Short Communication
Isabelle Leriche
Abstract
Dietary therapy is a major component in the management of most gastrointestinal disorders. The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of a new dry high protein – low carbohydrate – high fat diet intended for the management of chronic maldigestion-malabsorption in cats. Forty-seven client-owned cats with chronic gastrointestinal diseases were recruited. During the first month (M1) of follow-up, they were fed exclusively the test diet (Virbac VETERINARY® HPM Digestive Support Cat). During the second month (M2), they were fed again their usual dry diet. If medical treatment became necessary during the study, the cat was excluded. To describe the clinical status, the 5 following digestive parameters were assessed 6 times, at inclusion, then each week of M1, and finally at the end of M2: frequency of defecation, faeces quantity, faecal score, faeces odour, and frequency of flatulence. Forty-four cats completed the study. The test diet resulted in significant improvement in all parameters. After 1 month fed the test diet, 72% of cats were completely cured (all parameters normal), 26% were partially improved, and only 2% were unchanged. At the end of M2, 61% of cats had minimum 1 parameter degraded again. These results confirm the clinical efficacy of the new highly digestible high protein – low carbohydrate – high fat diet for chronic gastrointestinal disease management and recurrence prevention in cats.