272. Effects of Dietary Supplementation of Algal Docosahexaenoic Acid on Fecal Characteristics, Fecal Metabolites, Blood Coagulation Parameters and Serum Chemistry of Adult Dogs.

Clicks: 13
ID: 330126
2026
Free PDF
Article Quality & Performance Metrics
Overall Quality
Not rated
Combines reader engagement with the AI quality analysis. This article has not been analysed, so there is no overall score — reader engagement is measured and shown alongside.
AI Quality Assessment
Not analyzed
Readership in this journal
Steady

Ranked #432 of 847 articles by views in italian journal of animal science

Most read Least read

Bar heights use a square-root scale. Only the 120 most-read articles are drawn; the journal has 847 in total.

Mint this article as an NFT
Not yet minted

Create a permanent, verifiable on-chain record of this article on the Scimatic Network. The NFT is held in your Journament account, and you can withdraw it to your own wallet at any time.

5 SUSD one-off · no wallet required
Sign in to mint
Abstract
Abstract Algal meal can potentially be used as an alternative to fish oil as source of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) in canine nutrition. However, there is limited information in the literature on the effects of supplementing algal DHA oil in the diets of dogs. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of dietary supplementation of algal DHA meal on blood coagulation parameters, serum chemistry, fecal characteristics, and fecal metabolites in adult dogs. It was hypothesized that dietary supplementation with algal DHA meal would not adversely affect blood coagulation and serum metabolites, while promoting beneficial shifts in fecal metabolites in adult dogs compared to Control. Thirty-two adult beagles (avg. age = 5.1±1.6 years; avg. body weight = 11.0±2.3 kg) were included in this completely randomized design study. One dog was excluded due to health issues unrelated to this study. Following a 15-day adaptation period on the Control diet, dogs were assigned to one of 4 diets for an additional 90 days. The Control diet contained 10% chicken fat (CT) and the 3 additional experimental diets contained 2% fish oil (FO), 2% DHA-enriched algal meal (AL), or 4% DHA-enriched algal meal (AH) added as partial replacement of chicken fat. Fresh fecal and fasted blood were collected on days 0, 30, 60, and 90. No significant difference (P > 0.05) was observed in food intake, fecal output, fecal score, fecal pH, or fecal ammonia concentrations across treatment groups. However, significant treatment-by-day interactions were observed for fecal isovalerate (P = 0.0073) and isobutyrate (P = 0.0406). Dogs fed the AH diet had higher fecal isovalerate concentrations on day 90 (42.1 μmol/g) compared with AL on day 0 (25.3 μmol/g). Similarly, for isobutyrate, AH on day 90 (22.3 μmol/g) was higher than AL on day 0 (12.1 μmol/g). Fecal short-chain fatty acids, phenols and indoles concentrations did not differ (P > 0.05) among treatments. Additionally, no significant differences (P > 0.05) were observed in blood fibrinogen, prothrombin time, or partial thromboplastin time. Although within reference range, a significant treatment-by-day interaction (P = 0.0031) was observed with a decrease in serum triglyceride concentrations in AH-fed dogs from 62 mg/dL on day 0 to 46 mg/dL on day 90. In conclusion, dietary supplementation with algal DHA meal up to 4% of the dietary formulation was well tolerated, with no adverse effects on food intake, fecal characteristics, fecal metabolites, serum chemistry or blood coagulation, supporting its potential as an alternative omega-3 source in canine nutrition. On going analyses are evaluating fatty acid concentrations in serum and red blood cells, as well as potential effects of algal meal and fish oil supplementation on fecal microbiota composition.
Reference Key
openalex_W7214705873 Use this key to autocite in the manuscript while using SciMatic Manuscript Manager or Thesis Manager
Authors Confidence C John, Christina I Ferraro, Julio C. Mioto, Alison L Tibbs, Christine Wu, María R C de Godoy
Are you one of these authors? Claim your profile
Journal italian journal of animal science
Year 2026
DOI
10.1093/jas/skag272.082
URL
https://doi.org/10.1093/jas/skag272.082
Keywords Keywords not found

Citations

No citations found. To add a citation, contact the admin at info@scimatic.org

Comments

No comments yet. Be the first to comment on this article.