The effect of puppyhood and adolescent diet on the incidence of chronic enteropathy in dogs later in life.

Diet has a key role in the homeostasis of the gut microenvironment, influencing the microbiome, the gut barrier, host immunity and gut physiology. Yet, there is little information on the role of early diet in the onset of inflammatory gastrointestinal disorders later in life, especially in dogs. Therefore, the aim of the present cross-sectional, epidemiological study with longitudinal data, was to explore associations of companion dogs' early life diet style and food items with owner-reported chronic enteropathy (CE) incidence in later life. Food frequency questionnaire data from Finnish companion dogs was analyzed using principal component analysis and logistic regression. We found that feeding a non-processed meat-based diet and giving the dog human meal leftovers and table scraps during puppyhood (2-6 months) and adolescence (6-18 months) were protective against CE later in life. Especially raw bones and cartilage as well as leftovers and table scraps during puppyhood and adolescence, and berries during puppyhood were associated with less CE. In contrast, feeding an ultra-processed carbohydrate-based diet, namely dry dog food or "kibble" during puppyhood and adolescence, and rawhides during puppyhood were significant risk factors for CE later in life.

Puppyhood diet as a factor in the development of owner-reported allergy/atopy skin signs in adult dogs in Finland.

BACKGROUND: The increased prevalence of atopic dermatitis (AD) in dogs necessitates research in its disease etiology. OBJECTIVES: To explore the association between puppyhood dietary exposures and prevalence of owner-reported allergy/atopy skin signs (AASS) after the age of 1 year. ANIMALS: Four thousand and twenty-two dogs were eligible, 1158 cases, and 2864 controls. METHODS: This cross-sectional hypothesis-driven observational study was extracted from the DogRisk food frequency questionnaire. Forty-six food items and the ratio of 4 major diet types were tested for their association with AASS incidence later in life. Potential puppyhood dietary risk factors for AASS incidence were specified using binary multivariable logistic regression. The model was adjusted for age and sex. RESULTS: Eating raw tripe (odds ratio, 95% confidence intervals OR, 95% CI = 0.36, 0.16-0.79; P = .01), raw organ meats (OR, 95% CI = 0.23, 0.08-0.67; P = .007), human meal leftovers, and fish oil supplements as well as eating more that 20% of the diet as raw and/or <80% of the diet as dry, in general, were associated with significantly lower AASS incidence in adulthood. In contrast, dogs fed fruits (OR, 95% CI = 2.01, 1.31-3.07; P = .001), mixed-oil supplements, dried animal parts, and dogs that drank from puddles showed significantly higher AASS incidence in adulthood. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: Puppyhood exposure to raw animal-based foods might have a protective influence on AASS incidence in adulthood, while puppyhood exposure to mixed oils, heat processed foods and sugary fruits might be a potential risk factor of AASS incidence later. The study suggests a causal relationship but does not prove it.

Identification of modifiable pre- and postnatal dietary and environmental exposures associated with owner-reported canine atopic dermatitis in Finland using a web-based questionnaire.

A cross-sectional hypothesis generating study was performed to investigate modifiable exposures such as whether feeding pattern (a non-processed meat based diet, NPMD, or an ultra-processed carbohydrate based diet, UPCD), certain environmental factors and their timing of exposure might be associated with the development of canine atopic dermatitis (CAD). Also, genetic and demographic factors were tested for associations with CAD. The data was collected from the validated internet-based DogRisk food frequency questionnaire in Finland. A total of 2236 dogs were eligible for the study (the owners reported 406 cases and 1830 controls). Our main interest was to analyze modifiable early risk factors of CAD, focusing on nutritional and environmental factors. We tested four early life periods; prenatal, neonatal, early postnatal and late postnatal periods. Twenty-two variables were tested for associations with CAD using logistic regression analysis. From the final models we identified novel dietary associations with CAD: the NPMD during the prenatal and early postnatal periods had a significant negative association with the incidence of CAD in adult dogs (age above 1 year). Oppositely, UPCD was associated with a significantly higher risk for CAD incidence. Other variables that were associated with a significantly lower risk for CAD were maternal deworming during pregnancy, sunlight exposure during early postnatal period, normal body condition score during the early postnatal period, the puppy being born within the same family that it would stay in, and spending time on a dirt or grass surface from 2 to 6 months. Also, the genetic factors regarding maternal history of CAD, allergy-prone breeds and more than 50% white-colored coat all showed a significant positive association with CAD incidence in agreement with previous findings. Although no causality can be established, feeding NPMD early in life seemed to be protective against CAD, while UPCD could be considered a risk factor. Prospective intervention studies are needed to establish the causal effects of the protective role of NPMD on prevalence of CAD during the fetal and early postnatal life.

Prepartal high-energy feeding with grass silage-based diets does not disturb the hepatic adaptation of dairy cows during the periparturient period.

The liver of dairy cow naturally undergoes metabolic adaptation during the periparturient period in response to the increasing demand for nutrients. The hepatic adaptation is affected by prepartal energy intake level and is potentially associated with inflammatory responses. To study the changes in the liver function during the periparturient period, 16 cows (body condition score = 3.7 ± 0.3, mean ± standard deviation; parity = second through fourth) were allocated to a grass silage-based controlled-energy diet (104 MJ/d) or a high-energy diet (135 MJ/d) during the last 6 wk before the predicted parturition. Liver samples were collected by biopsy at 8 d before the predicted parturition (-8 d) and at 1 and 9 d after the actual parturition (1 and 9 d). The lipidomic profile of liver samples collected at -8 and 9 d was analyzed using ultra performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry-based lipidomics. Liver samples from all the time points were subjected to microarray analysis and the subsequent pathway analysis with Ingenuity Pathway Analysis software (Ingenuity Systems, Mountain View, CA). Prepartal energy intake level affected hepatic gene expression and lipidomic profiles prepartum, whereas little or no effect was observed postpartum. At -8 d, hepatic lipogenesis was promoted by prepartal high-energy feeding through the activation of X receptor/retinoid X receptor pathway and through increased transcription of thyroid hormone-responsive (THRSP). Hepatic inflammatory and acute phase responses at -8 d were suppressed (z-score = -2.236) by prepartal high-energy feeding through the increase in the mRNA abundance of suppressor of cytokine signaling 3 (SOCS3) and the decrease in the mRNA abundance of interleukin 1 (IL1), nuclear factor kappa B 1 (NFKB1), apolipoprotein A1 (APOA1), serum amyloid A3 (SAA3), haptoglobin (HP), lipopolysaccharide-binding protein (LBP), and inter-α-trypsin inhibitor heavy chain 3 (ITIH3). Moreover, prepartal high-energy feeding elevated hepatic concentrations of C18- (7%), C20- (17%), C21- (26%), C23-sphingomyelins (26%), and total saturated sphingomyelin (21%). In addition, cows in both groups displayed increased lipogenesis at the gene expression level after parturition and alterations in the concentration of various sphingolipids between the first and last samplings. In conclusion, prepartal high-energy feeding promoted lipogenesis and suppressed inflammatory and acute phase responses in the liver before parturition, whereas only minor effects were observed after parturition.