Today's Veterinary Practice

MAY-JUN 2014

Today's Veterinary Practice provides comprehensive information to keep every small animal practitioner up to date on companion animal medicine and surgery as well as practice building and management.

Issue link: http://todaysveterinarypractice.epubxp.com/i/321264

Contents of this Issue

Navigation

Page 82 of 107

81 ACVN NutritioN Notes | surVeyiNg suPPleMeNts: CurreNt treNDs, reseArCH, & reCoMMeNDAtioNs May/June 2014 today's Veterinary Practice tvpjournal.com provide certain omega-3 fatty acids vary in relevant studies. Many condi- tions responded to doses approximat- ing an intake of 1 to 1.5 mg of eicosa- pentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid (EPA+DHA) per calorie, and most standard fish oil capsules contain 300 mg of EPA+DHA. • A 15-kg dog consuming 1000 calo- ries per day would require 1000 to 1500 mg of EPA+DHA daily, or about 3 to 5 fish oil capsules. • A dose of 1 capsule per 4.5 kg (10 pounds) of body weight has been used by some practitioners as a gen- eral guideline. • Some studies of specific condi- tions, such as OA and lymphoma, employed doses of > 3 mg of EPA+DHA per calorie, or 3 capsules per 4.5 kg of body weight. • Some diets are high in fish oil, which should be considered prior to supplementation. Amino Acids Table 3 outlines common amino acids and their derivatives used for dietary supplementation. "Joint" Supplements A variety of supplements are mar- keted for the management of OA. Recent meta-analyses of supplements for this purpose found limited evi- dence except for omega-3 fatty acids. 34 Common joint supplements are reviewed in Table 4, page 82. A double-blinded, positive-con- trolled trial of a supplement product (475 mg glucosamine HCl, 350 mg chondroitin sulfate, 50 mg N-acetyl-D- glucosamine, 50 mg ascorbic acid, and 30 mg zinc sulfate per ≈ 20 kg of body weight) improved subjective OA scores at 70 days compared to 42 days with carprofen (4 mg/kg for 7 days, 2 mg/kg for maintenance). 35 Improvements were not significantly different between groups at day 70. A shorter study com- paring a different glucosamine and chondroitin product to meloxicam and to carprofen, but for only 60 days, found improvements only in the NSAID groups as measured by ground reaction forces and subjective scores. 36 "Joint" diets are unlikely to produce improvement through supplementa- tion with glucosamine and chondroi- tin as many of these diets have concen- trations equivalent to maintenance pet foods and often have lower concentra- tions than those administered in sup- plement form. Omega-3 fatty acids are table 3. Common amino acid Products AMINO ACID SUMMARY Aromatic Amino Acids • Phenylalanine and tyrosine contribute to production of dopamine, other catecholamines, thyroid hormones, and melanin; effects on behavior are unknown • tryptophan is precursor to serotonin and melatonin; elevations have been suggested to produce mild behavioral changes in dogs, but no increases in serotonin were observed when com- pared to other study groups 24 • 5-hydroxytryptophan should be avoided due to reports of sero- tonin syndrome like effects at doses > 20 mg/kg 25 Branched Chain Amino Acids • includes leucine, isoleucine, and valine; leucine has been shown to stimulate skeletal muscle protein synthesis in a number of species • A role in reducing severity of hepatic encephalopathy has been suggested, but debate persists and little work has been done in small animals 26 • Dosing branched chain amino acids is difficult without knowl- edge of dietary amino acid composition Glutamine • Nonessential amino acid that is the principle source of meta- bolic fuel and intermediates for enterocytes • Parenteral supplementation in critical human patients improves outcome 27 • supplementation in small animals without supportive feeding is unlikely to be successful, but additive supplementation beyond that in food could be helpful L-carnitine • Not technically an amino acid, but critical for transporting long- chain fatty acids in the mitochondria, contributing to cellular energy production • Deficiency induces dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), and empiric supplementation is recommended for this condition • suggested for feline hepatic lipidosis, but does not appear to prevent the condition, instead producing some changes in fatty acid oxidation 28 • others postulate that it promotes weight loss during caloric restriction L-theanine • May alter brain chemistry through effects on dopamine and serotonin • small study in dogs showed mild effects at variable doses (approximately 3–5 mg/kg Q 12 H) 29 • Naturally found in tea Lysine • Frequently administered to cats with upper respiratory tract infections (uris) • A dose of 400 mg/day/cat reduced viral shedding after housing changes 30 • Another study which provided a slightly higher dietary intake demonstrated increased severity of uris, which did not support supplementation for feline uris 31 S-adenosyl- methionine (sAM-e) • Contributes to production of glutathione • Most frequently supplemented in cases of hepatic disease • Conditions characterized by oxidative stress may benefit • Chronic liver disease may impair normal production of the sub- stance from methionine 32 • Data in dogs and cats is limited 20 Taurine • essential in cats, due to their increased conversion of cysteine to pyruvate for energy as opposed to production of taurine (as in dogs) • Deficiency causes DCM in dogs and cats, and can induce feline central retinal degeneration 14 • Precise cardiac function of taurine is unclear, but some authors suggest, even with normal taurine levels, supplementation in DCM • No reports of toxicity 33 2014-0506_NutritionNotes_Nutraceuticals_RECONFIGURED_FOR ADS.indd 81 5/24/2014 8:17:11 PM

Articles in this issue

Links on this page

Archives of this issue

view archives of Today's Veterinary Practice - MAY-JUN 2014