DIETARY EFFECTS ON ANEMIA PLUS HYPOPROTEINEMIA IN DOGS

Abstract

Casein (purified or commercial) in this type of experiment falls in the top bracket as a protein consistently favorable for maximal new hemoglobin and plasma protein production in doubly depleted dogs (anemic and hypo-proteinemic). Lactalbumin is less favorable for total blood protein production and the ratio of plasma protein to hemoglobin is high—that is lactalbumin favors plasma protein production as compared with casein, or is less favorable for hemoglobin production. Peanut flour (purified or commercial) is less than half as effective as casein in promoting new blood protein production. The ratio of plasma protein to hemoglobin is about the same as casein. Wheat gluten as tested is distasteful to dogs. It is neither very good nor very poor for blood protein production when it is eaten. There is nothing unusual about the response. Weight loss usually confuses the picture. Liver stands as a control base line for the above experiments. Its capacity to further hemoglobin and plasma protein production is well established. The production of hemoglobin was about 3 times that of plasma protein in the experiments.