AVALIAÇÃO DO USO DE ÓXIDO CRÔMICO EM CÁPSULAS PARA ESTIMAR A DIGESTIBILIDADE APARENTE EM GATOS.

.OS, R.OS, R.OS, R.C. CARCIOFI, A.PRADA, F.S. BAZOLLI, R.T. PEREIRA, G.A. C. PICINATO, M.

This study evaluated the use of chromic oxide in gelatin capsules to estimate the coefficient of apparent digestibility(CAD) of nutrients for cats. The CAD of two extruded diets were determined using both the fecal total collection method and the chromic oxide method. The cats were given orally approximately 140 mg of chromic oxide in gelatin capsules twice a day, immediately before feeding. Twelve adult neutered cats were used, housed individually in metabolism cages, a total of six animals per diet. The experiment was carried out in a completely randomized design, with two among-subjects factors (foods), two within-subjects factors(methods), and considering the cat as the experimental unit. There was no statistical difference (p>0,05) between the CAD of nutrients determined by the fecal total collection method or estimated by the chromic oxide method. The fecal recovery of the marker was 97,78±4,0% and 98,07±5,5%. Notwithstanding the similar CAD obtained, visual evaluation of the feces showed that the green color of the chromic oxide was not uniformly distributed throughout the feces, which possibly indicates that the marker did not became evenly distributed in the gastrointestinal tract. Key-Words: Cats. Chromic oxide. Digestibility. Fecal recovery. Gelatin capsules.