Abstract
Simple SummaryAcute diarrhea in dogs is one of the most common reasons for veterinary visits. Although this disorder is generally self-limiting, antibiotics are still frequently used as treatment for acute diarrhea in clinical practice. Antimicrobial resistance represents a major challenge for public health and requires immediate and drastic solutions. To date, the emergence and spread of antimicrobial resistance has been attributed to the misuse or indiscriminate use of antibiotics. The aim of this study is to compare the effects on clinical activity and fecal microbiota of the administration of an antibiotic combination in comparison to a nutraceutical product in dogs with acute non-hemorrhagic diarrhea. The results of the present study suggest that this nutraceutical treatment had a similar clinical effect compared to the antibiotic formulation and may represent an alternative to commonly used antimicrobial therapy.Dogs with acute diarrhea are often presented to clinical practice and, although this generally represents a self-limiting condition, antibiotics are still frequently used as treatment. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects in dogs with acute non-hemorrhagic diarrhea of the administration of an antibiotic combination in comparison to a nutraceutical product. Thirty dogs were enrolled and randomly assigned to two groups: 15 dogs (group A) received a nutraceutical commercial product while 15 dogs (group B) received an antimicrobial combination of metronidazole and spiramycin. For each dog, the Canine Acute Diarrhea Severity Index, the fecal microbiota and the Dysbiosis Index were assessed. Both stool consistency and frequency decreased on day 2 in the dogs of group A compared to baseline, while in group B, these parameters significantly decreased at days 3 and 4. The global concern for rising antibiotic resistance associated with indiscriminate use of antimicrobials, in both humans and animals, suggests the necessity of avoiding empirical and injudicious use of these molecules in diarrheic dogs. These results suggest that the nutraceutical treatment had a similar clinical effect compared to the antibiotic formulation, representing a valid antibiotic-sparing therapeutic approach in canine acute diarrhea.
Highlights
Dogs with acute diarrhea are often presented to clinical practice
Dogs whose clinical status worsened during the study or had an increase in their Canine Acute Diarrhea Severity Index (CADS) score [24] by 4 points or more after the trial started were excluded from the study after first inclusion
We compared the effect of a nutraceutical, with a commonly used antimicrobial combination, on the progression of acute diarrhea in dogs
Summary
Dogs with acute diarrhea are often presented to clinical practice. Common causes of acute diarrhea include inappropriate food intake, abrupt dietary changes, scavenger behavior and hypersensitivities. Antimicrobial prescription has been recorded in between 45% and 70% of canine diarrhea cases [4,5,6,7] and a recent case–control study [8] reported that in dogs with acute diarrhea, systemic antimicrobials were the most prescribed pharmaceutical agents, especially if hemorrhagic diarrhea or/and body temperature of more than 39.0 ◦C are present These findings most likely reflect a perception that such clinical signs increase the likelihood that an infectious process is involved and/or that the intestinal mucosal integrity is lost, increasing the risk of bacteremia [9]
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