Prospective, multicenter study investigating the acceptance and physiologic effects of a palatable and nutritionally complete food in dogs with malignant cancer

Abstract Background Cancer and its treatments can be associated with loss of appetite and poor quality of life (QoL) in dogs. The objective of this single-arm, non-controlled study was to evaluate eating enthusiasm and the nutritional effects of a new food (Hill’s Prescription Diet ON-Care Canine dry) in adult dogs undergoing treatment for malignant cancer. A total of 29 eligible (≥ 1 years old, confirmed diagnosis of malignant cancer, undergoing or recently underwent conventional anticancer therapy, not on any appetite stimulants, and maintaining current medications) dogs were fed the study food for 56 days, with a 7-day transition. Intake (grams, calories), body weight (BW), body condition score (BCS; 1 = very thin, 5 = obese), muscle condition score (MCS; 1 = normal, 4 = severe loss), body fat index (BFI; 20%=low risk, 70%=extreme risk), eating enthusiasm (1 = lowest, 7 = highest), stool quality (1 = liquid, 6 = firm), blood laboratory tests, and QoL were recorded at enrollment and at specific timepoints throughout the 56 days. Results Mean age, BW, BCS, MCS and BFI at Day 0 were 10.1 y, 20.9 kg, 3.2, 1.3 and 27.2%, respectively. Twenty-three of the 29 dogs completed the study. Food (g) and caloric intake measured starting on Day 8 were unchanged throughout the study. However, dogs had a significant increase in BW (1.18 kg, SE 0.30, P = 0.0006) and BFI (3.27%, SE 1.30, P = 0.0193), and improved MCS (–0.18, SE 0.08, P = 0.0375) at Day 56. BCS remained unchanged. Eating enthusiasm remained high throughout the study. QoL assessments were high and remained unchanged except for a significant increase in affection for the family on Day 14 ( P = 0.0409). Mean fecal scores ranged between 4.39 and 4.78 throughout the study. Additionally, serum 25 OH-vitamin D significantly increased by 18.1 nmol/L (SE 7.6, P = 0.0257) on Day 56. Conclusions This study demonstrated high acceptance of the study food with significant improvement of muscle condition score and significant increase in serum 25 OH-vitamin D levels, as well as maintained eating enthusiasm and QoL in dogs with malignant cancer. Thus, this new food may provide a favorable nutritional choice for maintaining weight and QoL in dogs with malignant cancer.