Among the most frequent neurological manifestations in dogs, seizures and convulsions affect 0.6-0.8% of the canine population. The approach remains set on the use of antiepileptic drugs, with the consequences that this entails in terms of the ratio of benefits to undesirable effects (a not inconsiderable proportion of dogs continue to have seizures despite drug therapy, and often the treatment results in noticeable changes in the animal’s behavior, with even significant repercussions on its quality of life). This underscores the importance of finding alternative methods to reduce an impact that is objectively burdensome for both dog and owner. In this key-as has been the case in human medicine for some time-in veterinary medicine, too, the possibilities offered by targeted dietary corrections are being explored, which have shown some effectiveness in reducing the frequency of seizures. Several studies, for example, have emphasized the benefits of dietary supplementation with medium-chain triglycerides, and a European multicenter coordinated by the Royal Veterinary College at Hatfield in the United Kingdom has further explored this hypothesis.
The efficacy of oil based on medium chain triglycerides.
Randomized in double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover, the study was published in the Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine and involved 28 dogs in different European centers with idiopathic epilepsy and treated with antiepileptic drugs. Note that these were animals that had presented at least three seizures in the past three months. The aim of the work was to evaluate the efficacy of a commercial medium-chain triglyceride oil on reducing seizure frequency and its tolerability compared with a control diet. The results were interesting, to say the least. In fact, the frequency of attacks was significantly lower during the period when the dogs received the medium-chain triglyceride oil: on average 2.51/month vs. 2.67/month (P=0.02); the same applies to the reduction of days with seizures: 1.68/month vs. 1.99/month (P=0.01). Two dogs also presented no seizures, in three the reduction in seizures was greater than 50%, in 12 it was less than 50%, while 11 presented no change in seizure frequency. Medium-chain triglyceride oil was always well tolerated.
The road to nutrition-based preventive intervention
It is worth mentioning that, in essence, the assumptions of the efficacy of medium-chain triglycerides in reducing seizures are based on thedirect inhibitory action of excitatory neurotransmission, which would be exerted in the brain by capric acid (C10) and caprylic acid (C8), both of which are present in the oil used by multicentric. It has also been shown that this kind of supplementation increases mitochondrial function in dogs and increases the synthesis of polyunsaturated fatty acids in brain tissue.
As the authors point out, although the statistical results from the work cannot be considered particularly exciting, the study brings further evidence to the efficacy of dietary supplementation with medium-chain triglycerides in the epileptic dog. Further investigation is needed, however, to see whether this type of approach may be more effective in animals that are not being treated with antiepileptic drugs or have less significant treatment resistance. In any case, the path of nutritionally based relapse prevention seems to be mapped out.
Reference
Berk BA, Law TH, Packer RMA, et al. A multicenter randomized controlled trial of medium-chain triglyceride dietary supplementation on epilepsy in dogs. J Vet Intern Med. 2020;34(3):1248-1259. doi:10.1111/jvim.15756
