Effects of Dietary Alfalfa Meal Supplementation on the Growth Performance, Nutrient Apparent Digestibility, Serum Parameters, and Intestinal Microbiota of Raccoon Dogs (Nyctereutes procyonoides).

ABSTRACT: The raccoon dog (Nyctereutes procyonoides) is a typical omnivore possessing wide dietary adaptability and tolerance to rough feeding, which may be attributed to its intestinal microbiota. The study aimed to investigate the effect of dietary alfalfa meal levels on the growth performance, nutrient apparent digestibility, serum parameters, and intestinal microbiota of raccoon dogs. Sixty raccoon dogs were randomly divided into four dietary treatments containing 0% (AM0), 5% (AM5), 10% (AM10), and 15% (AM15) alfalfa meal for a 60-day experiment. The results showed that compared to raccoon dogs fed the AM0 diet, those fed the AM5 and AM10 diets had no significant difference in growth performance, while those fed the AM15 diet experienced a significant decrease. Raccoon dogs fed the AM5 d

SUBMITTER: Chen X 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10886288 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature