Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Diarrhea rates in Portuguese police working dogs and related factors
By Alves, J C et al.·Published in BMC veterinary research·2021·Divisã·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: A survey on the prevalence of diarrhea in a Portuguese population of police working dogs.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of police working dogs in Portugal was found to have diarrhea, with about 10.6% of them showing this symptom. The study included various breeds, such as Belgian Malinois and German Shepherds, and highlighted that highly active dogs were more likely to experience diarrhea and have lower body condition scores. This suggests that their activity level may contribute to gastrointestinal issues. Further investigation into the causes of diarrhea in these working dogs is needed to help improve their health and performance.
People also search for: dog diarrhea causes · Belgian Malinois diarrhea treatment · active dog gastrointestinal issues
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Diarrhea is considered the most common clinical sign of chronic gastrointestinal disease in dogs and affects a considerable portion of working and sporting dogs. We aimed to determine the prevalence of diarrhea in police working dogs and evaluate the relationship between feeding, activity level, and animal characteristics with clinical signs. In an observational, prospective study, information on 188 dogs was collected. For each patient, age, sex, breed, specific mission, number of animals at the same housing location, and activity level was recorded. A body condition (BCS) and canine inflammatory bowel disease activity index (CIBDAI) scores were determined, and feces classified according to the Bristol Stool Form Scale. The Kruskal-Wallis test was used to compare recorded data between breeds, mission, age, and sex. Multiple regression was run to predict BCS score, increased defecation frequency, diarrhea, CIBDAI scores, Bristol stool scores, diarrhea from activity level, number of animals at the same housing location, breed, and mission. A p < 0.05 was set. RESULTS: Animals in the sample (male n = 96, female n = 92) had a mean age of 5.2 ± 3.2 years and a bodyweight of 24.1 ± 7.2 kg. Four main dog breeds were represented, 80 Belgian Malinois Shepherd Dogs, 52 German Shepherd Dogs, 25 Labrador Retrievers, and 19 Dutch Shepherd Dog. A prevalence of diarrhea of 10.6% was determined, with 4% of dogs having liquid diarrhea. Dogs classified as "extremely active" were more likely to have a low BCS, and the level of activity contributed to diarrhea and BCS prediction. CONCLUSION: Police working dogs frequently experience diarrhea episodes, which lead to clinical disease and performance loss. Investigation of aetiologies is required.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34098935/