Effects of Grain Free and Inclusive Diets on Amino Acids and Cardiac Parameters in Dogs

Presentation Description / Summary: This presentation will go over the results from a controlled study involving two breeds of dogs fed four test diets and the affects on echocardiographic parameters as well amino acid concentrations including taurine and carnitine concentrations in whole blood, plasma, skeletal muscle and heart muscle. 

Learner Outcomes: 
1) Plasma and whole blood taurine and carnitine are poorly correlated, in general, with plasma and whole blood concentrations despite fasting.
2) Breed affects taurine and carnitine concentrations. 
3) Plasma taurine, while increasing over time and within reference range, was significantly lower with the high animal protein, grain-free diet. 
4) Breed has some affect on echocardiographic parameters
5) Fractional shortening for Beagles in the low-animal protein, grain-free group was lower than Beagles in the high animal protein-grain inclusive diet and low animal protein-grain inclusive diet but were all within the reference range. The same was not observed in hounds.
6) Cardiac biomarkers were not altered by diet. 
7) Histology of endomyocardial biopsies for hounds at day 0 and 180 were normal. 
8) Diet variables did not contribute to a DCM phenotype that could be identified by cardiac biomarkers, echocardiographic parameters, or endomyocardial biopsies in this cohort of dogs over the study period.