Choline is an essential nutrient that contributes to proper liver functioning and cellular development, while also supporting metabolism and aiding nervous system health.
Choline chloride is produced industrially and primarily used as an animal feed additive, as well as being included in many commercial dog foods. According to one recent study, researchers discovered that polyherbal supplements rich in phosphatidylcholine and its metabolites could replace synthetic choline chloride in animal nutrition applications.
Contents
What is Choline Chloride?
Choline Chloride is a water-soluble chemical compound widely found in pet food products. This nutrient helps support healthy liver, nervous and growth processes in dogs as well as support hepatocellular health and neuron function. Produced worldwide in liquid, powder and granular forms for animal feed use only.
One study involved adult dogs fed either a control diet or one supplemented with either choline chloride or another herbal source of choline for 45 days and their feces collected to measure CTTAD, palatability, fecal characteristics, blood variables, liver morphology and cardiac function.
Herbal choline sources reduced gene expression involved with renin-angiotensin and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor signaling pathways, suggesting it may help treat cardiovascular and metabolic diseases. Furthermore, polyherbal choline supplements were found to decrease serum cholesterol and triglycerides levels in dogs while hematological data demonstrated no adverse side effects on livers from using polyherbal choline supplements.
Why is Choline Chloride Important for Dogs?
Choline is an essential nutrient for dogs that aids brain development, muscle function, liver health and the nervous system. While your pup may produce some of its own choline through liver production alone, this may not meet all their dietary requirements; therefore it’s important to provide food that contains either choline chloride or another supplement form of this essential nutrient.
Choline chloride can be found in many pet food sources, from commercial kibble to raw diets; it’s especially prevalent among animals fed a diet composed primarily of raw food products. Choline deficiency may occur more commonly among pets that rely solely on raw diets for sustenance.
Researchers conducted a recent study using polyherbal choline supplements versus cholecalciferol to compare their impact on coefficients of total tract apparent digestibility (CTTAD), diet palatability, fecal characteristics, blood variables and hepatic and cardiac functions of dogs. Their results confirmed that herbal sources of choline proved just as effective at improving dog’s hepatic morphology and metabolic functioning as its synthetic counterpart.
How Much Choline Chloride is Needed for Dogs?
Choline chloride is an essential water-soluble vitamin for maintaining optimal liver and brain functions in dogs. Choline helps them produce cholesterol, fatty acids and neurotransmitters as well as synthesize hormones, carbohydrates and proteins for hormone synthesis and protein synthesis. Furthermore, it’s used for cell structure maintenance as well as breaking down fat.
Deficient dogs in choline may experience symptoms including vomiting, depression and weight loss. Additionally, they could have elevated cholesterol levels and an abnormal bile flow pattern; in severe cases this deficiency could even lead to fatty liver disease that hinders their liver’s ability to breakdown fat and cholesterol.
Choline is naturally produced in the body and found in plants and animals consumed by dogs. Supplements containing choline are also widely available, though one study demonstrated that using polyherbal of choline-rich ingredients instead of choline chloride in pet food did not affect diet digestibility, palatability or fecal characteristics in any way; moreover, its reduced expression of genes involved with the renin-angiotensin system signaling pathways as well as peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor signaling pathways – suggesting possible beneficial effects against metabolic diseases as a whole.
Can Dogs Overdose on Choline Chloride?
Choline is water-soluble, meaning it’s quickly excreted by the body, so deficiency is unlikely in dogs eating traditional kibble diets or raw meat and supplements, though if your raw diet dog experiences weight loss, vomiting, or muscle stiffness it’s essential to consult your veterinarian about choline chloride supplements.
Choline chloride supplements are safe for dogs and may help protect them against unnecessary health complications, as well as improve overall brain function and address cognitive dysfunction in older animals.
