Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Fecal fatty acids in cats with chronic kidney disease and toxin levels
By Summers, Stacie et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary internal medicine·2020·Department of Clinical Sciences, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Preliminary evaluation of fecal fatty acid concentrations in cats with chronic kidney disease and correlation with indoxyl sulfate and p-cresol sulfate.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A group of 28 cats with chronic kidney disease (CKD) showed higher levels of a specific fatty acid called isovaleric acid in their feces compared to healthy older cats. This increase was especially noticeable in cats with more advanced stages of CKD. The study found that these fatty acid levels were linked to other markers of kidney function and muscle loss. Understanding these changes could help veterinarians better assess and manage CKD in cats, particularly in later stages of the disease.
People also search for: cat chronic kidney disease symptoms · isovaleric acid in cats · cat kidney disease treatment options
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Straight- and branched-chain (BCFA) short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) are produced by colonic microbiota and have both beneficial and deleterious effects in humans with chronic kidney disease (CKD). Fecal SCFAs in cats with CKD have not been described. OBJECTIVE: To characterize fecal SCFA concentrations in cats with CKD as compared to healthy geriatric cats and correlate SCFA to serum indoxyl sulfate (IS) and p-cresol sulfate (pCS) concentrations. ANIMALS: Twenty-eight cats with CKD (International Renal Interest Society [IRIS] stages 2, 3, and 4) and 11 older (≥ 8 years) healthy geriatric cats. METHODS: Prospective, cross-sectional study. Voided feces were analyzed using stable isotope dilution gas chromatography-mass spectrometry to determine fecal concentrations of SCFAs. Serum concentrations of IS and pCS were measured using liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry. RESULTS: Fecal isovaleric acid concentrations were significantly higher in CKD cats(P = .02) Cats with IRIS CKD stage 3 and 4 had significantly higher fecal isovaleric acid concentrations compared to healthy geriatric cats (P = .03), but not compared to IRIS CKD stage 2 cats. Total fecal concentrations of BCFAs were found to correlate weakly with serum creatinine concentration (rho, 0.33; P = .05), blood urea nitrogen concentration (rho, 0.40; P = .01), and pCS concentration (rho, 0.35; P = .04). CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: Fecal isovaleric acid concentrations were higher in CKD cats, particularly in late stage disease, compared to healthy geriatric cats. Fecal BCFA concentrations correlated with pCS and were higher in cats with muscle wasting, providing evidence for malassimilation of protein in CKD cats.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31693251/