Rapid Resolution of Large Bowel Diarrhea after the Administration of a Combination of a High-Fiber Diet and a Probiotic Mixture in 30 Dogs.

Giacomo Rossi,Matteo Cerquetella,Sara Berardi,Livio Galosi,Subeide Mari,Sara Mangiaterra,Jonathan Lidbury,Alessandra Gavazza,Jan Suchodolski,Joerg Steiner,Graziano Pengo

doi:10.3390/vetsci7010021

Abstract

Canine fiber responsive diarrhea is a form of chronic colitis that improves clinically after adding fiber to the diet. In the present study, we investigated the effect of a combination of a high-fiber, highly digestible, hypoallergenic diet with a probiotic mixture in 30 dogs with chronic colitis that were unresponsive to various dietary and/or pharmacological interventions. Fecal scores, canine chronic enteropathy clinical activity index (CCECAI) scores, the dysbiosis index (DI), and histologic images of colonic biopsies were evaluated. At baseline (day 0; T0) and after 30 days of treatment (T1), all variables evaluated in our patients (i.e., fecal and CCECAI scores and histopathology) improved significantly at T1, with the exception of DI. However, there was a numerical shift from a state of dysbiosis to one of normobiosis. The combination of the diet and the probiotic used in the present study induced the resolution of clinical signs in a mean of 8.5 days (maximum 15 days) and did not necessitate any other treatments or the further addition of alimentary fiber.

Highlights

Food responsive diarrhea is defined by chronic diarrhea that improves clinically in response to switching the patient to a new and exclusive diet, such as a limited antigen diet, a hydrolyzed protein diet, an digestible diet, a high-fiber diet, or some other diet [1]
After 15 days from the beginning of the study, all owners of the dogs were reporting a normalization of the feces quality with a fecal score ranging from 1 to 3 (p < 0.0001); the minimum time to normalization of fecal quality was 4 days, with a mean of 8.5 days (Table 1)
In all subjects, the urgency for defecation disappeared at T1

Summary

Introduction

Food responsive diarrhea is defined by chronic diarrhea that improves clinically in response to switching the patient to a new and exclusive diet, such as a limited antigen diet, a hydrolyzed protein diet, an digestible diet, a high-fiber diet, or some other diet [1]. Fiber responsive large bowel diarrhea (FRLBD) is a chronic condition mainly affecting the colon, which improves by adding fiber to the diet [4]. Not all aspects of FRLBD have been clearly defined, it is interesting to note that it is considered as a sub-group of another condition called chronic idiopathic large bowel diarrhea (the other sub-group is associated with stressors and named irritable bowel syndrome), and that all of these conditions recognize the use of dietary fiber in their management [5,6,7]. The main therapeutic approach in dogs with FRLBD consists in the administration of fiber, such as psyllium, or in the use of commercially available high fiber diets [4].

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