The production of fatty acids in the alimentary tract of the dog.

The production of a mixture of acetic, propionic, and butyric acids is a characteristic feature of alimentary fermentation in the ruminant and in the horse, pig, rabbit, and rat. The proportions of these acids present in the digesta of the large intestine, and of the stomach in the case of the ruminant, is similar in these species, with the exception of the rat, in which acids higher than acetic form a bigger proportion of the whole. In order to complete the series, the investigation was extended to include the dog, to see (a) whether alimentary fermentation was appreciable in a carnivorous animal, and (b) whether the products of fermentation were the same.