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A fibre that travels through the gastrointestinal tract almost untouched. What use is that to a dog or cat?

More than you might think.

Cellulose gives plant cell walls their strength. It is an insoluble fibre: it does not dissolve in water. Dogs and cats cannot digest it themselves, and their gut bacteria break it down only to a limited extent. As a result, much of it leaves the body the way it came in.

Even so, cellulose has a clear function along the way.

🌿 More volume, a stimulus for the gut
Cellulose adds bulk to the stools. That extra gut content can stimulate gut motility. That is why it is used, among other things, in high-fibre diets for constipation.

There is a nuance, though: more bulk is not always better. In a severely obstipated or poorly motile colon, as in some cats with megacolon, extra volume can actually be unfavourable. The cause of the constipation, adequate fluid intake and the choice of fibre therefore remain important.

⚖️ More bulk, hardly any calories
Cellulose is also widely used in weight-loss diets. It adds volume and provides hardly any usable energy itself. This allows a diet to contain fewer calories per gram while still filling the bowl with a decent portion.

That makes cellulose useful in weight management. How satiating a meal is also depends on the overall composition of the diet and on the individual animal.

🦠 Limited food for gut bacteria
Because cellulose is fermented only to a small extent, it provides much less fuel for gut bacteria than, for example, FOS. Its main contribution lies in its physical presence: structure and bulk.

That can also mean a larger volume of faeces. This is consistent with the presence of fibres that are hard to break down, and in itself says little about the digestion of other nutrients. The amount of cellulose and the overall composition of the diet remain important here.

Even a fibre that is hardly broken down can serve a valuable purpose. The right choice depends on what you want to achieve for the animal.

Next edition: MOS, the decoy.

🥣 Meet the Fiber is a FeedWise series on dietary fibre in dogs and cats. Each edition covers one fibre: its mechanism of action, indications, limitations and place in clinical practice.

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