We Villagers are all
familiar by now with “good” and “bad” cholesterol and the long term effects of
both kinds. If you are not as yet familiar with these terms, just wait another
ten years and you will become an expert. We all watch our cholesterol in the
foods we eat. Judging from the many surgical scars I see down at the Nat,
quite a few of you are now on restricted cholesterol diets. Our canine and
feline friends , as they age, can develop some problems with cholesterol .
They can even experience “hardening of the arteries” (atherosclerosis). In the
last three years I have seen an increased interest in those conditions in our
aged friends. So here is the very latest in both canine (dog) and feline (cat)
veterinary internal medicine on the subject.
LIPIDS: These are the
fats in your friends’ systems that are necessary for the normal functions of
the body. These lipids (fats) come from the fats in your friends’ meals. These
fats cross through the intestinal wall into the bloodstream in various forms
after being digested. These fats are either stored as fat (hopefully , not to
excess!) or used as energy. (Walks after meals can shift more to this use).
There are two basic categories of fats, triglycerides and cholesterol.
Triglycerides are the most abundant type of lipid in dogs and cats and are
called VLDL, Very Low Density Lipoproteins.
A portion of these are further
broken down into LDL, Low Density Lipoproteins. Cholesterol is used for energy
transport in the cell membranes and is needed for hormone production, vitamin
creation (in your canine friends) and bile acids (used in digestion).
Cholesterols are called
HDL or High Density Lipoproteins. Both types are needed for energy processes.
The processes which use them are complex and detailed beyond the space in this
article. Simply said, they are very necessary, in essential amounts, for the
normal functioning of the body. In humans, the LDL is more important. In our
canine and feline friends, HDL is more important (factoid). An excess of fat
in your friends’ bloodstream is called hyperlipidemia, or high amounts of
fat. This condition occurs normally after each of the one or more meals and
fatty treats of the day. Of course, a high amount of fat in the system cannot
all be utilized or stored immediately, so it circulates. If a blood sample is
drawn after a meal (post prandial), your friends’ blood sample will have a
layer of fat in it that looks like the cream that used to be on milk. This is
called primary, or postprandial hyperlipidemia. ( I did not make this up) A
blood sample drawn from your friend after a twelve hour fast should have no
fat in it. If it is lipemic (fat-containing), it may indicate a medical
problem. If the high fat level is due to a disease, it is called secondary
hyperlipidemia. Diseases that can cause a fasting blood sample to contain a
significant amount of fat are:
Diabetes
Mellitus (sugar diabetes) in both your feline and canine friends. In your
canine friends only: hypothyroidism (low thyroid hormone),
hyperadrenalcorticism (Cushing disease), and protein-losing nephropathy
(filtering or absorbing deficiency in the kidney). There also appears to be a
correlation between long term obesity in your friends and hyperlipidemia,
leading to one of the above conditions. Of course, we vigilant Villagers who
read our medical articles all know that being overweight and not exercising
enough can lead to most of these conditions. So common sense tells us that the
same can occur in our friends . There is also a connection between friends
that have recurrent pancreatitis, usually from food intolerance or overeating,
and hyperlipidemia . It is also possible that high levels of fats in the body
from overeating for years can produce pancreatitis. However, I believe the
most common cause of pancreatitis to be simply from indigestion rising from
overeating or eating the wrong foods. You may remember that the pancreas
contributes to the proper breakdown or digestion of the fats in the meal. An
overworked or under-producing pancreas can ultimately be damaged by high fat
levels in the blood over a long period of time. There are some very rare
inherited causes of this disease. More common is the occurrence of
hyperlipidemia in miniature schnauzers, generally in later life. Veterinary
researchers have not discovered the exact cause of this, but it is quite
common in older miniature schnauzers. You may not observe any symptoms in your
friends from this disease in the early stages. Normally , the condition is
discovered during routine blood tests. Rarely, a condition of fat globules in
the eye sometimes are seen during an eye exam (lipemia retinalis). A very rare
lump on the skin ( xanthoma) can occur. Seizures and disorientation can also
occur from excessive fat in the bloodstream. Atherosclerosis , or hardening of
the arteries can occur. This condition would only be diagnosed at autopsy.
So what can a Villager
do to avoid this condition in your friends? Watch the calories and the fats.
There are some new and very fancy low cholesterol diets. The simplest one
substitutes soy protein for animal protein. The lowering of the blood fat
level seems to help . There is a liquid/powdered liver “booster” supplement
that helps a lot. Exercise as much as can be tolerated. I realize that many of
our golden seniors (our friends) cannot take long walks anymore. Any exercise
will help . Annual checkup and blood tests catch problems early . Very simple.
Common sense. Very easy to do. Give your friends a hug for me.
DR. BOB
