A recent study showed that felines fed medium chain triglycerides (MCTs) had improved energy status and reduced pro-inflammatory lipids. As a result, investigators found MCTs may support management of renal disease by correcting energy deficiencies and reducing inflammation.

The study was poster presented by Brielle N. Gordon, MS, associate scientist for Hill’s Pet Nutrition, at the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (ACVIM) Forum 2025 in Louisville, Kentucky. The research team also included Kiran S. Panickar, PhD; Regina L. Hollar, Selena K. Taverner, Dennis E. Jewell, PhD, MS; and Matthew I. Jackson, PhD, with their work sponsored by Hill’s Pet Nutrition.

Renal insufficiency is associated with energy metabolism and immune activity disruption, according to investigators. Medium chain fatty acids are an energy source that generate ketone bodies. “Ketones and lipids are important mediators of energy metabolism and immune function,” they wrote.

“Our hypothesis was the dietary medium chain fatty acids, which is just what is hydrolyzed from the MCTs when they eat it, would provide available energy and reduce the lipid immune modulators for these cats with renal disease,” Gordon said in a 

Investigators recruited cats with chronic kidney disease (CKD) for the study from those housed in the Hill’s Global Pet Nutrition Center in Topeka, Kansas. Investigators used clinical chemistry and plasma metabolomics to assess their participating cats’ renal function, β-hydroxybutyrate (BHB) ketone, and lipid metabolites.

“We had 16 cats with naturally occurring renal disease. We had 2 diets. It was a crossover study, so we fed them the Hill’s [kidney disease] diet, which was just their control diet, and then the other diet, the test diet, was the [kidney disease] diet but it had 8% of the MCTs added,” Gordon said.

“The cats were evenly distributed by their age, body weight and gender, and then also their IRIS [International Renal Interest Society] staging. Most of them were IRIS stages 1 and 2. So because of that, they're in their earlier stages of renal disease,” she added.

The study results showed that cats being fed the test diet for 8 weeks demonstrated increased fasting levels of serum BHB and plasma metabolite BHB. Additionally, lipids were disproportionately decreased by a large number with the test food. “The percentage of changed metabolites in each of the lipid classes, which there was 13 classes, was 72% on average. So that's very large,” Gordon explained.

“We're showing her that we did increase available energy for them. Knowing that the kidneys take a lot of energy to filter all the things and do all of their jobs, we think that could definitely be a benefit to these paths that have renal disease,” she added.

Gordon explained that increasing available energy can help the kidneys improve overall daily performance. “We also decrease levels of the liquid immune modulators. So we think that with those two things together, that feeding the medium chain triglycerides can at least slow down progression of renal disease for cats,” she said.

According to Gordon, MCTs as well as fish oil, for reducing inflammation, are already being incorporated into commercial pet diets for kidney disease and may also benefit senior diets because of increased vitality. “There was a study done prior to this in healthy fats that showed that those 2 ingredients together had synergistic effects that were beneficial. The 2 ingredients together were actually more beneficial than either ingredient on their own,” Gordon said.

Gordon BN, Panickar KS, Hollar RL, Tavener SK, Jewell DE, Jackson MI. Effects of dietary medium chain fatty acids on feline renal function. Presented at: American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (ACVIM) Forum; Louisville, KY. June 18-21, 2025.

Articles

Study shows benefit of feeding MCFAs to cats with renal disease

Frederick R. Appelbaum, MD, recognized for advancing marrow transplantation, talks about the impact of canine research on human and veterinary medicine 

The two-way street of canine and human medicine

To watch the first part of Appelbaum’s interview where he talks more about bone marrow transplantation, click 

Frederick R. Appelbaum, MD, executive vice president at the Fred Hutchinson (Hutch) Cancer Center in Seattle, Washington, and associate director for the Fred Hutch/University of Washington/Seattle Children's Cancer Consortium, discusses the pivotal role of canine models in advancing both human and veterinary medicine in this interview on his lecture on bone marrow transplantation at the 2025 American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (ACVIM) Forum in Louisville, Kentucky. In this video, Appelbaum shares how early studies in dogs led not only to the development of marrow transplantation in humans, but also to expanded research into canine genetics and disease.

