Rondo Paul Middleton

Effects of postexercise feeding of a supplemental carbohydrate and protein bar with or without astaxanthin from Haematococcus pluvialis to exercise-conditioned dogs

OBJECTIVE To characterize the postprandial nutrient profiles of exercise-conditioned dogs fed a supplemental carbohydrate and protein bar with or without astaxanthin from Haematococcus pluvialis immediately after exercise. ANIMALS 34 exercise-conditioned adult Husky-Pointer dogs. PROCEDURES The study had 2 phases. During phase 1, postprandial plasma glucose concentration was determined for dogs fed a bar containing 25% protein and 18.5% or 37.4% maltodextrin plus dextrin (rapidly digestible carbohydrate; RDC), or dry kibble (30% protein and 0% RDC) immediately after exercise. During phase 2, dogs were exercised for 3 days and fed a bar (25% protein and 37.4% RDC) with (CPA; n = 8) or without (CP; 8) astaxanthin or no bar (control; 8) immediately after exercise. Pre- and postexercise concentrations of plasma biochemical analytes and serum amino acids were determined on days 1 and 3. RESULTS Phase 1 postexercise glucose concentration was increased when dogs were provided the 37.4% RDC bar, but not 0% or 18.5% RDC. On day 3 of phase 2, the CPA group had the highest pre-exercise triglyceride concentration and significantly less decline in postexercise glucose concentration than did the CP and control groups. Mean glucose concentration for the CP and CPA groups was significantly higher than that for the control group between 15 and 60 minutes after bar consumption. Compared to immediately after exercise, branched-chain amino acid, tryptophan, leucine, and threonine concentrations 15 minutes after exercise were significantly higher for the CP and CPA groups, but were lower for the control group. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE Dogs fed a bar with 37.4% RDCs and 25% protein immediately after exercise had increased blood nutrient concentrations for glycogen and protein synthesis, compared with control dogs.

The practical use of genome sequencing data in the management of a feline colony pedigree

BackgroundA higher prevalence of inherited disorders among companion animals are often rooted in their historical restricted artificial selection for a variety of observed phenotypes that eventually decreased genetic diversity. Cats have been afflicted with many inherited diseases due to domestication and intense breed selection. Advances in sequencing technology have generated a more comprehensive way to access genetic information from an individual, allowing identification of putative disease-causing variants and in practice a means to avoid their spread and thus better pedigree management. We examine variants in three domestic shorthair cats and then calculated overall genetic diversity to extrapolate the benefits of this data for breeding programs within a feline colony.ResultsWe generated whole genome sequence (WGS) data for three related cats that belong to a large feline pedigree colony. Genome-wide coverage ranged from 27-32X, from which we identified 18 million variants in total. Previously known disease-causing variants were screened in our cats, but none carry any of these known disease alleles. Loss of function (LoF) variants, that are in genes associated with a detrimental phenotype in human or mice were chosen for further evaluation on the comparative impact inferred. A set of LoF variants were observed in four genes, each with predicted detrimental phenotypes as a result. However, none of our cats displayed the expected disease phenotypes. Inbreeding coefficients and runs of homozygosity were also evaluated as a measure of genetic diversity. We find low inbreeding coefficients and total runs of homozygosity, thus suggesting pedigree management of genetic relatedness is acceptable.ConclusionsThe use of WGS of a small sampling among a large feline colony has enabled us to identify possible disease-causing variants, their genotype state and measure pedigree management of genetic diversity. We contend a limited but strategic sampling of feline colony individuals using WGS can inform veterinarians of future health anomalies and guide breeding practices to ensure healthy genetic diversity.