ASSESSMENT OF MAINTENANCE ENERGY REQUIREMENT OF MEDIUM SIZED NONDESCRIPT DOGS
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Date
2019
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College of Veterinary and animal Science,Mannuthy
Abstract
An experiment was conducted in medium sized adult nondescript dogs
kept restrained for a period of four months to assess the maintenance energy
requirement. Fifteen medium sized healthy adult nondescript dogs of about one to
four years of age and around 12 to 18 kg body weight were selected and randomly
allotted into three treatments, so as to have five replicates per treatment. The
dietary treatments are T1 (Control ration 18% CP and 3000 kcal ME/kg), T2
(Feed with 18% CP and 2700 kcal ME/kg) and T3 (Feed with 18% CP and 2400
kcal ME/kg). Data on daily dry matter (DM) intake, weekly body weight, weekly
body condition score, haemato-biochemical parameters like haemoglobin, packed
cell volume, serum albumin and serum alkaline phosphatase and digestibility
coefficient of nutrients were used to evaluate the dietary treatments.
The average initial and final body weight of dogs of T1, T2 and T3 were
15.42 and 15.80, 15.43 and 15.43 and 14.12 and 13.68 kg, respectively. The
average initial and final body score of dogs of T1, T2 and T3 were 4.20 and 4.40,
4.20 and 4.40 and 3.80 and 3.80, respectively. The average body weight and body
condition score of dogs in all the three dietary groups were maintained throughout
the experimental period. Mean of weekly DM intake per kg body weight was
14.44, 15.22 and 16.91g for animals in T1, T2 and T3 groups, respectively. The
mean of CP intake per kg body weight was 2.65, 2.77 and 3.07g for animals in
three experimental groups, respectively. The T3 group was having higher and
significantly different (P>0.01) DM and CP intke than T1 and T2 groups. T1 was
having higher and significantly different (P<0.05) apparent digestibility of dry
matter and crude protein than T2 and T3. There was no significant difference
among three dietary treatment groups in the digestibility coefficient of crude fibre
and nitrogen free extract (P>0.05). Both T1 and T2 had higher and significantly
different (P<0.01) apparent digestibility of ether extract than T3. The
haematological and serum biochemical parameters such as haemoglobin, packed
cell volume, serum albumin and serum alkaline phosphatase did not show any
significant difference among the treatments and the values were within the normal
range reported for the species. Animals in T3 were having higher and
signifigantly different (P<0.05) faecal volume. Statistically there was no
significant difference (P>0.05) in faecal score of three groups. Cost of feed per kg
was Rs. 215.80, Rs. 161.72 and Rs. 130.15, respectively for T1, T2 and T3 feeds.
Based on the results obtained in the present study, the average ME intake
per kg metabolic body weight of dogs maintained in T1 (18% CP and 3000 kcal
ME/kg) was 86.54 kcal, T2 (18% CP and 2700 kcal ME /kg) group was 81.07 and
T3 (18% CP and 2400 kcal ME /kg) group was 76.68 kcal. Even though the ME
intake of dogs maintained in T3 group was 19 per cent lower than NRC (95
kcal/kg0.75), it was found to be sufficient to maintain the body weight of medium
sized nondescript dogs. Therefore, a diet can be formulated with 18 per cent CP
and 2400 kcal ME /kg feed as a maintenance diet for medium sized dogs kept
restrained. It can also be concluded from the results that for dogs fed with a diet
with 18 per cent CP, a daily DM allowance of 16 -18g (2400 kcal of ME/kg diet),
14-15g (2700 kcal of ME/kg diet) and 13-14g (3000 kcal of ME/kg diet) per kg
body weight can be recommended.