Loading
Life sciences · Journal article
Veterinary Sciences · October 6, 2026
No summary has been generated for this record yet. What follows is drawn from its source metadata only.
Journal article.
No findings were extractable from the material analysed.
Safety was not reported in the material analysed. Check the source before drawing any conclusion about harm.
The source did not state who this applies to in practice.
Graded across the dimensions that decide whether you should act, each from what the source actually supports. There is no single score, and where a dimension was not assessed it says so.
This record has not been graded across any dimension yet. Treat the label above as provisional and read the source.
What is missing. This record has no bottom line, key findings, reported figures, evidence dimensions. That is a gap in the analysis, not a judgement about the study.
Background: L-carnitine supports mitochondrial fatty acid transport and has been proposed for weight management, but its short-term effects in overweight dogs are unclear. This pilot study aimed to generate preliminary, hypothesis-generating data on these effects, including possible dose–response patterns, to inform the design of a future randomized, placebo-controlled trial. Methods: Twenty-one Golden Retriever dogs (8–10 years) were assigned to three groups of seven: a control diet group (BCS < 7) receiving no supplementation, receiving no supplementation, and two overweight groups (BCS ≥ 7) receiving 1 g/day or 2 g/day oral L-carnitine for 30 days. Digestibility, faecal dry matter and consistency, BCS, body weight, appetite (4-day monadic feeding test), and serum biochemical, endocrinological and oxidative-status parameters were assessed. Results: BCS, as assessed by a blinded investigator, decreased from baseline at both doses (p < 0.05), more markedly at 2 g/day; however, body weight remained unchanged throughout the study period. Food intake during the post-supplementation appetite test was lower at 2 g/day than in the healthy reference group (p < 0.05), though no pre-supplementation baseline appetite measurement was available for comparison. Serum cholesterol decreased and total antioxidant status (TAS) increased at both doses by day 30 (p < 0.05); however, HDL also decreased at both doses and triglycerides increased at 2 g/day, indicating that lipid profile changes were not uniformly favourable. Insulin decreased at both doses, and visfatin decreased significantly at 2 g/day (p < 0.05). No significant changes in digestibility were observed. Conclusions: In this uncontrolled pilot study, short-term L-carnitine supplementation was associated with dose-related within-group changes in selected metabolic indicators in overweight dogs, without measurable weight loss within 30 days. Notably, the absence of uniformly favourable lipid profile changes and the lack of an untreated overweight control group limit interpretation. These findings should be regarded as hypothesis-generating and support the rationale for a future placebo-controlled trial, rather than establishing a definitive treatment effect, before L-carnitine can be recommended as an adjunct to longer-term canine obesity-management strategies.