One of the other things that I mentioned in my lecture is how the study of natural phenomena in animals has been so instrumental in informing our understanding of both disease processes and also therapies in humans. For example, we very early on at the Hutch, used a canine model to develop marrow transplantation. But because of that, we also became very interested in other diseases and the genetics of canines—of dogs.

One of our investigators, Elaine Ostrander, [PhD], that worked with us, was instrumental in being one of the leaders in being able to sequence the canine genome. And in sequencing the canine genome, we learned about diseases such as narcolepsy. We learned about the reasons that certain animals develop certain kinds of tumors, lymphomas, et cetera.

And so, studying [the] canine model helped us develop marrow transplantation, but it also let us become much more interested in just the biology of animals and canines, for example, which then led us to much better understanding of many human diseases and also better understanding of canine diseases as well. So again, you know, the research is, I think, as I mentioned, bidirectional. We learn from the canine model. Canine model informs humans. What we learn in humans can then be applied to canine care because, frankly, the amount of money that goes into developing therapies for humans is going to be a lot more than what goes into developing new therapies for canines, but once you show it works in humans, there's no reason it can't be pretty easily translated back to help our pets.

Videos

Frederick R. Appelbaum, MD, recognized for advancing marrow transplantation, talks about the impact of canine research on human and veterinary medicine.

Joshua Stern, DVM, PhD, DACVIM (Cardiology), explains the condition in a dvm360 interview.

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy in cats

Joshua Stern, DVM, PhD, DACVIM (Cardiology), associate dean for research and graduate studies at North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine in Raleigh, discussed hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCP) in felines and a novel therapy for managing the condition—sirolimus delayed-release tablets (Felycin-CA1; PRN Pharmacal)—during the official launch of the drug at the Hermitage Farm in Goshen, Kentucky. In a presentation at the farm, Stern provided insights about the condition and shared recent data and ongoing research efforts, including the HALT Study with more than 200 cats currently enrolled.

Novel cardiology therapy for cats is launched

interview, Stern explained the need for medication to manage the disease. Additional information about HCP is being presented during the 

2025 American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (ACVIM) Forum

The following is a transcript of the video:

Joshua Stern, DVM, PhD, DACVIM (Cardiology)

:Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is an incredibly common disease in cats. It afflicts about 1 in 7 cats and has some pretty incredibly bad disease outcomes, including congestive heart failure, thromboembolic disease and sudden cardiac death. So, the ability to look for a compound that might mitigate those bad disease outcomes is really important to feline medicine and veterinary medicine overall.

Joshua Stern, DVM, PhD, DACVIM (Cardiology), explains the life-threatening condition in a dvm360 interview.

Understanding hypertrophic cardiomyopathy in cats

At the 2025 American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (ACVIM) Forum in Louisville, Kentucky, Alyssa Y. Castillo, MD, medical director of antimicrobial stewardship at the University of Colorado Hospital in Aurora, Colorado, presented a lecture on antimicrobial stewardship through the lens of human medicine for veterinary practice. Antimicrobial resistance (AMR), Castillo emphasized, has created an inextricable link between veterinary and human medicine, and it cannot be overlooked.

Antimicrobial resistance genes can spread between humans, animals, and shared ecosystems.

With extensive antibiotic use in livestock and poultry, the risk of direct transmission via food products is rising. According to Castillo, there is a case report documenting multi-drug resistant 

 from veal calves, and carbapenem-resistant 

“What we know is that antimicrobial resistance genes readily develop because these microbes are incredibly smart, and they respond to the environmental pressures of antibiotics,” stressed Castillo.

 “We know, of course, that it can transmit between humans and animals, and perhaps more importantly, that there are unique environmental reservoirs that are shared with animals and humans, and if we don't acknowledge and consider the involvement of those, our impact is certainly going to be limited, especially in a world where humans and animals are living in closer and closer proximity, or our environments are changing to force these groups in closer proximity than before.”

