Thiamine Concentrations in Extruded Dog and Cat Food & Determination of Thiamine Status in Healthy Dogs and Cats and Comparison with Hospitalized Inappetent Animals

Thiamine is a water-soluble vitamin and a dietary requirement for dogs and cats. It has a critical role in energy metabolism. As pet owners may freeze excess pet food in an attempt to maintain freshness, this thesis investigates the effect of freezing on thiamine in extruded dog and cat foods. Storage temperature did not affect thiamine concentrations of extruded diets, but thiamine significantly increased over time. Additionally, this thesis examines thiamine status of healthy dogs and cats in comparison to inappetent patients presenting to a tertiary referral hospital, and determines the effect of supplementation on resultant thiamine status in inappetent dogs. We found that thiamine diphosphate (TDP) and unphosphorylated thiamine status of healthy dogs declined with age. This relationship was not present in cats. TDP status was higher in inappetent dogs compared to healthy dogs. Supplementation led to higher TDP status in inappetent dogs compared to baseline TDP status.