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Dog Diarrhea and Nutrition Retention

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NUTRITIONALLY MANAGING DIARRHEA

By Donna Waltz, PhD
and Jason Vickers, MS

It's not uncommon for performance dogs-those competing in show and conformation, agility, and hunting/sporting events-to get diarrhea. The combination of travel, performance and greater exposure to certain viruses and other infections can all play a role in developing diarrhea.

When your dog has diarrhea, it is messy and inconvenient for you-especially when you are also coping with travel, demanding schedules, and arduous competition. But diarrhea is even worse for your dog. Conditions that affect the intestinal tract and lead to diarrhea can be uncomfortable. And diarrhea can jeopardize your dog's health by passing nutrients out before his body absorbs them. This can leave your dog feeling run down and unable to show or perform at his best.

The Role of Fiber

Fiber plays an important role in managing intestinal health and stool quality. Some types of fiber provide bulk to help move waste through the digestive tract and out. Other types of fiber are broken down in the intestines into short-chain fatty acids by bacteria that live in the intestinal tract. The short-chain fatty acids nourish and provide energy to the cells in the dog's intestines. Diets with too little fiber have been shown to reduce the ability of the intestinal lining to serve as a barrier to germs, which may increase the risk of disease.

While a diet with too little fiber is not good, diets with excessive fiber can also be a problem. To find the level of fiber in dry dog food, look at the Guaranteed Analysis panel on the bag. A healthy level of fiber should be listed as "crude fiber - not more than 5 percent." High levels of fiber can reduce the digestion of the food, may cause deficiencies of certain nutrients, and can affect the rate at which food passes through the dog's digestive tract, either speeding it up, which can lead to diarrhea, or slowing it down, which can lead to constipation.

Type of Fiber is Important

The type of dietary fiber in your dog's diet is important for proper digestion and a healthy intestinal tract. There are three different types of fiber, classified in terms of fermentability: highly fermentable, nonfermentable and moderately fermentable.

Highly fermentable fiber is rapidly broken down by bacteria in the dog's intestines. Pectin, carob bean gum, locust bean gum and gum talha are examples of highly fermentable fibers. Feeding excessive amounts of highly fermentable fibers can result in liquid or unformed stools and excessive gas production in dogs.

Nonfermentable fiber-such as cellulose-cannot be broken down by the gut bacteria as it passes through the intestine. Therefore, it produces little energy for intestinal cell health, but does provide bulk to move waste out.

Moderately fermentable fiber, such as beet pulp, provides a healthy combination of effects. It helps enhance nutrient absorption by providing energy for the cells that line the intestine (promoting gut health), and it provides enough bulk to move waste, resulting in normal stool consistency.

Oligosaccharides Help Control Bacteria Growth

Overgrowth of certain harmful species of intestinal bacteria can lead to intestinal problems and result in diarrhea. Oligosaccharides, naturally- occurring dietary carbohydrates, such as fructooligosaccharides (FOS) and mannanoligosaccharides (MOS), help maintain a healthy balance of bacteria in the canine small intestine.

Specific Diets Help Manage Diarrhea

An effective way to help dogs with diarrhea is to manage it nutritionally with Eukanuba Veterinary Diets® Low-Residue™. Consult with your veterinarian and feed this formula when diarrhea occurs or as a regular diet to dogs that are prone to diarrhea.

Low-Residue™ is made with moderately fermentable fiber (beet pulp) and oligosaccharides to enhance large and small intestinal health. It contains an optimal omega-6: omega-3 fatty acid ratio (targeting 5:1) to help promote the natural healing process and enhance skin and coat health. Controlled fat levels and high-quality ingredients contribute to the high digestibility of Low-Residue™.

Scientifically Evaluated ***LD

Clinical tests and numerous individual case studies show that Eukanuba Veterinary Diets® Low-Residue™ is a highly effective diet for the nutritional management of diarrhea. In fact, Low-Residue™ has been shown to be more effective and faster acting for managing stress-related diarrhea than another leading brand commonly used to nutritionally manage diarrhea. Research showed that dogs with diarrhea fed Low-Residue™ produced improved stools by the third day-half the time needed by dogs fed the other brand. In dogs fed Low-Residue™, diarrhea had resolved by the eighth day of feeding, five days earlier than dogs fed the other brand.

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