INVESTIGATIONS INTO HYPERLIPIDEMIA AND ITS POSSIBLE ...

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Dogs of Group 2 were enrolled on a one-time basis and no follow-up samples
were collected from these dogs. As mentioned above, these dogs were only used for the
lipoprotein profile portion of the study. Serum triglyceride, cholesterol, and Spec cPL
concentrations were also measured in all samples of dogs in this group but were not used
for any comparison with Group 1 (see above).
Study diet
The diet selected for the present study was a commercially available therapeutic
diet labeled as “low-fat” in dry form. a The fat content of the study diet was 18.6 grams
of fat per 1,000 Kcal.
Blood collection and handling
Owners that agreed to participate in the study were each sent a styrofoam box
containing ice-packs and the material necessary for blood collection, and were asked to
schedule an appointment with their veterinarian for the blood collection. Ten milliliters
of blood were collected from each dog into a red-top tube (with no additive).
Immediately after clot formation, the samples were centrifuged and the serum was
separated from the clot. The samples were sent to the Gastrointestinal Laboratory packed
on ice by overnight courier. Serum samples were stored at -80 o C until use.