With an increase in AMR, antimicrobial stewardship has also seen a rise, though the practice is relatively new. According to Castillo, human medicine has seen a “steep growth” in the last 15 years in antimicrobial stewardship, most of which is tied to requirements by The Joint Commission and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

 This stewardship is also encouraged by the World Health Organization and Infectious Disease Society of America and is now a licensing requirement in human medicine.

The first step to implementing an antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) program is identifying a champion, as outlined by the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America/Infectious Diseases Society of America Clinical Practice Guidelines for Implementing an Antibiotic Stewardship Program.

 “I [will] emphasize that there is tremendous power in teams,” said Castillo, explaining that selecting a multidisciplinary team is best, as well as leveraging high performers.

The next step is to obtain leadership support and buy-in. “Having leadership back you is important because they will verbally say it to peers, and that lends an air of credibility. But often, there will also need to be an ask about [full-time equivalent] (FTE) support to do this work, and potentially financial support as well, in the form of information technology or IT support,” said Castillo.

“And so, I think this is an important conversation to have early, so that you know whether you will have the backing that you need to succeed, and if not, where you might be able to get that buy-in or build that buy-in over time,” she continued.

Once that step is complete, a needs assessment should be conducted. This includes identifying where the clinic or hospital is performing highly and poorly and determining whether the clinic’s selection, dose, and duration of antimicrobials is poor or excellent. Additional questions that should be considered include whether there are areas of high prescriber variation and, importantly, if there are working structures to reliably collect this data.

Following this assessment, key areas of intervention should be identified to find the “lowest hanging fruit,” greatest needs, and clinical interest and momentum. To achieve this, members should implement one or more stewardship strategies.

Strategies can include education, prospective audit and feedback, integration into computerized order entry (COE), restriction or antimicrobial approval, and communications training (e.g. “How do you teach your clinicians to talk to other clinicians? How do you teach your clinicians to talk to patients and their families?”).

 Handshake stewardship—which is the “idea of managing medications and restrictions while also coming in person and...shaking the hand of the people you're talking to” to build relationships—can also be implemented as a strategy.

According to Castillo, antimicrobial stewardship programs are linked to a 10% reduction in antibiotic prescriptions and a 28% reduction in antibiotic consumption.

 “These are important numbers that I think really show that this is data driven, and [AMS programs] work and will have real, palpable impacts on your communities,” said Castillo.

Castillo AY. Joining Forces: Antimicrobial Stewardship Lessons from Human Medicine for Veterinary Practice. Presented at: American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine Forum; Louisville, KY; June 18, 2025.

SHEA/IDSA Clinical Practice Guidelines for Implementing an Antibiotic Stewardship Program. Infectious Diseases Society of America. August 16, 2018. Accessed June 18, 2025. 

https://www.idsociety.org/practice-guideline/implementing-an-ASP/

An infectious diseases human clinician at the University of Colorado School of Medicine offered a unique perspective on antimicrobial stewardship at the 2025 ACVIM Forum in Louisville, Kentucky 

Implementing an antimicrobial resistance stewardship program

On this episode of The Vet Blast Podcast presented by dvm360, Jennifer Quammen, DVM, MPH, and our host Adam Christman, DVM, MBA, discuss her journey through the veterinary industry

Grit, grace, and growth

On this week episode of The Vet Blast Podcast presented by dvm360, our host Adam Christman, DVM, MBA, welcomes special guest Jennifer Quammen, DVM, MPH, to discuss her careers in the veterinary industry, from technicians, to veterinarian, coaching,  and now to running for president-elect of the American Veterinary Medical Association. Throughout the epsiode, the duo will also tackle the need for more inclusivity, sustainability, and diverse perspectives in the veterinary industry, and more. 

