Modell der mutterlosen Aufzucht von Hundewelpen zur Wirksamkeitsprüfung probiotischer Substanzen

This study aimed at establishing a method for checking the efficacy
of probiotic substances in beagle puppies, in accordance with the
requirements of the Guidelines for the assessment of
micro-organisms in the animal categories dogs, cats and horses of
the European Commission of October 2000. The orphan rearing of
neonatal puppies was chosen as trial method, the only method to
ensure avoidance of interindividual differences such as quality and
quantity of mother milk. Another advantage is exact standardisation
by exact prerequisites (time of weaning, type and frequency of
feeding, keeping facilities, sample collection, choice of
parameter, methods of analysis). In two different feeding trials
with beagle puppies (duration 14 weeks) the efficacy of the
prebiotic substance Lactoferrin (n=23) and of the probiotic
bacteria Enterococcus faecium (n=12) on neonatal organisms was
analysed. It has become clear that the general status of the
puppies could be sufficiently assessed by general clinical
parameters (clinical examination, food intake, weight development,
quantity and consistency of faeces, blood parameter). As far as
these parameters could be determined based on scoring systems, they
contributed to the assessment of the substances as so-called
“supporting data“. The specific parameters directly related to the
probiotic action that could be established in this model are, among
others, ph analysis, ammonia and lactate determination as well as
microbiological analyses of faeces. Furthermore gut wall samples of
duodenum and colon could be taken for immunohistochemical analysis.
Antioxidative and immunmodulatory effects were assessed by means of
determining trolox equivalent antioxidative capacity, vitamine E
and C, uric acid, bilirubin, free ferrum, lactate, CK and GOT, the
overall content of IgG and IgA, and the specific content of
antibodies against humane serumalbumine in plasma. The two feeding
experiments show what principles can be applied for examining the
effect of prebiotically or probiotically effective substances in
small animals by means of scientific standards for carrying out
experiments, documenting and analysing them. Thus these experiments
provide a basis for appropriate application of minimum quality
standards in examining these substances, according to the
requirements of the European Commission in October 2000.