Mc. Bauer et al., HEMATOLOGICAL ALTERATIONS IN KITTENS INDUCED BY 6-PERCENT AND 12-PERCENT DIETARY PROPYLENE-GLYCOL, Veterinary and human toxicology, 34(2), 1992, pp. 127-130
Soft-moist cat foods containing 6-13% propylene glycol (PG) induce Hei
nz body formation and decreased red blood cell (RBC) lifespan in adult
cats in a dose dependent manner. Since kittens eat relatively more fo
od/kg of body weight and must expand their blood volume in addition to
replacing senescent RBC, the hematologic dyscrasia associated with co
nsumption of PG-containing diets may be exaggerated. To test this hypo
thesis 21 kittens were divided into 3 groups of 7 each and fed diets c
ontaining, 0,6 or 12% PG for 13 w. A dose-related increase in Heinz bo
dies occurred in the 6 and 12% PG groups within 2 w and persisted thro
ughout the study. Although only slight changes occurred in hematocrit,
hemoglobin and red blood cell (RBC) count, punctate reticulocytes inc
reased significantly in the 6 and 12% PG groups indicating accelerated
erythropoiesis. Mean RBC survival was decreased in the 6 and 12% grou
ps by 44% and 63% respectively when compared to the control group. The
increase in reticulocyte count and reduction in RBC lifespan was grea
ter than observed in adult cats. The greater effect in kittens may be
due to greater PG intake and not to an inate susceptibility of kitten
RBC to PG.