Potent health-promoting effects of a synbiotic formulation prepared from Lactobacillus acidophilus NCDC15 fermented milk and Cichorium intybus root powder in Labrador dogs

Abstract

To ascertain potent health-promoting effects of a synbiotic prepared using a combination of Lactobacillus acidophilus NCDC15 fermented milk and Cichorium intybus root powder in Labrador dogs, 15 Labrador adult female dogs were randomly distributed into three groups following a completely randomized design. Group I was fed a homemade basal diet alone and served as control (CON), while the other two groups were fed the same basal diet supplemented with low- (LSL) and high- levels (HSL) of the synbiotic. The experiment duration was of 9-weeks. The results of the study indicated that there were no variations (P > 0.05) among the groups with respect to voluntary food intake and digestibility of DM, OM, CP and EE. However, the digestibility of crude fibre tended (P = 0.051) to be higher in both the supplemented groups as compared to CON. Physical characteristics of faeces remained unaltered (P > 0.05) due to dietary treatments. However, faecal lactate was increased (P < 0.05) in both the synbiotic fed groups with a concomitant reduction in faecal ammonia compared to control. The faecal lactobacilli and bifidobacteria population exhibited higher (P < 0.05) counts in LSL and HSL groups than the CON. There was a lower population of clostridia and coliform in LSL and HSL groups than in CON. The delayed-type hypersensitivity response to PHA-P and antibody response to sheep erythrocytes showed improved (P < 0.05) immune status in response to dietary synbiotic supplementation. Overall, the findings of this study led to the conclusion that the synbiotic preparation has a beneficial impact on canine gastrointestinal health and immunity, and the response to synbiotic supplementation at lower and higher doses was similar.