Gut microbiota, fecal IgA, and fermentative end-products altered in adult dogs fed prebiotics and a non-viable Lactobacillus acidophilus

24 healthy adult female and male beagle dogs (5.74 +- 2.18 years; 9.30 +- 1.32 kg) were fed 4 experimental diets containing no prebiotics or non-viable Lactobacillus acidophilus (NVL) (control food), NVL only, prebiotics only, and prebiotics + non-viable Lactobacillus acidophilus in a randomized cross over design for 168 days periods. Each test and washout period was 21 days in length. Fecal microbiota and IgA were collected on days 0 and 21 of each test period. Fecal fermentative end-products, pH, nutrient digestibility, and stool quality were assessed once during each treatment phase.