Demystifying Fiber: How to Approach Fiber-Responsive Diarrhea in Dogs and Cats

Overview:

Food-responsive enteropathies represent at least 50% to 66% of chronic gastrointestinal conditions in dogs and cats. Food-responsive enteropathies include any gastrointestinal disease responsive to dietary intervention, including alteration of protein source or form (e.g., novel protein, hydrolyzed protein), reduction of dietary fat or carbohydrates or supplementation with dietary fiber. Although dietary protein modification (i.e., novel or hydrolyzed protein diets) receives the most attention, modification of dietary fiber amount and sources can also have dramatic benefits on the gastrointestinal tract and, depending on the case, may be all that is required to address diarrhea. In this seminar, we will discuss the properties of fiber, their proposed benefits, and how to navigate choosing the right dietary fiber for your canine and feline patients.

Learning Objectives:

• Understand the impact of fiber on the gut and how this impact changes depending on the fiber source selected.
• Understand how to minimize adverse effects that may occur with fiber used in the constipated and diarrheic patient
• Understand how to evaluate a dietary history, including diet ingredient lists, to select the fiber source for your patient..