You should seek the advice of your veterinarian if your pet is ill as only he or she can correctly advise on the diagnosis and recommend the treatment that is most appropriate for your pet.

Carnitine supplements are available for human use from health stores, and increasingly carnitine is added to diets for veterinary use - but what is it ?

L-Carnitine is a substance called an amine and in nature it is found in high concentrations in muscle - particularly heart muscle and skeletal muscles.

In the body L-carnitine is produced in the liver from the amino acids methionine and lysine. Carnitine is important because it helps fats pass into organelles (called mitochondria) within cells where they are metabolised to produce energy. Some organs - such as heart muscle, require fat as an energy source. So, if there is a deficiency of carnitine due to:

• Poor diet
• Underproduction by the liver, or 
• If there are low concentrations of carnitine locally in tissues

the cells can not get enough energy and do not function properly. In the case of heart muscle this  leads to heart failure and a disease called cardiomyopathy.

L-Carnitine is also added to some rations intended for use in liver disease to reduce the "workload" on the liver, and to provide sufficient carnitine if the liver is unable to produce it.. Itb is also added to many weight control diets - to help increase use of body fat for energy.

Updated October 2013