Acute hormonal response to glucose, lipids and arginine infusion in overweight cats.

In cats, the incidence of obesity and diabetes is increasing, and little is known about specific aspects of the endocrine control of food intake in this species. Recent data suggest that ghrelin has an important role in the control of insulin secretion and vice versa, but this role has never been demonstrated in cats. Here we aimed to improve our understanding about the relationship between insulin, amylin and ghrelin secretion in response to a nutrient load in overweight cats.

Postprandial response of plasma insulin, amylin and acylated ghrelin to various test meals in lean and obese cats.

The propensity of diets of different composition to promote obesity is a current topic in feline medicine. The effects of three meals with different protein:fat ratios on hormones (insulin, acylated ghrelin and amylin) involved in the control of food intake and glucose metabolism were compared. Five lean (two females and three males, 28.

Spontaneous hormonal variations in male cats following gonadectomy.

The increased prevalence of obesity after neutering in cats is problematic in veterinary practice. Although many factors seem to be involved, the role of prolactin (PRL) and insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I), both implicated in adipose tissue development and glucose intolerance, should be considered. Seven male cats were castrated when 11 months old.

Evaluation of association between body size and large intestinal transit time in healthy dogs.

Objective: To compare large intestinal transit time (LITT) in dogs of various body sizes and determine whether fecal quality was correlated with LITT.

Animals: 6 Miniature Poodles, 6 Standard Schnauzers, 6 Giant Schnauzers, and 6 Great Danes.

Procedure: LITT was calculated as the difference between total (TTT) and orocecal transit time (OCTT).

Rate of carbon dioxide production and energy expenditure in fed and food-deprived adult dogs determined by indirect calorimetry and isotopic methods.

Objective: To evaluate energy expenditure (EE) in dogs by estimating rate of CO2 production (rCO2).

Animals: 15 Beagles.

Procedure: Food was withheld for 24 hours, and all dogs received an IV infusion of 13C sodium bicarbonate for 8 hours.

Resistant starch modulates in vivo colonic butyrate uptake and its oxidation in rats with dextran sulfate sodium-induced colitis.

We previously demonstrated improvements of colonic lesions due to dextran sulfate sodium (DSS) in rats after 7 d of supplementation with resistant starch (RS) type 3, a substrate yielding high levels of butyrate (C(4)), a colonic cell fuel source. In the present study, we hypothesized that if inflammation is related to decreased C(4) utilization by the colonic mucosa, RS supplementation should restore C(4) use simultaneously with an increase in the amount of C(4) present in the digestive tract. Hence, we compared, in vivo, the cecocolonic uptake of C(4) and its oxidation into CO(2) and ketone bodies in control and DSS-treated rats fed a fiber-free basal diet (BD) or a RS-supplemented diet.

Influence of age and body size on orocecal transit time as assessed by use of the sulfasalazine method in healthy dogs.

Objective: To compare orocecal transit time (OCTT) as assessed by use of the sulfapyridine appearance time in plasma after oral administration of sulfasalazine in dogs of varying age and body size and determine whether OCTT correlates with fecal quality.

Animals: 6 Miniature Poodles (MP), 6 Standard Schnauzers (SS), 6 Giant Schnauzers (GS), and 6 Great Danes (GD).

Procedure: Determinations of OCTT were made at 12, 22, 36, and 60 weeks of age.

Restoration of the integrity of rat caeco-colonic mucosa by resistant starch, but not by fructo-oligosaccharides, in dextran sulfate sodium-induced experimental colitis.

Butyrate is recognised as efficient in healing colonic inflammation, but cannot be used as a long-term treatment. Dietary fibre that produces a high-butyrate level when fermented represents a promising alternative. We hypothesised that different types of dietary fibre do not have the same efficiency of healing and that this could be correlated to their fermentation characteristics.

Influence of age and body size on intestinal permeability and absorption in healthy dogs.

Objective: To evaluate effects of age and body size of dogs on intestinal permeability (unmediated diffusion) as measured by the ratio of urinary lactulose to L-rhamnose (L:R) and absorption (carrier-mediated transport) as measured by the ratio of urinary D-xylose to 3-O-methyl-D-glucose (X:MG) and to determine whether these variables correlated with fecal quality.

Animals: 6 Miniature Poodles, 6 Standard Schnauzers, 6 Giant Schnauzers, and 6 Great Danes.

Procedure: A solution that contained lactulose and rhamnose or xylose and 3-O-methyl-D-glucose was administered orally to dogs that were 12, 22, 36, and 60 weeks old.

Influence of age and body size on gastrointestinal transit time of radiopaque markers in healthy dogs.

Objective: To compare gastric emptying time, small-intestinal transit time (SITT), and orocecal transit time (OCTT) of radiopaque markers in dogs varying in age and body size and to determine whether fecal variables (ie, consistency and moisture content) are related to gastrointestinal tract transit times in dogs.

Animals: 24 eight-week-old female puppies, including 6 Miniature Poodles, 6 Standard Schnauzers, 6 Giant Schnauzers, and 6 Great Danes.

Procedure: Gastrointestinal tract transit time experiments were performed at 12, 22, 36, and 60 weeks of age.

Predominance of caecal injury in a new dextran sulphate sodium treatment in rats: histopathological and fermentative characteristics.

Objectives: Cyclic administrations of dextran sulphate sodium (DSS) alternating with distilled water usually induce chronic colitis after a few weeks. In order to obtain stable chronic colitis (without recovery or relapse) in a few days, a new continuous DSS treatment was tested and characterized. Short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), which remain poorly documented in experimental colitis, were also investigated.