Spray-dried egg in the diet of dogs: implications for recovery nutritional, palatability and haematology

Abstract

There is a growing demand for alternative protein sources in dog nutrition due to the high cost of the ingredient. Spray-dried egg (SDE) is a potential protein source in this context. The objective of this study was to evaluate the digestibility, palatability, and blood profile of diets containing different amounts of spray-dried egg (SDE) and the blood parameters of dogs fed these diets. For the study of digestibility and faecal quality (Experiment 1), eight Beagles were distributed in a double Latin square design (4X4), with four treatments (0, 4, 8, and 12% SDE) and four periods, totalling eight repetitions per treatment. In experiment 2, to evaluate palatability, 20 dogs were presented with two diets: 0% SDE vs 4% SDE. To evaluate the haematological factors (Experiment 3), eight dogs were maintained in a single group and were initially fed a control diet (0%SDE) for 10 days, followed by a diet containing 12% SDE for 10 days. In Experiment 1, a linear increase was found in the coefficients of total tract apparent digestibility (CTTAD) of dry matter (DM) and crude protein (CP) and in the metabolisable energy (ME) as the level of SDE was increased in the diet. The CTTAD of DM and CP in SDE and the ME obtained by regression analysis were 93.6%, 91.3%, and 5738.9 kcal kg-1, respectively, demonstrating that SDE is a highly digestible protein source for dogs. There were no changes in the stool characteristics of dogs fed SDE. The results of Experiment 2 indicate that the dogs preferred the diet that included 4% SDE. In the haematological study (Experiment 3), increases in albumin, red blood cells, haemoglobin, and total circulating protein were observed, with no change in the other histological variables. The inclusion of SDE improved the digestibility and palatability of the diet and increased the albumin content, red blood cell count, haemoglobin level, and total protein level without changing the faecal characteristics.