Arginine deficiency

Question 1

What is arginine

Answer 1

Argidietsnine is a key intermediate in the urea cycle involved in the excretion of nitrogen via urea
- a single meal without arginine can result in emesis, hypersalivation and life-threatening effects
- this is due to the cat’s inability to synthesize arginine from dietary precursors (i.e., ornithine and citrulline) because they lack two enzymes in the pathway
- animal tissue is high in arginine content making its synthesis unnecessary in carnivores on all-meat

Question 2

What is the importance of arginine supplementation in anorectic cats

Answer 2

In anorectic cats hyperammonemia may develop along with hepatic lipidosis because of the insufficient amount of hepatic arginine needed for urea synthesis in the urea cycle