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.
Small Animal Hospital, Department of Clinical Studies, Royal Veterinary and Agricultural University, Cophenhagen, Denmark.
A
A
Spohr
W G
WG
Guilford
S J
SJ
Haslett
G
G
Vibe-Petersen
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