Comparative assessment of canine-origin <i>Lactobacillus johnsonii</i> CPN23 and dairy-origin <i>Lactobacillus acidophillus</i> NCDC 15 for nutrient digestibility, faecal fermentative metabolites and selected gut health indices in dogs

Abstract

The present experiment was undertaken to validate a probiotic of canine origin for its potential use in dogs. A total of fifteen adult female Labrador dogs were allocated to three equal groups and fed a basal diet without probiotic (control) or with probiotic of either canine (<i>Lactobacillus johnsonii</i> CPN23; cPRO) or dairy (<i>L. acidophilus</i> NCDC 15; dPRO) origin for 9 weeks. The digestibility of most macronutrients remained similar among the groups; however, fibre digestibility was improved (<i>P</i> = 0·034) in dogs receiving cPRO. The faecal fermentative metabolites ammonia (<i>P</i> <i><</i> 0·05) and lactate (<i>P</i> = 0·094) were altered favourably, indicating a positive influence of both probiotics. Faecal concentrations of acetate, propionate and butyrate were increased (<i>P</i> <i><</i> 0·01) in both probiotic groups. However, improvements were higher in cPRO <i>v</i>. dPRO. The delayed-type hypersensitivity reaction to intradermal inoculation of phytohaemagglutinin-P was higher (<i>P</i> = 0·053) in cPRO as compared with control. The antibody response to sheep erythrocytes was, however, similar across the three groups. Overall, in dogs, the canine-origin probiotic was superior when compared with the dairy-origin probiotic.