Introduction

Hypertriglyceridemia develops in Canis lupus familiaris due to lack of exercise, excessive caloric intake, and genetic factors. Clinofibrate is a drug for human hypertriglyceridemia, but in Japan it is now also prescribed for dogs even though there is little knowledge about the medicinal effect on these animals.

Objectives

Our objective was to evaluate the effect of clinofibrate on the level of plasma triglyceride (TG) in dogs.

Methods

We collected TG concentration data of 306 dogs from Spectrum Lab Japan that met the following conditions: data were measured after fasting more than 8 hours, presence of data before and after first medication, and two measurements were performed within one year. Samples were categorized into breed groups, comprising the top five breeds plus a composite group containing the other 30 breeds. The samples were also categorized into two groups according to the presence or absence of drug efficacy. Logistic analysis was performed with regard to some dog characteristics (breed, sex, neuter status, BCS, and age).

Results

There was a decrease in TG content after drug treatment, with an average reduction of 53.70%. However, drug refractory occurred in 17.65% of the dogs. Logistic analysis showed no relationship between dog characteristics and drug efficacy.

Conclusions

We confirmed that clinofibrate could effectively reduce TG in dogs with hypertriglyceridemia. The lack of any relationship between drug efficacy or drug refractory and dog characteristics, indicates effect of rare gene variations in lipid metabolism that might have inhibited the drug’s action.