The Clinical Efficacy of Dietary Fat Restriction in Treatment of Dogs
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J Vet Intern Med 2014;28:809–817 The Clinical Efficacy of Dietary Fat Restriction in Treatment of Dogs with Intestinal Lymphangiectasia H. Okanishi, R. Yoshioka, Y. Kagawa, and T. Watari Background: Intestinal lymphangiectasia (IL), a type of protein-losing enteropathy (PLE), is a dilatation of lymphatic vessels within the gastrointestinal tract. Dietary fat restriction previously has been proposed as an effective treatment for dogs with PLE, but limited objective clinical data are available on the efficacy of this treatment. Hypothesis/Objectives: To investigate the clinical efficacy of dietary fat restriction in dogs with IL that were unrespon- sive to prednisolone treatment or showed relapse of clinical signs and hypoalbuminemia when the prednisolone dosage was decreased. Animals: Twenty-four dogs with IL. Methods: Retrospective study. Body weight, clinical activity score, and hematologic and biochemical variables were compared before and 1 and 2 months after treatment. Furthermore, the data were compared between the group fed only an ultra low-fat (ULF) diet and the group fed ULF and a low-fat (LF) diet. Results: Nineteen of 24 (79%) dogs responded satisfactorily to dietary fat restriction, and the prednisolone dosage could be decreased. Clinical activity score was significantly decreased after dietary treatment compared with before treat- ment. In addition, albumin (ALB), total protein (TP), and blood urea nitrogen (BUN) concentration were significantly increased after dietary fat restriction. At 2 months posttreatment, the ALB concentrations in the ULF group were signifi- cantly higher than that of the ULF + LF group. Conclusions and Clinical Importance: Dietary fat restriction appears to be an effective treatment in dogs with IL that are unresponsive to prednisolone treatment or that have recurrent clinical signs and hypoalbuminemia when the dosage of prednisolone is decreased. Key words: Canine; Inflammatory bowel disease; Protein-losing enteropathy. rotein-losing enteropathy (PLE) refers to intestinal Pdisorders characterized by gastrointestinal protein Abbreviations: loss of such magnitude as to result in hypoalbumin- ACVP American College of Veterinary Pathologists 1,2 emia. Intestinal lymphangiectasia (IL), a type of ALB albumin PLE, involves dilatation of lymphatic vessels within BUN blood urea nitrogen the gastrointestinal tract.3 IL may be a primary dis- Ca calcium ease, but typically is a secondary process in dogs.4,5 CBC complete blood count The most common mechanisms associated with sec- CCECAI canine chronic enteropathy clinical activity index ondary IL in dogs include increased lymphatic pressure CRP c-reactive protein caused by inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), lym- DER daily energy requirement phoma, or infectious diseases, and increased venous IBD inflammatory bowel disease pressure at the level of the thoracic duct attributable IL intestinal lymphangiectasia to right-sided heart failure, pericarditis, or pericardial LF low-fat effusion.6 Clinical signs include vomiting, diarrhea, LPE lymphocytic-plasmacytic enteritis weight loss, and ascites, but these signs may not PCV packed cell volume PLE protein-losing enteropathy T. Chol total cholesterol TP total protein From the Laboratory of Comprehensive Veterinary Clinical ULF ultra low-fat Studies, Department of Veterinary Medicine, College of WBC white blood cell Bioresource Sciences, Nihon University, Kanagawa, Japan WSAVA World Small Animal Veterinary Association (Okanishi, Yoshioka, Watari); and the NORTH LAB Inc, Hokkaido, Japan (Kagawa). Corresponding author: Toshihiro Watari, Laboratory of Com- prehensive Veterinary Clinical Studies, Department of Veterinary always be present. Laboratory abnormalities associated Medicine, Faculty of Bioresource Sciences, Nihon University, 1866 with IL include hypoalbuminemia, panhypoprotein- Kameino, Fujisawa, Kanagawa 252-0880, Japan; e-mail: emia, lymphopenia, hypocalcemia, and hypocholester- [email protected]. olemia.7 Definitive diagnosis of IL is obtained by Submitted September 24, 2013; Revised December 16, 2013; histopathologic evaluation of intestinal biopsy specimens, Accepted January 14, 2014. which can be obtained surgically or endoscopically.6,7 © 2014 The Authors. Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of American College There are several treatment modalities for PLE, of Veterinary Internal Medicine. including immunosuppressive agents (eg, prednisolone, This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative cyclosporine), dietary treatment (low-fat or hypoaller- Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs License, which genic diet), hydroxeythyl starches, and nutritional sup- permits use and distribution in any medium, provided the original plementations (vitamins or minerals). Prednisolone work is properly cited, the use is non-commercial and no treatment is commonly used for IL (particularly with modifications or adaptations are made. 7,8 DOI: 10.1111/jvim.12327 IBD) and is effective in many