Effect of dietary supplementation with fish oil and vitamin E on hematological parameters in dogs.

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

Congreso; 21st European Society of Veterinary and Comparative Nutrition (ESVCN) Congress; 2017

Fish oils (FO) are a major source of eicosapentaenoico acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). Regular aerobic training and FO intake may induce changes in hematological parameters, improving oxygen transport through the microcirculation. This effect are potentially beneficial to improve exercise performance in dogs. However, incorporation of the EPA and DHA in membranes increases the membranes? susceptibility to lipid peroxidation1, especially in combination with exercise. Effects of lipid peroxidation can be avoided by supplementing FO diets with antioxidants such as vitamin E (VE). The aim of the present study was to assess the effect of dietary supplementation with FO alone or with VE on hematological parameters in dogs undergoing training. Using a replicate 3x3 Latin square design, six male dogs, 2 to 6 years old and 21 to 35 kg were randomly assigned into three groups for 8 weeks and fed a control diet (CG), CG supplemented with 54 mg FO/kg of body weight0.75 per day (FG) or FG plus 400 mg VE (FEG). 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 on weeks 0, 4 and 8. Dogs were trained on a treadmill twice a week for 8 weeks. Each session was 30 minutes long, at 8 km/h speed and a 7.5% slope. The data were analyzed using SAS 9.4.In FG, MCV at week 4 and PLT at week 8 decreased compared with CG (P