EFFECT OF FISH OIL SUPPLEMENTATION ON HEMATOLOGICAL PARAMETERES IN DOGS UNDERGOING TRAINING

PELLEGRINO F; A RISSO; RELLING A E; Y CORRADA

BIOCELL

Bio Cell

Lugar: San Miguel de Tucumán; Año: 2015 vol. 39

0327-9545

Regular aerobic training and fish oil intake induce changes in blood circulation, improving oxygen transport to tissues. There are no reports on this topic regarding canines. The aim was to assess the effect of fish oil supplementation on hematological parameters in dogs undergoing training. Twelve male dogs from 2 to 6 years old and from 21 to 35 kg were randomly assigned to control (n=5) or fish oil groups (FO, n=7), where they received 54 mg fish oil/kg of body weight0.75 per day. Dogs were trained on a treadmill twice a week for 12 weeks. Each session was 30 minutes long, at 8 km/h speed and a 7.5% slope. Blood samples for assessing red blood cells (RBC), white blood cells (WBC), platelets (PLT), hemoglobin (Hb), hematocrit (Ht), mean corpuscular volume (MCV), mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH) and mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC) were collected at rest at weeks -1 and 13. The data were analyzed using SAS 9.0. Both groups showed a non-significant increase in total RBC (P=0.08). In FO, total PLT and MCV decreased (P≤0.05), with a non-significant increase in Hb (P=0.06). There was no impact on WBC, Ht, MCH and MCHC. The increase in total RBC could show a trend toward increased erythropoiesis as an adaptive response to training. It would be interesting to increase the number of animals in order to assess whether the changes identified in PLT, MCV and Hb could be associated with the effect of fish oil on blood cells, favoring circulation and oxygen transport in dogs undergoing training.