Digestive Characteristics of Dogs Fed a Dry Food Enhanced with Additional Beet Pulp

Abstract

Beet pulp has found favor in commercial dog foods as promoter of gut health, which means that beetpulp content claims are considered relevant. The question addressed was whether inclusion of beet pulp beyond 5% of the diet can be done in practice. In a cross-over digestibility trial, six adult dogs were fed an extruded dry food containing 5 or 10% beet pulp, the additional beet pulp being incorporated at the expense of a grain mixture. The 10% versus 5% diet did not affect the percentage of apparent total digestive tract digestibility of protein, while fecal output of dry matter and water were raised by 6 and 19%. It is concluded that increasing beet pulp from 5 to 10% in a dry food is feasible if it involves an exchange with grains, and provided that the associated increase in fecal volume is acceptable