Use of breath hydrogen testing to detect experimentally induced disaccharide malabsorption in healthy adult dogs.
OBJECTIVE
To develop a noninvasive method to detect disaccharide malabsorption in dogs by measuring hydrogen concentration ([H2]) in exhaled breath before and after experimentally induced disaccharide malabsorption.


METHODS
8 healthy mixed-breed dogs.


METHODS
[H2] was measured every 30 minutes for 8 hours after administration of disaccharide solutions (lactose, 0.5 g/kg of body weight; lactose, 1.0 g/kg; sucrose, 2.0 g/kg; maltose, 1.5 g/kg; and lactose [0.5 g/kg] and sucrose [2.0 g/kg]) to determine reference ranges of [H2] for each solution, which were compared with [H2] in dogs with experimentally induced disaccharide malabsorption. To induce disaccharide malabsorption, dogs were given a mild overdose of lactose (1.5 g/kg) or a disaccharidase inhibitor. In the latter experiment, acarbose (10 mg/kg, PO) was given with the combination of lactose (0.5 g/kg) and sucrose (2 g/kg), and with maltose (1.5 g/kg).


RESULTS
Overdosing with lactose resulted in [H2] persistently outside the reference range for lactose in 5 of 8 dogs. Acarbose administration resulted in [H2] persistently outside the reference range in 7 of 8 dogs that received a combination of sucrose and lactose but did not consistently affect [H2] after administration of maltose.


CONCLUSIONS
Disaccharide malabsorption resulted in [H2] outside the reference ranges in most of the adult dogs studied, suggesting that the technique may be useful in detecting naturally occurring disaccharidase deficiency.
Spohr
A
A
Small Animal Hospital, Department of Clinical Studies, Royal Veterinary and Agricultural University, Cophenhagen, Denmark.
Guilford
W G
WG
Haslett
S J
SJ
Vibe-Petersen
G
G
D020909:Acarbose; D000818:Animals; D019540:Area Under Curve; D001944:Breath Tests; D004186:Disaccharidases / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors; D004285:Dogs / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000502:physiology; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000737:chemistry; D006859:Hydrogen / Q000032:analysis*; D007785:Lactose / Q000378:metabolism; D007787:Lactose Intolerance / Q000378:metabolism / Q000662:veterinary*; D008320:Maltose / Q000378:metabolism; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012016:Reference Values; D013395:Sucrose / Q000378:metabolism; D014312:Trisaccharides / Q000737:chemistry
D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors; D014312:Trisaccharides; D013395:Sucrose; D008320:Maltose; D006859:Hydrogen; D004186:Disaccharidases; D007785:Lactose; D020909:Acarbose