pointer dogs provide fecal samples for the anaerobic microflora of dogs. The data feces of short hair, one female and two males, were used as the inoculum source of the anaerobic cat microflora. The amount of organic matter was determined for the various substrates. Subsequently, these substrates were fermented for 24 hours and the amount of remaining organic matter was determined. Table 7 presents the results, provided as the percentage of OMD. The data show that Solka Floc (a cellulose source) has the smallest percentage of OMD while the citrus pectin has the highest percentage. Fibers within the scope of the present invention, such as beet pulp, citrus pulp, carob and talha gum have intermediate OMD percentages.

Table 7 Disappearance of organic matter (%) from various substrates after being subjected to dog and cat microflora for 24 hours Example 4 An in vitro experiment is carried out to determine the fermentation capacity of the fiber sources selected by dog fecal microflora. The inoculations come from dogs adapted to a diet containing non-fermentable fiber (Solka Floc, a source of cellulose) or a diet containing fermentable fiber (citrus pulp) within the scope of the invention.

The faeces of three English Pointer dogs adapted to each diet were used as a source of microflora to evaluate the production of short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) from substrates of carob, citrus pulp and citrus pectin. The substrates were fermented for 6 and 12 hours. In tables 8 and 9 the results are shown. The data indicate that the production of acetate and total SCFA is significantly higher after 6 and 12 hours of fermentation from dogs that consume a diet containing citrus pulp, and may indicate that cellulose (Solka Floc) causes a decrease in microbial activity.

Table 8 Production of acetate (mmol / gram of organic matter) of Solka Floc fibers and citrus pulp of various substrates Table 9 Total production of SCFA (mmol / gram of organic matter) of Solka Floc and citrus pulp fibers on various substrates Example 5 Enterocytes and colonocytes were isolated from the intestines of adult dogs and grown in vitro using modified procedures of Kight and Fleming, J. Nutr. Biochem. 6:27 (1995) and Marsman and McBurney, J. Nutr. 125: 273 (1995). The use of metabolic fuel by the cells was determined by measuring the production of 14C02 from radiolabeled substrates. Oxidation rates or rates (nmoles of substrate per hour per mg of cell dry matter) for [1-14C] -butyrate (5 mM), [U-14C] -glucose (5 mM) and L- [U14C] -glutamine (2.5 mM) were 13.5 + 3.5, 6.5 + 0.96, and 8.1 + 0.21 for canine colonocytes and 18.7 + 1.7, 16.1 + 1.0 and 32.0 + 4.3 for canine enterocytes. Figure 1 shows the oxidation of [1-14C] -butyrate by canine intestinal cells. Oxidation of butyrate by colonocytes (cells in the large intestine) and enterocytes (cells in the small intestine) is not affected by supplementation of the medium with glucose (5 mM), glutamine (2.5 mM), or β-hydroxybutyric acid (BHBA) ) (5 mM). Figure 2 shows the oxidation of] U-14C] glucose by canine ntestinal cells. The oxidation of glucose (5 mM) by colonocytes is not diminished by the addition of 2.5 mM glutamine or 5 mM β-hydroxybutyrate to the medium. In contrast, the addition of butyrate decreases glucose oxidation by canine enterocytes. From these results, canine enterocytes use butyrate with higher affinity than glutamine or glucose, while canine colonocytes seem to use glucose and butyrate with equal affinity. The implications of these observed results indicate that feeding the dog with a diet containing a source of fermentable fibers which are broken down into short chain fatty acids provides a source of metabolizable fuel for canine intestinal cells. Additionally, since canine intestinal cells use glucose as a fuel source, the additional benefit of increased colonic blood flow resulting from a diet containing fermentable fibers improves the availability of this important source of fuel for intestinal cells.

Example 6 An experiment is carried out to determine the effects on certain clinical signs in dogs with kidney disease. Table 10 below summarizes the percentage of calories derived from each macronutrient in a conventional pet food diet, compared to the diet of the present invention. Table 11 summarizes the results obtained from four adult dogs suffering from kidney disease and compares their clinical BUN, creatinine, phosphorus, carbon dioxide and triglyceride levels before and after consumption of the diet of the present invention.

