Sites of Organic Acid Production and Patterns of Digesta Movement in the Gastrointestinal Tract of Dogs

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Abstract
Two commercial type diets, one a cereal based dry food, the other a fortified all meat canned food were fed to male and female adult beagle dogs to evaluate effects of diet on rate of digesta passage and organic acid concentration along the gastrointestinal tract. Passage of fluid and particulate markers through the tract was fairly rapid. The stomach was the major site of digesta marker retention, especially particulate marker. There was no other point along the tract where particulate markers were selectively retained. The rate of passage for the meat diet was slower than for the cereal diet. The pH of the stomach dropped significantly 2 hours post-feeding, continued to drop at 4 and 8 hours, then increased rapidly by 12 hours, reflecting changes in stomach fill. The pH of digesta in the cecum and colon of cereal fed dogs was significantly lower than that of meat fed dogs. Concentrations of lactic acid in the various segments of the gastrointestinal tract were generally greater in cereal fed dogs except for the stomach where the concentration was the highest for dogs fed meat at a period 2 hours post-feeding. Concentrations of VFA were highest in the cecum and colon and were not significantly affected by diet. The nutritional and possible physiological importance is discussed.