cases. However, some 810 Okanishi et al dogs with IL caused by IBD have an unsatisfactory ALB concentration or clinical signs after these treatments and response to prednisolone treatment or recurrence of intestinal biopsy was performed. Prednisolone treatment was clinical signs or hypoalubuminemia when the predniso- instituted after IL had been definitively diagnosed. The initial – lone dosage is decreased.8,9 Steroid treatment may be prednisolone dosage was 1 2 mg/kg/day PO (1 mg/kg/day, = = ineffective because of severe mucosal inflammation or n 13; 2 mg/kg/day, n 11), according to commonly used dos- ages,7,8 and the dosage was decreased every 2–4 weeks if a satis- malabsorption, and clinical signs may recur when the factory response, based on improvement of clinical signs and prednisolone dosage is decreased because of exacerba- ALB concentration, was achieved. tion of mucosal inflammation. The criteria for commencement of dietary fat restriction were An ultra low-fat (ULF) diet composed of turkey as follows: (1) improvement of ALB concentration and clinical breast and potato previously was proposed as part of signs with prednisolone treatment but decrease in ALB concen- the treatment for PLE in dogs by Peterson and tration and exacerbation of clinical signs with reduction in pred- Willard.10 ULF diets are thought to decrease the leak- nisolone dosage or (2) no improvement of ALB concentration age of protein and lipid into the intestinal lumen more and clinical signs after prednisolone treatment for >4 weeks. The than low-fat (LF) diets because of decreased lymphatic medical records of dogs that received dietary fat restriction were pressure. However, objective information on the effi- retrospectively reviewed. The ULF diet was based on the report by Peterson and Wil- cacy of dietary fat restriction including ULF dietary lard and was composed of 1 part chicken breast without skin treatment in PLE dogs has not been reported, and lim- plus 2 parts white potato without skin (all boiled, baked, or ited clinical data on the efficacy of dietary fat restric- microwaved) or rice.10 We replaced the turkey breast in the ULF tion in canine PLE are available. diet of Peterson and Willard with chicken breast in this present Therefore, the purpose of this present study was to study. Chicken breast is composed mainly of protein with hardly evaluate the clinical efficacy of dietary fat restriction in any fat, and provides 125 kcal per 100 g meat (including protein, dogs with IL that were unresponsive to prednisolone 27.3 g; fat, 1.0 g; carbohydrate, 0 g; ash, 1.1 g; water, 70.6 g; treatment or experienced a recurrence of clinical signs sodium, 29 mg; potassium, 350 mg; calcium, 4 mg; magnesium, or hypoalbuminemia when the prednisolone dosage 32 mg; phosphorus, 220 mg; iron, 0.3 mg; zinc, 0.7 mg; copper, was decreased. Furthermore, we investigated the possi- 0.03 mg; manganese, 0.01 mg; vitamin B1, 0.09 mg; and vitamin B2, 0.12 mg). White potato is composed mainly of carbohydrates bility of a reduction in prednisolone dosage with die- with little protein, and provides 84 kcal per 100 g potato (includ- tary fat restriction. ing protein, 1.5 g; fat, 0.1 g; carbohydrate, 19.7 g; ash, 0.6 g; water, 78.1 g; sodium, 1.0 mg; potassium, 330 mg; calcium, Materials and Methods 2 mg; magnesium, 20 mg; phosphorus, 23 mg; iron, 0.3 mg; zinc, 0.2 mg; copper, 0.08 mg; manganese, 0.13 mg; vitamin C, 15 mg; 11 Dogs and vitamin B6, 0.16 mg). Among the 24 dogs that received dietary fat restriction, dogs fed only the ULF diet were catego- + Medical records of 27 dogs with IL fed ULF or ULF LF rized as the ULF group, and dogs fed 1 part ULF diet plus 1 diet, among dogs admitted to the Animal Medical Center of part LF dry canine food (Veterinary Diet Gastrointestinal Low Nihon University from November 2010 to March 2013 with signs Fat, Royal Caninb or Prescription Diet w/d Caninec) were cate- of chronic gastrointestinal disease (ie, vomiting, diarrhea, weight gorized as the ULF + LF group. The ULF and LF combination loss) of more than 3 weeks’ duration, were reviewed for inclusion diet was used because the ULF diet alone may lead to nutritional in the study. The dogs underwent a thorough investigation, imbalances of minerals and vitamins. Therefore, LF dry canine including complete blood count, serum biochemistry profile, par- food (complete and balanced dry canine food) was mixed with asitologic and bacteriologic examination of feces (for nematodes, the ULF diet in equal parts. We considered that the blend would Giardia spp., Trichomonas spp., and Campylobacter spp.), urinal- be more nutritious than the ULF diet alone, and have a lower ysis, radiographic examination, ultrasound examination, and fat content than the LF diet alone. However, certain dogs were endoscopy with intestinal biopsy sampling to exclude other fed only the ULF diet because we considered that the ULF diet causes of gastrointestinal signs. Inclusion criteria included hypo- alone might decrease the leakage of protein and lipid into the < albuminemia (ALB 2.7 g/dL) and histopathologic confirmation intestinal lumen more effectively than the ULF + LF diet because of IL.