TABLE 10 Percentages of calories of each macronutrient in conventional diets compared to the diet of the present invention for dogs with kidney disease Diet Fatty Protein Carbohydrate conventional 10.6 38.7 50.8 Formulation of the present invention 12-9-17.3 29.4-31.1 57.7-51.6 As can be seen, the diet of the present invention provides a much higher percentage of calories from protein and less from fats, compared to previous diets.

TABLE 11 Summary of the results of four dogs before and after consumption of the diet of the present invention: BUN Creatinine Phosphorus C02 Triglycerides before3 60.3 3.4 5.9 19.0 240.0 After 51.8 2.8 5.3 21.8-99.8 Normal Interval 6.32 0.4-1.1 2.7-5.8 14-30 31-105 Before the consumption of the diet of the present invention, the dogs were fed a standard commercial diet used with kidney patients.

Although certain representative embodiments and details have been shown for purposes of illustrating the invention, it will be apparent to those familiar with the art that various changes can be made to the methods and apparatuses described herein without departing from the scope of the invention, which it is defined in the attached clauses.

Claims (18)

CLAUSES

1. Pet food product, which comprises a composition containing fermentable fibers, the fermentable fibers comprise a mixture of beet pulp, talha gum and fructooligosaccharides, a mixture of beet pulp, gum arabic and fructooligosaccharides, fermentable fibers which have a disappearance of organic matter from 15 to 60 percent when fermented by faecal bacteria over a 24-hour period, the fibers are present in amounts from about 1 to 11 weight percent of total supplemental dietary fiber.

2. Pet food product, as described in clause 1, wherein the pet food composition contains from 2 to 9 weight percent of total supplementary dietary fiber of fermentable fibers.

3. Pet food product, as described in clause 1, wherein the pet food composition contains from 3 to 7 weight percent of total supplemental dietary fiber of fermentable fibers.

4. Pet food product, as described in clause 1, wherein the pet food composition contains from 4 to 7 weight percent of total supplementary dietary fiber of fermentable fibers.

5. Food product for pets, as described in clause 1, where the fermentable fibers have a disappearance of organic matter from 20 to 50 percent.

6. Food product for pets, as described in clause 1, where the fermentable fibers have a disappearance of organic matter from 30 to 40 percent.

7. Pet food product, as described in clause 1, wherein the weight ratio of beet pulp to fructo-oligosaccharides is from about 3: 1 to 6: 1.

8. Pet food product, as described in clause 1, where the weight ratio of beet pulp to gum to fructooligosaccharides is 6: 2: 1.5.

9. Pet food product, as described in clause 1, wherein the composition has less than about 0.25% phosphorus, all percentages are by weight.

10. Pet food product, as described in clause 1, wherein the composition further comprises fermentable fibers which are selected from the group consisting of psyllium, rice bran, locust bean gum, citrus pulp, pectin, manno-oligosaccharides and mixtures thereof. same.

11. Pet food product, as described in clause 1, in which the total fermentable fiber content of the composition produces from about 100 to about 350 mmoles of SCFA / kg of diet.

12. Pet food product, as described in clause 1, wherein the composition comprises from about 10 to about 32% crude protein, from about 8 to about 20% fat and from about 3 to about 25% dietary fiber total.

13. Pet food product, as described in clause 12, in which raw protein is supplied from soy protein isolate and corn gluten meal.

14. Pet food product, as described in clause 12, wherein the composition also includes L-lysine and L-tryptophan.

15. Pet food product, as described in clause 12, in which the composition includes from about 5 to about 15% soy protein isolate, from about 0.5 to about 2.5% corn gluten meal, from about 0.01 to about 0.22% L-lysine and from about 0.01 to about 0.22% L-tryptophan.

16. Pet food product, as described in clause 12, in which the weight ratio of soy protein isolate to corn gluten meal relative to L-tryptophan to L-lysine is 420: 46.5: 5: 1.

17. Pet food product, as described in clause 12, which also includes potassium citrate.

18. Pet food product, as described in clause 12, in which the ratio of protein calories to fat calories in the composition is greater than about 0.40: 1.