Retrospective Study

The use of SLAB51TM probiotics in dogs with acute and chronic gastrointestinal disease in a veterinary teaching hospital

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Abstract

Acute and chronic gastrointestinal (GI) problems remain common conditions in dogs presented in primary and referral practice. For canine chronic enteropathies (CE), traditional treatment trials are being challenged. In particular, antibiotic use is increasingly scrutinized, and recommendations include replacement by probiotics. However, probiotic-responsive CE (PRE) is not well described yet. The authors hypothesize that this condition might exist and aimed to characterize these enteropathies and describe dogs that could fall into this category by retrospectively assessing response to probiotic treatment. Medical files of dogs receiving the most commonly used probiotic mixture at the authors’ hospital, i.e. SLAB51™, were reviewed. Information about signalment, presenting signs, diagnosis, concurrent treatment, length of treatment and outcome was collected. Dogs with chronic disease supplemented with SLAB51™ (either alone or concurrently to other treatments) were further described to identify cases of PRE. Thirty-seven dogs met the inclusion criteria, of which 29 had chronic GI signs and 24 dogs had a CE. Seven of eight dogs in the acute group and 18/29 dogs in the chronic group responded favorably to treatment. Seven dogs received SLAB51TM without significant concurrent treatment, out of which six had a favorable response (two partial and four full resolution of clinical signs). While the number of cases in which the response to probiotics alone could be assessed, was small, in this study, a role for the use of SLAB51™ probiotics is suggested in cases of acute and chronic enteropathies either alone or alongside other management changes such as dietary interventions.