Body Weight Development in Adult Dogs Fed a High Level Resistant Starch Diet

Simple Summary As companion animals are incorporated further into the family unit, interest in their health and longevity is increasing. Globally, the estimated obesity rate of companion animals is similar to 60%, and concerns over obesity-related diseases and quality of life are rising. Obesity in companion animals, much like in humans, negatively affects their health due to diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, joint disease, and abnormal lipid metabolism. In addition to increasing the burden of care costs on pet owners, this lowers the quality of life for companions and pet owners alike. Recently, resistant starch has been spotlighted as an excellent ingredient for obesity prevention and weight loss due to its indigestible properties in humans. We evaluated the feeding effect of pet food high in resistant starch in dogs, such as Dodamssal rice. The results of this study suggested that Dodamssal rice can be used as a raw ingredient for the prevention of obesity in dogs. This study investigated the effect of Dodamssal rice, which has a high content of resistant starch, on obesity and hematologic properties in dogs. In Experiment 1, 24 spayed dogs were divided into three feeding groups: normal-fat basal diet (control), high-fat diet with 12% normal amylose type rice (hNAR), and high-fat diet with 12% high amylose type rice (Dodamssal rice; hHAR). In Experiment 2, 8 spayed dogs were assigned to a normal amylose type rice (NAR) group and a high amylose type rice group (HAR) with a normal-fat basal diet. After 24 weeks, an increase in weight and blood cholesterol was observed in both high-fat diet groups for Experiment 1. Specifically, an increase in serum alanine aminotransferase was observed over time in the hNAR group compared with that of the control; however, no such patterns were present in the hHAR group. Further, a significant weight-loss effect was observed in the HAR group in Experiment 2 at 4 weeks. The effect on body weight was due to the reduced digestibility of amylose and thereby lower dietary ME content. Overall, this confirmed that Dodamssal rice had a positive effect on weight loss in dogs, and these results suggest that Dodamssal rice has potential value as a raw ingredient for preventing obesity in dogs.