Partial replacement of soybean meal with red gram and lentil as vegetable proteins in limited ingredients homemade diets for pet dogs

Abstract

Abstract As part of the efforts to look for new feed resources, an experiment was conducted to ascertain the effects of replacing part of the soybean meal protein with red gram and lentil on the nutritional profile of dogs as influenced by the frequency of feeding. Fifteen adult Spitz dogs were divided into three equal groups and fed three diets containing soybean meal (SBM) alone or in combination with red gram (RGM) and lentil (LTL) as the protein sources. The entire study duration of 10 weeks was divided into two equal periods wherein the dogs were fed either twice or once daily. Results indicated that the food intake was similar (P > 0.05) among the three groups, irrespective of the frequency of feeding. The digestibility of dry matter, organic matter, and carbohydrates were higher (P 0.05) when the dogs were fed once daily except for crude fiber digestibility, which was found higher (P 0.05) among the dietary groups. It is concluded that both red gram and lentil could effectively replace a part (50%) of the soybean meal protein without any adverse effects on the nutrient utilization and metabolic profile of dogs. Moreover, based on the results, lentil appears to have the edge over red gram as a potential vegetable protein source when used in the diet of dogs.

Keywords

• blood metabolites
• digestibility
• dog
• fecal quality
• lentil
• red gram