IIPTF PET FESTIVAL PUNE Vol 12 Issue No 10 October 2019 | Page 42

Pet Nutrition
Within and between seaweed gums,
structurally different polysaccharides
are present (14). Alginates are
extracted from brown seaweeds.
They are made up of methylated
and sulfated, D- and L-galactose
units. Red seaweeds provide agars
or carrageenans, which comprise
β-D-mannuronic and α-L –guluronic
acids or sulfated D-galactose and
(3,6)-anhydro-D-galactose
units.
Fucoidan is a fucose-containing
polysaccharide; laminaran is a
branched beta-glucan. comparisons, the seaweed doses
were presumably equivalent to 1.5 and
0.6% in dry dog food.
SEAWEED FEEDING
In two-bowl, preference tests, dogs
received extruded, wheat-based foods
without or with 0.3 or 1.0% powdered
rockweed (18). The low dose did not
affect food intake, but the high dose
had a pronounced, lowering effect. A
supplier of rockweed recommends
0.25% as inclusion rate (19) and claims
no negative effect on palatability (20).
The product would also support gut
health, immunity and de-stress in
pets, but experimental designs and
outcomes are undisclosed.
After 50 participants had given their
dogs a macroalgae blend for 2-4
weeks, 15 out of the 17 respondents
reported improved digestion, coat
and skin for the recipients (21). In
open, uncontrolled trials, 60-days
oral administration of a kelp mixture
to dermatitic and osteoarthritic dogs
was associated with improvement
(22). In the two before-and-after ROCKWEED AND TEETH
Oral administration of Ascophyllum
nodosum, versus no treatment or
placebo, statistically signifi cantly
reduced progression of dental plaque,
calculus, gingivitis and halitosis in
dogs (23-25), but the effect sizes were
relatively small. Outcomes in cats
were similar (24). In a small-scale,
uncontrolled trial with dog patients
given rockweed, regression of plaque
and calculus was seen (26).
The control and test dogs (n = 6-30/
treatment) were either kennel-
or privately-owned, subjected to
baseline dental cleansing or not, fed
the same diet or not, for 42-90 days
(23-25). Rockweed, in powdered or
tablet form, was dosed at 33-50 mg/kg
body weight per day. Fucoidan might
be the active principle as it inhibits
dental-plaque bacteria in vitro (27).
It may not survive high-temperature
processing (28, 29).
GUMS AND DIGESTION
Data are lacking for dogs and cats,
but seaweed-gum polysaccharides
likely raise the viscosity of intestinal
contents and resist both digestive
enzymes and bacterial breakdown
(cf. 30-32). Ingested carrageenan may
appear in feces intact (32). Including
0.5% carrageenan in wet food reduced
apparent protein digestibility by about
3.5% units in dogs and cats (33, 34),
which does not jeopardize protein
supply in practice (35). Alginate
increased protein digestion in dogs
(36).
SEAWEED (-GUM) SAFETY
Dried seaweed and gums are included
in (wet) petfood at levels up 0.5%. There
is no evidence for negative effects in
dogs and cats. Dogs ingesting tableted
rockweed, equivalent to 0.3% in dry
food, gained body weight (25). Feeding
dogs on dry food with 15% alginate for
1 year was without adverse effects
(37, 39). Such a dog study with agar or
carrageenan appears unperformed.
High agar intakes did not induce
negative, chronic effects in rats
(40, 41). Rats fed diets containing
up to 15% carrageenan did not
develop abnormalities, including
colonic cancer (40-43). Poligeenan,
made by harsh acid degradation of
carrageenan, produced colonic cancer
and ulceration (44-47).
* List of references is available on request
from the author ([e-mail])