Nutritional therapy and digestibility in canine chylotorax/Manejo nutricional e digestibilidade no quilotorax canino

• Published in: Ciência rural 2009-01, Vol.39 (1), p.258
• Main Authors: Jeremias, Juliana Toloi, Carciofi, Aulus Cavalieri, Brunetto, Marcio Antonio, Nogueira, Sandra Prudente, Sampaio Gomes, Marcia de Oliveira, Teshima, Eliana
• Format: Article
• Language: Portuguese
• ISSN: 0103-8478

Chylothorax corresponds to accumulation of lymphatic fluid in one or both pleural spaces, resulting from the leak of thoracic duct or of one of their main divisions. This can be associated to chylous ascites in patients with systemic lymphatic disturbances, as in lymphangiectasia, due to defects in the lymphatic-veined transport of chylo from thoracic cavity to systemic circulation. Intestinal lymphangiectasia is an obstructive disturbance that involves lymphatic system of gastrintestinal tract and it's the more common cause of enteropathies associated to reduced-absorption and protein loss in dogs. A clinical management of a dog assaulted by chylothorax secondary to intestinal lymphangiectasia is described. A homemade low fat diet was used, and the quantification of digestive function, through the determination of diet's digestibility, was performed. The homemade diet included rice, chicken chest, carrot, calcium carbonate, yeast, vitamin and mineral supplement and salt. The digestibility assay was carried out by total feces collection method. Homemade diet was efficient in stop recurrence of chylous thoracic effusion accumulation, recovery of serum concentrations of total protein and albumin, and promotes weight gain. Compared to the healthy control dog, animal with lymphangiectasia showed reduced digestibility of all analyzed nutrients. Key words: lymphangiectasia, chylothorax, dogs, food, digestibility, fat. O quilotorax corresponde ao acumulo de fluido linfatico em um ou em ambos os espacos pleurais, resultante do extravasamento de linfa do ducto toracico ou de uma de suas divisoes principais. Este pode estar associado a ascite quilosa em pacientes com disturbios linfaticos sistemicos, como na linfangiectasia, em decorrencia de defeitos no transporte linfatico-venoso do quilo da cavidade toracica para a circulacao sistemica. A linfangiectasia intestinal e um disturbio obstrutivo que envolve o sistema linfatico do orgao e revela-se como a causa mais comum de enteropatias associadas a ma absorcao e perda de proteinas em caes. Sao apresentados no presente relato o controle clinico com o uso de dieta caseira com baixa gordura e a quantificacao da funcao digestiva, por meio da determinacao da digestibilidade do alimento, em um cao acometido por quilotorax secundario a linfangiectasia intestinal. A dieta caseira incluiu arroz, peito de frango, cenoura, carbonato de calcio, levedura de cerveja, suplemento vitaminico e mineral e sal. O ensaio de digestibilida