Aim:
The aim of this trial was to evaluate the effect of a bovine colostrum protein concentrate on fecal quality in puppies during a period of environmental change

Protocol:
A randomized placebo-controlled trial was carried out in Japan with 70 puppies of predominantly toy breeds (aged 40–50-d old) to determine the impact of an oral bovine colostrum supplement on fecal quality over a 10-d period. Standard puppy food, to which was added either 0.5 g of bovine colostrum powder daily (n = 37), or 0.5 g of skim milk powder daily (n = 33) was fed, for 10 d, starting on the second day after their arrival at one of two pet shops. Individual
puppies were assigned to treatment A or B as they arrived.

Results:

• The puppies fed the bovine colostrum supplement had significantly lower average fecal scores (P , 0.05) for d 6–9 compared with the placebo group.
• The differences between the groups remained statistically significant until d 9 of the trial
• The results of this trial indicate that oral supplementation with bovine colostrum can improve fecal quality in puppies subject to the stresses of changing both diet and environment.

Conclusions:
Bovine colostrum supplementation may be an aid in reducing the rates of recurrent gastroenteritis and improving the vitality of puppies in early life.

Reference
Benefits of Bovine Colostrum on Fecal Quality in Recently Weaned Puppies Presented as part of the WALTHAM International Science Symposium: Nature, Nurture, and the Case for Nutrition held in Bangkok, Thailand, October 28–31, 2003. This symposium & the publication of the symposium proceedings were sponsored by the published as a supplement to The Journal of Nutrition. WALTHAM Centre for Pet Nutrition, a division of Mars, Inc.