Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Fish oil with DHA may protect kidneys in cats with early polycystic
By Kobayashi, Saori et al.·Published in Journal of feline medicine and surgery·2022·Department of Veterinary Medicine, Japan·View original on PubMed →
PetCaseFinder translated the abstract of this peer-reviewed paper into plain English so pet owners can read it. We do not publish original research — every detail traces back to the citation above. How we work →
Original publication title: Renoprotective effects of docosahexaenoic acid in cats with early chronic kidney disease due to polycystic kidney disease: a pilot study.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A group of cats with early chronic kidney disease (CKD) caused by polycystic kidney disease (PKD) were given a special fish oil rich in docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) for 28 days to see if it would help their kidney function. Before treatment, these cats had signs of kidney issues, but after taking the DHA-enriched oil, their kidney function markers improved significantly, showing less protein in their urine and lower levels of certain harmful substances in their blood. No side effects were noted, and the treatment seemed to enhance their overall health. This suggests that DHA could be beneficial for cats with early CKD due to PKD.
People also search for: cat chronic kidney disease treatment · DHA fish oil for cats · polycystic kidney disease in cats · improving cat kidney function · cat kidney disease diet
Abstract
OBJECTIVES: Lipids containing n-3 fatty acids have been reported to have protective effects on renal function, with docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) expected to be particularly effective. However, no reports have demonstrated the renoprotective effects of DHA-enriched lipids in cats with chronic kidney disease (CKD). Therefore, the aim of this pilot study was to examine the renoprotective effects of DHA-enriched fish oil in cats. METHODS: Five healthy cats and five cats with early non-azotaemic CKD due to autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (PKD) were orally administered DHA-enriched fish oil in liquid form (250 or 500 mg/kg body weight [BW] and 250 mg/kg BW of DHA, respectively) for 28 days. Inappropriately dilute urine and markedly increased urinary-acetyl-d-glucosamine (NAG) index were detected in cats with PKD before DHA-enriched fish oil administration. Changes in the fatty acid composition ratio in the blood of all 10 cats were assessed after orally administering 250 mg/kg of DHA. RESULTS: Post-administration, no adverse clinical effects were observed, and blood and urine tests were within the reference intervals in healthy cats. Cats with PKD showed significantly decreased serum symmetric dimethylarginine (SDMA), urine protein:creatinine ratio (UPC) and urinary NAG index at post-administration. Furthermore, oral administration of DHA-enriched fish oils significantly decreased the blood concentration ratio of arachidonic acid (AA) in cats with PKD post-administration. Furthermore, the concentration ratio of DHA in the blood significantly increased in both healthy cats and cats with PKD, and the DHA:AA ratio also increased. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Oral administration of DHA-enriched fish oils for 28 days significantly decreased blood AA levels and significantly increased DHA concentration and DHA:AA ratios in cats with PKD, and improved the SDMA, UPC and urinary NAG index, suggesting its potential for renoprotective effects in cats with early non-azotaemic CKD due to PKD.
Find similar cases for your pet
PetCaseFinder finds other peer-reviewed reports of pets with the same symptoms, plus a plain-English summary of what was tried across them.
Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36383208/