Below is a partial transcript, edited lightly for clarity

We all view success a little differently. And how has your view of success changed throughout your career?

another really valuable thing to think about. I mean, I guess I'm sort of at this point of approaching mid career, I guess, which is strange to think about. And, you know, it gives you enough time and distance to think back on. You know, what did I think about 5, 8, or 10 years ago? And what do I think about now or moving into the future? I think success can be defined in so many ways, right? Some people will see that as I have found this perfect practice in this hometown that I'm going to stay at and make this career out of here and put roots down in this community forever and build a family, right? Wonderful. Some of us, myself, at least included in this loves my family and my friends. There's no doubt I'm connected to them, but I don't tie that as much to a location. 

So it's about like, how do I feel good about the impact that I've made at the end of the day? And honestly, in doing the work with coaching, you know, there are moments where I think I'm not touching as many day to day patients and doing that, but I'm touching the people that touch the patients. And so my impact on the profession and on the animal outcome, I hope it's still great, but it's very different than just day to day, grinding with appointments. And so for me, success is, Have I done a good job? Do I feel good about it at the end of the day? Have I made an impact? And I've had to reframe that some for myself over time. I don't know. Do you have a thought on like, what looks like success for you? 

I love that you just said 'I love that I'm touching the people that touched the patients,' because that took me, a hard thing to understand when I was here at dvm360 because I removed myself from that angle, and I was like, What did I do? And there were actually, I literally had pet owners that said, you took an oath, you took an oath to help save my pet, and now you left us. And it was a gut punch Dr Quammen, right? It's like it hits.

Podcasts

Jennifer Quammen, DVM, MPH, shares more on her diverse career in veterinary medicine, finding joy in your work, and more on this episode of The Vet Blast Podcast presented by dvm360

Frederick R. Appelbaum, MD on marrow transplantation

Bone marrow transplantation at the intersection of human and veterinary medicine

At the 2025 American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (ACVIM) Forum in Louisville, Kentucky, Frederick R. Appelbaum, MD, executive vice president at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center in Seattle, Washington, and associate director for clinical research at Fred Hutch/University of Washington/Seattle Children's Cancer Consortium, led a presentation on the development of bone marrow transplantation as a curative therapy. A global pioneer in the research and treatment of blood cancers, Appelbaum played a leading role in the first clinical trial demonstrating autologous bone marrow transplantation in humans.

, in which he discusses his presentation at the ACVIM Forum, Appelbaum traces the origins of this breakthrough to early research in canine models. He reflects on the bidirectional exchange between veterinary and human oncology and shares why emerging immunotherapies may one day become accessible to animal patients.

My name is Fred Appelbaum. I'm a physician from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, where I do clinical care, clinical research, and laboratory research.

So, what I talked about this morning was the overall development of bone marrow transplantation as a curative therapy. It's a therapy that's now [been] performed about 100,000 times worldwide. The genesis of marrow transplantation really began with Nobel Prize winner Don [E. Donnall] Thomas. Don figured out the basics of marrow transplantation using a canine model, and without that, marrow transplantation would not have been possible.

Now, marrow transplantation is not only used, as I say, to treat thousands of people worldwide with blood cancers and inborn errors of blood formation, but it's also the basis for a whole new generation of immunotherapies that are really changing the face of medicine.

Where do you see the most promising intersections between marrow transplantation in human medicine, and what's emerging in veterinary medicine?

There's a number of them. No. 1, we learn [that] it actually goes back and forth in both directions—it's very much bidirectional. Early on, we used a dog model to develop marrow transplantation, and now ..what we're learning in humans can be applied to the treatment of canines.

I understand that [many] of the therapies that are being used in humans today would probably not be accessible to pets because of the incredible cost. But what's happening now in humans is that the cost is coming way down as we're developing new ways of genetically engineering T cells that you can just do with a simple in vivo injection.... I really believe that those are going to be able to eventually change the way that we can treat our pets.

Renowned American physician‑scientist Frederick R. Appelbaum, MD, discusses the development of bone marrow transplantation as a curative therapy at the 2025 ACVIM Forum.