We aimed to evaluate the effects of an herbal source of choline on the coefficients of total tract apparent digestibility (CTTAD), diet palatability, fecal characteristics, blood variables, liver morphology, and cardiac function of dogs. Sixteen adult dogs were randomly assigned to two groups (n = 8) which were fed two different diets for 45 days: control, containing 0.28% choline chloride 60, and test, containing 0.14% of an herbal source of choline. Feces were collected between days 39 and 44 to determine nutrient CTTAD and fecal characteristics. On days 0 and 45, blood samples were collected and the liver morphology was evaluated. Cardiac function, in turn, was evaluated only on day 45, and the palatability test was performed on two consecutive days (n = 32). There were no changes in nutrient CTTAD, diet palatability, or fecal characteristics of dogs fed the test diet (p > 0.05). However, on day 45, dogs fed the test diet showed lower (p < 0.05) serum total cholesterol, triglycerides, alkaline phosphatase, and alanine aminotransferase when compared to the control group. We concluded that the herbal source of choline can be a possible substitute for choline chloride in dog nutrition.
Keywords: blood metabolites; canine; choline chloride; herbal additive; lipidic metabolism; liver morphology.