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Journal of Animal Science and Technology
Korean Society of Animal Science and Technology

J Anim Sci Technol

pISSN: 2672-0191, eISSN: 2055-0391

DOI: https://doi.org/10.5187/jast.2500227

Article

Age-related changes in growth and fecal parameters, nutrient digestibility, hematology, and serum biochemistry of Beagle dogs

Yonggu Kang1, Younghoon Kim2, Jin Ho Cho3, Hyeun Bum Kim4, Kimoon Kim1, Jinmu Ahn1, Ikcheol Shin1, Min Kyu Kim1, Minho Song1,*, Hyunjin Kyoung1,**
1Department of Animal Science and Biotechnology, Chungnam National University, Daejeon 34134, Korea.
2Department of Agricultural Biotechnology and Research Institute of Agriculture and Life Science, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Korea.
3Department of Animal Science, Chungbuk National University, Cheongju 38644, Korea.
4Department of Animal Biotechnology, Dankook University, Cheonan 31116, Korea.
**Corresponding Author: Minho Song, Department of Animal Science and Biotechnology, Chungnam National University, Daejeon 34134, Korea, Republic of. E-mail: mhsong@cnu.ac.kr.
**Corresponding Author: Hyunjin Kyoung, Department of Animal Science and Biotechnology, Chungnam National University, Daejeon 34134, Korea, Republic of. E-mail: hjkyoung@cnu.ac.kr.

© Copyright 2025 Korean Society of Animal Science and Technology. This is an Open-Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Received: Jun 25, 2025; Revised: Jul 14, 2025; Accepted: Jul 15, 2025

Published Online: Aug 19, 2025

Abstract

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of age on growth and fecal parameters, nutrient digestibility, hematology, and serum biochemistry of Beagle dogs. A total of 18 healthy Beagles were allotted into three groups according to age (puppy, under 1 year old; adult, 1–7 years old; senior, over 7 years old). The study lasted for 17 days, with a 7-day adaptation period and 10-day evaluation period. During the evaluation period, individual body weight, length, and food intake were estimated and recorded to calculate growth parameters. Fecal samples were collected from all beagles to evaluate fecal score and nutrient digestibility by visual observation and chemical analyses, respectively. Blood samples were collected from each dog to evaluate hematological and biochemical parameters using automated hematology analyzer and clinical autoanalyzer, respectively. Puppy group had increased (<italic>p</italic> &lt; 0.05) body weight change during the study compared with adult or senior groups. At the end of the food trial, body condition score of all age groups were ideal. Puppies had higher (<italic>p</italic> &lt; 0.05) fecal moisture content and diarrhea frequency than adult or senior dogs. Senior group had lower (<italic>p</italic> &lt; 0.05) apparent total tract digestibility (ATTD) of crude protein than puppy or adult groups. Puppy group had lower (<italic>p</italic> &lt; 0.05) ATTD of ether extract, crude fiber, and nitrogen-free extract than adult or senior groups. Puppies had higher number of white blood cells and neutrophils at the initial (<italic>p</italic> &lt; 0.05) and final (<italic>p</italic> = 0.062) day of the evaluation period than senior dogs. Senior dogs had lower (<italic>p</italic> &lt; 0.05) levels of serum albumin, glucose, and creatinine during the evaluation than puppies. Puppy group had higher (<italic>p</italic> &lt; 0.05) serum alkaline phosphate level at the initial and final day of the evaluation than adult or senior groups. In conclusion, our study determined the effect of age on growth and fecal parameters, nutrient digestibility, hematology, and serum biochemistry of Beagle dogs.

Keywords: Apparent total tract digestibility; Beagles; Biochemical parameters; Complete blood count