The role of supplementary dietary antioxidants on immune response in puppies
Khoo, C.; Cunnick, J.; Friesen, K.; Gross, K.L.; Wedekind, K.; Jewell, D.E.
Veterinary Therapeutics Research in Applied Veterinary Medicine 6(1): 43-56
2005
ISSN/ISBN: 1528-3593 PMID: 15906269 Document Number: 589221
This study evaluated the effect of supplementary antioxidants and whey protein on immune system challenges in young animals. Four groups of 10 puppies each were fed a control diet (CTRL) or one of three test foods (control+antioxidants [AOX], control+antioxidants+1% whey protein [WPI], or a grocery-store brand diet [GROC]) for 6 weeks. A standard vaccination protocol with a combination canine parvovirus (CPV) and distemper (CDV) vaccine was carried out at 2 and 4 weeks. The results showed that animals on high AOX foods had significantly increased response to the CDV vaccine and increased CD4+/CD45+ dim cells, indicative of memory cells, compared with the CTRL group and increased serum vitamin E concentrations compared with the CTRL, WPI, and GROC groups.