A prospective, randomized, double blind, placebo-controlled evaluation of the effects of an n-3 essential fatty acids supplement (Agepi® ω3) on clinical signs, and fatty acid concentrations in the erythrocyte membrane, hair shafts and skin surface of dogs with poor quality coats

Therapeutic Effect of EPA/DHA Supplementation in Neoplastic and Non-neoplastic Companion Animal Diseases: A Systematic Review

“…Thus, 23 articles were included for final reviewing (Figure 1) from which data were collected and summarized (Table I). Twenty studies were performed in canine patients (12)(13)(14)(15)(16)(17)(18)(19)(20)(21)(22)(23)(24)(25)(26)(27)(28)(29)(30)(31) and three studies in feline patients (32)(33)(34), with a total of 978 dogs and 68 cats evaluated. In dogs, five types of nonneoplastic diseases were studied: i) allergic dermatitis (13,16,17,(27)(28)(29)(30)(31), ii) osteoarthritis (12,(19)(20)(21)(22)26), iii) periodontal disease (14), iv) keratoconjunctivitis sicca (24) and v) cardiovascular disorders (18,23).…”

“…In dogs, five types of nonneoplastic diseases were studied: i) allergic dermatitis (13,16,17,(27)(28)(29)(30)(31), ii) osteoarthritis (12,(19)(20)(21)(22)26), iii) periodontal disease (14), iv) keratoconjunctivitis sicca (24) and v) cardiovascular disorders (18,23). According to the eligibility criteria, an additional study was reviewed for assessing a health issue, such as a poor quality haircoat, rather than a particular disease (25). Regarding neoplastic diseases, a single study was identified in dogs diagnosed with lymphoma (15).…”

“…In cats, none of the neoplastic diseases has been evaluated so far; however, two types of non-neoplastic diseases were assessed: i) allergic dermatitis (33) and ii) osteoarthritis (32,34). Overall, cutaneous (13,16,17,25,(27)(28)(29)(30)(31)33) and osteoarticular disorders (12, 19-22, 26, 32, 34) accounted for the largest number of studies included in this review.…”

“…Regarding the owners' evaluation, questionnaires were carried out to obtain information on the severity of clinical signs (13, 17, 19-22, 27, 34), their overall opinion on the treatment response (12,13,30,31) and quality of life (34), as well as their perception of the clinical condition (29), behavior (32) and activity of their pets (32). For standardization purposes and to allow a more direct comparison between studies, the daily dosage of EPA and DHA was reported as milligrams per kilogram of body weight (mg/kgBW/day) using i) the information collected directly from the studies (16,17,23,(25)(26)(27)(28), ii) the calculations performed based on the nutritional data provided (13,29,31,32), and iii) the registered composition of the commercial supplements (30). Unfortunately, this type of information was not provided in all studies, so alternative forms were used, such as grams per 1000 kilocalories (12,14,18,34), grams per kilogram (g/kg) on dry matter basis (15), EPA:DHA ratio ( 24) and relative percentage on dry matter basis (19)(20)(21)(22) or in the oil composition (33).…”

“…Only 11 studies provide information on the presence/ absence of adverse effects potentially related to supplementation: 9 trials describe side effects in a small percentage of patients, such as vomiting (12,13,20,32,34), loose stools (30,31), diarrhea (12,26), halitosis (13) and inappetence (20,22), and 2 trials report that animals did not experience any adverse effect at all (25,27).…”